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labcats2006-05-24 11:00 pm
drcpunk.livejournal.com) wrote in labcats2006-05-24 11:00 pm
Ninth Sorcerer Session
We've had a ninth and a tenth session of Sorcerer.
Ninth Session: 2 May 2006
The description of the characters and the write up of the first session are here: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=17765.0
The write up of the second session is here: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=18035.0
The write up of the third session is here: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=18074.0
The write up of the fourth session is here: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=18746.0
The write up of the fifth session is here: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=18871.0
The write up of the sixth session is here: http://community.livejournal.com/labcats/7728.html#cutid1
The write up of the seventh session is here:
The write up of the eighth session is here: http://community.livejournal.com/labcats/11558.html#cutid1
Pre-session Prep
After the 7th session, I'd asked about goals, and Josh told me not to mistake goals for tasks. This is similar to the difference between task and conflict resolution, I think.
E.g.:
Josh: No, comparing books is Sebastian's -means-. The goal is to find a theoretical way to reverse a possession. No, even if Niccolo's goal is not to deal with Teresa, the situation with Teresa is on the table to be resolved.
I had the following list plus my marginalia in front of me during the session. Post session comments are in squrare brackets, []s.
Sophia
1. Summon a demon to take the fall for Nariya and other demonic activity.
[Wacky Hijinks!]
2. Kill Rainer.
[Still live.]
Sebastian
1. Find out who killed his father.
2. Decide what to do about Ysabel and Andreas.
3. Discover a theoretical means to reverse a possession.
[Still live and in conflict: Social contract]
4. Sort out the university situation, decide whether he wants Rainer killed, and, if not, do something to convince the von Pfender to change his mind about having Rainer killed.
[The university situation is largely irrelevant; Sebastian is almost guaranteed to get the Philosophy Chair. The rest of this was phrased to specifically. Rather than the task-oriented "do something to convince the von Pfender to change his mind about having Rainer killed", I should have phrased it as "do something to keep Rainer from being killed". That part is still live.]
Niccolo
1. Banish the possessors of babies.
[Only 1 to go by the end of this session.]
2. Let Antonio know that Marcello is dead.
[Wacky hijinks.]
3. Resolve the question of what to do about / with Teresa and her unborn child.
[Still live.]
Andreas
1. Resolve the question of how to proceed with his relationship with Ysabel.
[Still live.]
2. Decide how to continue to study sorcery and with whom.
[Still live.]
Ingrid
1. Keep things quiet, civilized, and safe, without giving up Aquila.
As folks finished eating, I said, "So, Sophia wants to summon a dkmon?". My goal hear was
a) to get the critter defined quickly, so that it didn't hold things up in the middle or end
b) get folks invclved in helping, making a nice transition from eating to playing
c) get a juicy demon defined that could wreak havoc -- for this I'd prepared an index card ahead of time, with blanks for the numbers, and a list of possible powers.
This mostly worked. That is, we had our critter defined, Josh was bored and dozed while others helped with suggestions, and we got a heaping handful of a demon.
Julian suggested Big.
Special Damage: Lethal: Claws was obvious, as the creature had to have been capable of having committed the murders Nariya had committed.
I suggested Armor.
Someone suggested Cloak.
Cover: Mimic is what I have written down, with Cover: Play Dead scratched off. I think Pamela had suggested the latter, then changed her mind, though there was some discussion of taking Cover twice.
Pamela got this lovely look of dawning comprehension as she realized that this demon was going to be fairly powerful.
Pamela: I'm hosed, aren't I?
Lisa: That's the idea.
Lisa (a bit later): You sure you don't want it to have Vitality?
Understandably, Pamela nixed this.
While she'd originally intended for this to be a demon that got killed off, she was convinced to try to makk it one who could pretend to be dead, I think using Cloak to dissolve into the shadows, because a) summoning a demon in order to kill it might make it a bit, oh, testy, and b) why waste a perfectly good demon when it might be useful helping Sophia fight Rainer, a powerful sorcerer with 2 demons of his own.
We figured the stats as Lore 6, Power and Will 7, and, Pamela agreed, Stamina 6, the same as Sophia's.
There was a brief digression on Inconspicuous demons, who get Cloak for free. Our game only has Passers and Possessors.
Someone: Any inconspicuous demons around.
Lisa (checking): I don't see any.
Someone (very conspicuously): Oh, me! Me!
Lisa: So, Passer or Possessor. Hm, Sophia doesn't know about Possessor demons, does she?
Pamela confirmed this, and we discussed what animal to use. Julian suggested a wolverine, which Pamela liked, but, ultimately, we decided on a raccoon. Its Desire was to steal things. I had already decided that its Need should be to kill.
I next turned to Dave, who'd missed the Italy session. We agreed that Andreas would actually get a full night's sleep and then head to his classes. Leonardo's Need was being fulfilled, though his Desire was thwarted. Axel's need was not met that day, but Andreas didn't mind. He carefully prepared Contains for the two (+1 on both).
NB: I should have given both Andreas and Sebastian consistent lab bonuses. We forgot.
Meanwhile, Sebastian had a placid mouse and a droopy raven. 'Elena felt utterly useless.
Sebastian said that he had a mission only she could perform: Deliver a message to Andreas.
'Elena: A message?!
Sebastian explained that she herself was part of the message. He wanted her to tell Andreas to comport himself with discretion where Ysabel, Sebastian's niece was concerned, or Sebastian would be displeased.
'Elena, none too pleased herself, delivered his message to Andreas, the only witness being fellow demon Orion.
Andreas: I understand.
'Elena (hopefully): Is there anyone you would like me tg kill?
Andreas: Ah, no.
'Elena: Oh. (Flies off disconsolately, shedding feathers which turn to ash as they fall)
Ingrid was talking with her grandmother, who suggested a ball to celebrate Ingrid's engagement to Sebastian's brother, Edmond von Black. This was an idea I tossed on to the table, sort of hoping it might get a couple of PCs together. It took on a life of its own when Beth decided that Ingrid wanted a costume ball.
I originally said that the ball would be "this very evening"' but a) folks said that this was too soon to be plausible. Costumes had to be constructed and so on. b) Niccolo was out of town.
I next said, "the end of the week", and then, more appropriately, "It's dated whenever it turns out to be dramatically appropriate." Folks liked this, and we agreed that the scene in the movie clearly didn't show the date on the invitation.
Beth wasn't sure of the theme for the costumes, so we agreed that this, too, was blurry on screen. Dave pushed for a midwinter theme. I suggested Persephone and Hades. He agreed that this was the sort of theme that culture would use. Beth liked it and said that it was appropriate and ill omened.
Ingrid's grandmother decided that, naturally, despite the tension between Edmond and Sebastian, Sebastian should be invited.
Sebastian: "Sebastian -von- Black"? As if I were one of them! This is an insult! Of course. I'm going!
Minerva discussed costuming, Zeus or Poseidon being most logical. Sebastian noted that lame Hephaestus was appriate. Minerva disagreed. Sebastian suggested a hero, rather than a god. Minerva favored Nestor, but thought that the von Pfender might costume that way himself. Perhaps Odysseus?
Sebastian decided to jump pantheon and go as Wotan. 'Elena could be the ravens. Minerva announced that she'd make the costume. He asked if she wanted to go, but the mouse passer emphatically did not want to go outside the house!
'Elena returned. Sebastian praised her for delivering his message.
'Elena: Any street urchin could have done the same!
She was not mollified by Sebastian's insistence that the medium was the message. He told her that she was a valuable spy. Why, she'd shown him that Andreas and Ysabel were involved.
'Elena: They are?
Sebastian confirmed this, and he pointed out that, even if 'Elena hadn't realized it, she had still shown Sebastian what he needed to know to figure it out.
Minerva, delighted at the prospect of sewing Sebastian's costume, told him to let 'Elena know about the ball. Sebastian did so, explaining that here was something else only 'Elena could do, be ravens to his Wotan.
'Elena (not exactly thrilled): Which raven am I?
Sebastian: Both of them.
He explained that, when asked where the other raven was, he'd say that it was out spying for him, as 'Elena had done on occasion. 'Elena didn't quite follow the logic.
Someone: She's not good at this abstract thinking. Can we say "Bird brain"?
Ingrid suggested inviting some of the other professors, this being intended, at least in part, as a way to get Dave and Andreas in on the action. And, of -course-, the professor with the odd, ah, scientific exhibits should come and talk about them. Hey, he was even nobility, a poor cousin of Graf Rupert von Ouranenburg.
I'm beginning to grok Sim, perhaps. It's that which must be appeased so players don't say, "Wait! That makes No Sense!" Occasionally a pain, but often useful -- and White Wolf falls down on this, with "Despite Your Best Intentions..."
Joanna Gavelli was invited. Even though Ingrid didn't much like her, she was a female full professor.
Einhardt was murdered, alas. Hey! Ingrid's likely had practice time with her derringer!
Volkhardt was still missing. Ingrid's grandmother delicately suggested that he might have been found in an indelicate position. She was startled to hear Ingrid note that had that happened, rather than make the body vanish, those concerned about the deceased's reputation would have made sure it was found, decourously dead.
Ingrid and her grandmother agreed that Rainer Schwanhauser should not be invited. Great-grandfather, Siegfried von Pfender, aka The von Pfender, would have a fit.
Great-grandfather had his own ideas. In Sophia von Winterhagen's invitation, he had written:
-He- will be there, so you may fulfill your commission.
Siegfried had hired Sophia to kill Rainer in the first place. Sophia decided to costume as Athena. Pamela and I were both aware that Athena's sheild was part of what made this appropriate.
Dave said that Rupert had to go as Apollo. This led me to make a snap decision about Ysabel, her costume, and Rupert's desire to help both Andreas and himself.
We agreed that Niccolo would get an invitation, and that Teresa certainly would. She outranked him.
Beth: You could invite her without inviting him, but you can't invite him without inviting her.
Niccolo and Teresa were in Italy, confronting Flora, one of the mistresses of the deceased sorcerer Marcello, who was Teresa's brother. Niccolo had banished the demons possessing Flora's babies, which killed the children. Flora wasn't very distressed when she learned that the children were dead, understanding their nature and Marcello's. Changing her plans several times in short order, Flora ultimately decided not to return home, as Niccolo had instructed her to do. Instead, she set out on the road to the estates of Lord Antonio Mantuo, the father of Teresa and Marcello. She would probably have painted Niccolo as a villain who had murdered both Marcello and her children.
Unfortunately for her, Niccolo's Passer horse, Phaidippides, told Niccolo where she was going. Able to cover the distance between Vindabona and Italy in a single night, Phaidippides easily caught up with Flora.
Flora reevaluated her situation again in light of the horse. Deciding not to explain her actual plan, she said that she had been going to Antonio's estate because she needed protection. When Niccolo didn't understand why she needed protection, she got annoyed.
Flora: Niccolo, I will try to explain this simply, so that you can understand. I. am. a. woman.
Niccolo did not want Flora going to Antonio for protection, so he suggested that she go to Giorgio, one of Antonio's sons who lived in his own house. Flora agreed, noting that Niccolo would just keep chasing her with his very fast horse if she didn't. He didn't deny this.
Hm. There's an argument to be made for forcing the issue. Flora won't do what he says. What does Niccolo do about it?
I'm not convinced that would have been the right way to go -- Flora was a digression. She might have become a main plotline if Julian were interested in that. As it is, she might still hook up with Antonio. Or not.
Regardless, Niccolo returned to the home of Marcello's wife, Bianca, with Teresa and Phaidippides. Niccolo was determined to smoke out the demons there. We set Stakes: Does Niccolo force out the demons without killing any humans? He did, which, Julian said, meant that Bianca had not called back the servants we'd established last session that she'd sent away.
Giovanni, possessed by a fly spirit, was forced out by the fire. The demon was banished, leaving the child dead. Niccolo made sure that the flames consumed the body. Maria, possessed by a worm spirit, went to the tunnels. Julian lost that banish roll, so we agreed that there were too many tunnels, and that Maria had used her Command: Worms power to slow her pursuers down.
Back in Vindabona, Sebastian told 'Elena to find Trismegistus, Rainer's weasel Passer demon. He said that she could beat it up, but was not to kill it. This, too, was intended as a message.
People went to teach or to attend class (except for Niccolo). Andreas was showered with questions about the demons he claimed to be keeping. He solidly resisted answering, and taught a lesson as usual. Near the end, one student, solidly middle class, likely a baker's son, asked the important question: How much?
Andreas named a sum that could probably be scraped together by curious students in a couple of days.
Sophia had not originally planned to ask Sebastian for help summoning a new demon, as she thought he might refuse. She reconsidered, as she was planning to summon up a rather powerful demon. After class, she asked Sebastian for help with this. He said that he needed a couple of days to consider the matter.
By the afternoon classes, everyone had heard about the upcoming ball. Andreas, again showered with questions, acknowledged that he had been invited. Players speculated about how many students would take advantage of the fact that it was a costume ball to try to sneak in.
Julian: Everyone who thinks he can pull it off.
We agreed that Sophia's demon should be summoned in time to cause trouble at the party. Dave added that Leonardo should break his contain and show up at the party as well.
It took me awhile to remember 'Elena's errand. However, Rainer did get the message. He visited Sebastian, his mood foul.
Sebastian and he traded information. Sebastian learned that the passer raven demon was not one of Rainer's. The two sorcerers wondered whose it was.
Sebastian learned at last the truth behind his father's death.
Sebastian had originally summoned 'Elena to kill his father when he was refused permission to bury his non-noble wife in the family crypt. But, someone had beaten 'Elena to the dead.
This hadn't mattered much to 'Elena until Sebastian began summoning -other- demons. But, it did matter to Sebastian. He wanted to know who had killed his father. Siegfried von Pfender believed it had been Rainer.
Rainer told Siegfried that it had been Horst von Pfender, Siegfried's wayward grandson, Ingrid's wicked uncle, recently killed for his foul deeds by Sophia. Among those deeds was kidnapping Sophia's oldest brother, Freideriche, and cutting off his right hand.
Freideriche was suicidally depressed, recovering in the von Pfender household, and asking for poison to end his life. No one was inclined to grant this request. I'll likely take Dave's suggestion and have Freideriche costume for the ball as Tiw.
Sim alert: Dave's very particular. This a germanic setting, so it's Wotan and Tiw.
Julian: Technically, it's neither, since this explicitly isn't Earth or Germany, but we can't be bothered to make up a mythology for such a minor part of the story, so we're stealing a couple.
In any case, after Grafin von Ouranenburg died, Horst searched her home -- now Rupert's home (Gudrun's youngest and only surviving son) for the Book of the Heart of the Beast, her legacy from the Furstin and the Furstin's sister. Gudrun had used sorcery to summon a possessor into Horst's son, then banished it, leaving Horst with a dead child.
When the book was nowhere to be found in the von Ouranenburg mansion, so Horst guessed, correctly, that it had passed to the von Blacks, Gudrun's aunt being Sebastian's mother. He guessed, incorrectly, that Sebastian's father, Garamond, had it. Actually, Sebastian's niece, Ysabel had it.
But, Horst didn't know that, so he had his liveried thugs torture Garamond to death in a futile attempt to learn the book's whereabouts. Rainer regretted not having returned to Vindabona earlier, believing he could have prevented this, as one of his demons bestows Perception: Lies on him.
Rainer used this when Horst kidnapped Sigrid, bastard daughter of Gudrun and Freideriche. He was furious when, after he'd confirmed that Sigrid knew nothing and she'd been rescued, Horst tried to kidnap her again.
Rainer knew that Sophia and Nariya had been responsible for the carnage that claimed not only Horst's life, but also the lives of Sophia's parents, another noble, and a couple of house swordsmen. He did not contradict her story about Horst summoning a fierce and huge demon, reckoning that she certainly had cause to kill Horst, at least.
However, Einhardt Schilderote, head of the University, had been killed by what Rainer assumed to be the same felinoid demon. Sebastian told Rainer that he did not think this was this case. He did -not- tell Rainer that he was sure that Einhardt had been killed by Ludwig, Einhardt's nephew, who had sent his own felinoid demons to do the deed.
Rainer also explained a bit of recent history. He had clashed with Gudrun von Ouranenburg, who used the Book of the Heart of the Beast, which taught all about possessor demons. Rainer used a different book, the Book Bound in Fur, which taught about Passer demons.
Rainer: I assume you took the copy which was missing from the university library.
Sebastian: It was too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands.
Rainer studied a different copy, one belonging to the von Turtletaub family. His passer boar attempted to kill Gudrun, but was killed by -- and killed -- Gudrun's possessed husband, the old Graf von Ouranenburg. Those ignorant assumed that, somehow, a boar got into the house, and the mad Graf retained enough of his sanity to defend hearth and home. Those more knowledgeable blamed Rainer and the von Turtletauben for meddling with sorcery, not realizing that Gudrun, too, was a sorcerer.
Gudrun's swordsman challenged Graf von Turtletaub and killed his swordsman. The von Turtletaub family left Vindabona, as did Rainer. The following year, the von Turtletaub returned, though Rainer did not. Graf von Turtletaub swore, truthfully, that the Book Bound in Fur had been destroyed and that Rainer Schwanhauser did not have a copy.
Rainer had copied the entire manuscript. After doing this, he no longer needed the book. He gave the copy to Graf von Turtletaub, and the original was, indeed, destroyed.
The new copy of the Book Bound in Fur was studied by Ludwig, the son of a në client artist of the von Turtletaub. Meanwhile, Gudrun made a political and sexual alliance with Horst, who learned about what Gudrun was and what she had done from the von Turtletauben. He attempted to steal Gudrun's book. She used sorcery to kill his son, both as punishment to him and as a warning to the von Turtletauben.
This worked. Horst never dared act against Gudrun von Ouranenburg, nor did Graf von Turtletaub. Gudrun made a happier alliance with Freideriche von Winterhagen, the von Winterhagen heir, resulting in his surprisingly liberal attitude towards his sister, Sophia, and in the birth of Sigrid. Rainer remained in exile.
Then, the plague struck, killing many, including Gudrun and most of the von Turtletauben. Ludwig, dying of plague, as Ingrid was, drew on his knowlege of the Book Bound in Fur, and, as Ingrid had done without it, Ludwig summoned and bound a demon to help him survive. Rupert von Ouranenburg, Ludwig's lover, survived because, unknown to him, he was a half demon. He found himself the new Graf von Ouranenburg.
Mathilde von Hirsch, nee von Turtletaub, threw out a bunch of things, including the von Turtletaub copy of the Book Bound in Fur. Axel the peddler took it from a trash heap and sold it to Andreas.
Rainer contacted people secretly about returning to Vindabona. Like Horst, he sought the Book of the Heart of the Beast. Sebastian asked Rainer why. Rainer said that he wanted to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.
Sebastian warned Rainer that he was in Great Danger.
Rainer (dryly): Obviously.
Sebastian: Not by me!
He warned Rainer that the von Pfender wanted Rainer dead.
Rainer: He has invited me to the party.
Sebastian: Well, don't go!
Sebastian urged his rival to leave town. Rainer appreciated the gesture, but said that if the von Pfender were determined to see him dead, the von Pfender would track him down. If he didn't go to the party, the von Pfender would use this as a pretext for insult. He figured his only hope was to find a new patron willing to protect him.
Sebastian suggested they work with Andreas to produce a fake corpse of Rainer. Rainer was willing to give this a try. He left, thinking, as I did, that Sebastian, Andreas, and he would doctor a corpse. Aftcr the session, Josh explained that Sebastian meant they'd summon a demon, of course. Hearing my assumption, he's now thinking about summoning a possessor into a corpse. He's sure that Herr Doktor Professor Andreas von Ouranenburg can supply the corpse.
Meanwhile, in Italy, Niccolo spotted Bianca staring at her burning home while neighbors fought the fire to keep it from spreading. Niccolo approached Bianca.
Niccolo: Bianca.
Bianca: Did they do this? I tried to be a good mother to them. I tried. You saw.
Julian: She's broken, isn't she?
Lisa: Yep.
Niccolo: Bianca, I'm worried about your children. Where are they?
Bianca: Antonio ran away when you came. Maria is probably in the tunnels. Giovanni -- perhaps the roof?
Niccolo: Call them, Bianca. They will come to you. You're their mother, after all.
Bianca called, and, after a time, Maria crawled out from the tunnels. This time, Niccolo succeeded in banishing her. All Bianca knew was that Maria crawled out and died. Niccolo knew that Giovanni was dead, and he now knew that Antonio was long gone. He took Bianca, Teresa, and his horse to the estate of the boy's namesake, Teresa's father, Antonio Mantuo.
Ysabel sent her uncle a note suggesting they meet for dinner. Sebastian agreed. She told him that Rupert was going to attend the party as Apollo, and she would attend as Artemis. Andreas, er, Herr Doktor Professor von Ouranenburg had been, ah, bringing her word of Rupert's, er, Graf von Ouranenburg's honorable suit. Discreetly. Such a marriage would be good the von Blacks. Sebastian agreed that this would do.
I'd toyed with the idea of having Rupert approach Ysabel off screen with the suggestion he'd made to Andreas, not sure if it was a good idea or not. Dave had said Andreas was trying to duck thinking about this. Was I giving him too easy an out? Was I failing to let the consequences of Andreas' indecision and denial come home to roost?
Possibly. It still remains to be seen. But, other players pointed out various ways things can go Wrong with Rupert's simple little plan. I also didn't want things to stop dead, but what really made me decide on a dime to do it this way was Dave's statement that Rupert -so- was coming as Apollo.
Andreas himself toyed with the idea of coming as Acteon when Ysabel told Ingrid loudly enough for Andreas to hear it that she was coming as Artemis. However, Andreas immediately dismissed the notion, deciding instead to come as Serapis. Orion was not invited, Ingrid being aware that the dog was a passer demon, but we all agreed that it would be unlikely that anyone would be able to stop him if he wished to go.
Ysabel thought that the one tiny problem in Rupert's plan to wed, but not bed, her was that her father, Ingrid's fiance, Sebastian's brother might object, being aware that Rupert was homosexual. Sebastian agreed that Ysabel shouldn't tell her father about the scheme to marry Rupert or about the careful coordination of costumes until her father saw her and Rupert at the party.
Either Beth or Julian pointed out that one logical way for this to go Very Wrong was for Edmond to insist that Rupert give up his lover in return for marrying Ysabel. It would be a perfectly reasonable request, and it would fit with some of my source material in ways I would not have dreamed of planning. Heck, all of it does, something I don't think I consciously realized when I first thought of Rupert as the logical odd answer to Andreas' situation.
Trouble is, Rupert's lover is Ludwig. What happens if the very powerful, very unstable sorcerer hears that his lover is being pressured to put him aside?
And, at what point, if any, do Ludwig or Ysabel decide to put a possessor demon into Edmond von Black?
Ysabel knows it can be done. She would think it an unpardonably rude thing to do to Ingrid before the wedding, and she has no idea that she'd be signing her own death warrant by doing it at all. This is tempting as a sturm-und-drang setting all PCs at each other's throats. However, I was not sure all players involved would be good with this. I later confirmed that they were, but it also seemed too easy a cliche. Still, I decided to let the idea simmer.
Ludwig had just learned about the existence of possessors when he first saw Teresa. Like Ysabel, Ludwig has no idea that Ingrid is a sorcerer. This may have possibilities.
Regardless, Ysabel thought that Rupert's plan was good for the von Blacks. She thought that Sebastian should remarry. That, too, would be good for the von Blacks.
Someone: She's trying to play matchmaker.
Josh: No, Lisa's biting me with the demon Sebastian summoned up for Ysabel.
Clever Sebastian had decided to give Ysabel a demon that wanted to improve the survival of the von Blacks. Of -course- the only remaining unattached von Black should marry and sire heirs. Ysabel asked what Sebastian's wife had been like. She also suggested that perhaps Sebastian should wed Sophia, an idea he firmly quashed. If he hadn't, Sophia would have.
Ysabel and Sebastian spoke of sorcery, comparing notes. Both knew Rainer was a sorcerer. Ysabel asked if Sebastian thought Andreas should study with them. He said that he didn't want that, but that he didn't object to Ysabel passing on what they'd learned to Andreas. He told her about Sophia and Ludwig, cautioning her that Ludwig was the most dangerous of all. Neither knew about Ludwig, and Sebastian did not tell her about Niccolo.
Ysabel went to Andreas that night, Dave saying that this would be at Andreas' home, not at the lab. There was no reason for Leonardo to get a second eyeful, or Axel to get a first.
Ysabel either told Andreas about or confirmed that he already knew about Sophia, and confirmed that he knew about Ludwig. Ysabel asked if it were really true that Ludwig was the most dangerous one, as her uncle had said. Andreas said that while he would generally take her uncle's statements as true, he thought that, in this particular case, Sebastian was wrong.
I don't know if Andreas thought that Sebastian was the most dangerous, or that he himself was, nor am I sure whether this was pure denial on Andreas' part about Ludwig sending his demons to kill his uncle.
So, Andreas had to decide: Sex or Sorcery -- which first? After considering the matter, he decided to study sorcery with Ysabel before having sex with her that night.
Ingrid decided it was time to have a talk with her future daughter-in-law to make sure that Ysabel knew the facts of life. After all, Ysabel was being intimate with Andreas.
Ysabel: I do not think this can be proved.
Ingrid was glad a) that Ysabel wasn't trying to lie to her (Ingrid has about 13 dice base in Perception: Lies), b) that Ysabel was aware, however belatedly, of the importance of discretion, and c) that there was a plan for Ysabel to marry Rupert, even if Ysabel was lying about Andreas setting this up. Heck, it wasn't exactly lying-to-Ingrid so much as rehearsing-the-cover story. However, there were still a few ground rules to establish.
Ingrid: It is best to marry at least nine months before one has a child. It is -essential- to marry at least seven months before.
She explained about contraception, the rhythm method, and other such details, as we assured players who didn't already know that, yes, there had been condoms that early. They just weren't necessarily effective.
[Cf. Pepys.]
Ingrid wasn't thrilled with Ysabel and Rupert's plan, but, like Sebastian, she thought it would do. She reckoned that Rupert was discreetly passing his title to a cadet line of the von Ouranenburgs, something that there was precedent for.
Meanwhile, Niccolo and Teresa snuck into the bedroom of Antonio Mantuo. (Stakes: Do they get caught? They didn't.) Niccolo lit a candle, removed all weapons from easy reach, then called Antonio's name.
Antonio asked if they were ghosts. Niccolo denied this, proving his solidity.
Antonio: Then, why are you here? Oh! She's pregnant, and you need money.
Niccolo: No, that's not it --
Antonio (hopefully): She's not pregnant?
Niccolo said that wasn't why he was there. He proceeded to tell a bemused Antonio that Marcello, one of Antonio's sons, was dead, and another, Leonardo, was somehow damaged in the head.
Antonio: Did you take a swing at him? But no, you couldn't have landed a blow.
Niccolo (who had done just that): Oh, I could have landed the blow. But, do you really think he would have noticed?
Antonio conceded the point, but was increasingly baffled by the riddle of his sons' fates, which Niccolo seemed to him to pose, but not to answer. And, Niccolo said that the people of Vindabona were superstitious and convinced that there was a demon inside Leonardo or something to that effect. Antonio decided that he would go to Vindabona to seek his answers.
Niccolo: They may not be able to give you answers.
Antonio decided he would go anyway. Niccolo and Teresa could accompany him and slip away in the city. Niccolo said that he and Teresa would slip away now, but that he was very sorry for having betrayed his patron's trust. Antonio had been good to him, and he had repaid Antonio poorly.
Antonio (distractedly): Niccolo, I do have other daughters.
Niccolo told Antonio where Bianca was. Antonio tossed him a purse of money, which Niccolo did not take. Teresa did.
Side note 1: I said that Teresa would take the purse unless Niccolo stopped her. Julian said that Niccolo would if he saw her, but that Teresa was Fast -- it's one of her demonic powers -- and that the hand really is quicker than the eye.
I decided that it would be a pointless waste of time to roll dice in that case. We had our nice character note: the demon-formerly-spoiled-noblewoman was far more practical than the artist. Also, Teresa really had nowhere to go. Antonio had written her off. Julian agreed that this was a valid way to play Antonio, and that there was even a certain odd pleasant notoriety in having one's daughter run off with a gifted artist.
Side Note 2: Apart from taking the purse, Teresa didn't do anything in this scene. I think that was the correct decision, as Julian's focus was on Niccolo trying, in his fumbling way, to make apology, if not amends, to his patron, and I did not want to undercut this. In PtA terms, this felt to me like a character development scene, not a plot scene, though it generated plot.
During all this, as our 10:30 pm alarm went off, Josh and Pamela were playing a separate scene, with Sophia and Sebastian talking about the demon that Sophia wanted to summon. After all, as Pamela pointed out, Sebastian wanted a favor from Sophia: He wanted her not to fulfill her commission to kill Rainer.
Sebastian asked why Sophia had killed her parents. As I understand it, Sophia first said that it was Nariya, not her, but later admitted that she wasn't all that sorry that they were dead, and that, okay, maybe she did sort of want them dead.
Now, we'd decided that a Passer Raccoon was the way to go, but that was before Sebastian applied his mind to the problem. After all, he wanted to Continue the Experiments! For Science!
Er. Anyway, he convinced Sophia that what she should do was Summon a Possessor into a raccoon. Perhaps the spirit of some actor?
Sebastian ordered 'Elena to fetch mice. Dejected, she went to Andreas' house, and asked him to help, explaining that her master wanted to summon yet another one. Intrigued, Andreas did his best to help.
Trouble is, Orion's Need to eat small animals and Andreas' Telltale, small animals flee him, meant that Andreas' place was rodent free, and his help wasn't that helpful.
I so should have noticed this combination from the start and played with it. And Judd's idea of a yappy poodle as a lady's beloved pet Orion wanted to eat is beautiful, especially if I'd made it Ysabel's. OTOH, Dave agreed with me that we're in endgame, and it's far too late for that plot twist, while, as Julian pointed out, Andreas manages to complicate his life quite well even without my pushing the Need-Telltale combination.
Andreas went to see what his colleague Sebastian was up to, arriving shortly before 'Elena did -- she had much more luck once Andreas wasn't helping. Aquila showed Ingrid Andreas and 'Elena together, and then Andreas going to Sebastian's home. Ingrid was intrigued.
Sebastian made a mental note to tell 'Elena not to tell other people things he hadn't specifically told her to tell them. Meanwhile, the mice were loose in the presence of 'Elena and Orion. We agreed that we did not want to waste time on mousey hijinks, so we just said that the mice got rounded up.
Sebastian introduced everyone to Minerva. Both Andreas and Sophia found the clothed mouse "a little disturbing", as Andreas put it. Minerva proudly announced that she was working on Sebastian's costume.
Sophia: I'm sure it will have very fine stitches.
'Elena revealed that Sebastian had not merely dressed, but had also kissed the mouse as part of the various Contact and Summon rituals. For Sophia's Contact ritual, Sebastian put white face paint on the raccoon's face. This disturbed Sophia a lot.
Sophia: Don't you put clothing on my demon!
Sebastian assured her that it would be completely inappropriate to do that for the ritual. And no, he was not going to kiss the raccoon or to suggest that she did.
So, Sebastian helped with the Contact, but Josh rolled no successes. Sophia did, however. On to the summoning. The raccoon was allowed to kill one mouse, fulfilling its Need. Sophia then held another just out of reach, allowing the raccoon to "steal" a mouse, fulfilling its desire. I hadn't realized that this netted a 5 die bonus, but Julian remembered the rule. He wasn't sure if the way Sophia was fulfilling the raccoon's desire merited the full 5 dice. I agreed, and gave Pamela 3 dice. Sebastian had no successes to contribute as bonus dice.
Sophia lost to the demon, and we rolled its successes over into the binding roll. Sophia won the binding roll with 2 successes. We named the demon Hermes and broke for the evening.
Upon checking the rules, Julian discovered (after much searching for the actual rule) that he didn't quite remember them correctly. It's a 5 die penalty for not meeting the demon's need, and a 2 die bonus for meeting the Desire. So, we weren't that far off when I called it a 3 die bonus. (At least, if that's correct. Julian said he found the 2 die bonus in "the PDF rules summary", which I assume means Nev's Quick Ref. He couldn't find it in the book.)
On the way out and to the subway, we discussed a couple of potential problems.
1. Andreas' kicker was that he was falling in love with Ysabel.
Dave said that his kicker had been resolved, and it felt like Andreas had been floating ever since. He'd wanted the girl; he'd gotten the girl.
Someone: He has Ysabel, sure. But does he love her?
Dave: Ah! Very good question.
2. Josh wanted Sebastian to learn how to reverse a possession. Theoretically, given the assumptions of the world, Sebastian might be able to bind the "real" Teresa into her own body.
But, to Julian, this felt like giving Niccolo an out. Julian neither wanted it, nor felt that Niccolo deserved it.
The two positions were not utterly incompatible, but I wanted Julian and Josh to work out mutually acceptable parameters, preferably between sessions, and tell me what the Social Contract was. Julian's ultimate decision points to a pattern, as I think he's zeroing on the same thing that was bugging Dave.
Julian: Don't solve my problems for me.
On the plus side, Josh said that I had no pointless die rolling.
We all agreed that all the PCs should be at the ball.
Dave wanted Leonardo breaking his Contain and going to the ball.
We all knew that the new demon, Hermes, would cause trouble at the ball.
Someone: People will be talking about this party for decades to come!
Ninth Session: 2 May 2006
The description of the characters and the write up of the first session are here: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=17765.0
The write up of the second session is here: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=18035.0
The write up of the third session is here: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=18074.0
The write up of the fourth session is here: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=18746.0
The write up of the fifth session is here: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=18871.0
The write up of the sixth session is here: http://community.livejournal.com/labcats/7728.html#cutid1
The write up of the seventh session is here:
The write up of the eighth session is here: http://community.livejournal.com/labcats/11558.html#cutid1
Pre-session Prep
After the 7th session, I'd asked about goals, and Josh told me not to mistake goals for tasks. This is similar to the difference between task and conflict resolution, I think.
E.g.:
Josh: No, comparing books is Sebastian's -means-. The goal is to find a theoretical way to reverse a possession. No, even if Niccolo's goal is not to deal with Teresa, the situation with Teresa is on the table to be resolved.
I had the following list plus my marginalia in front of me during the session. Post session comments are in squrare brackets, []s.
Sophia
1. Summon a demon to take the fall for Nariya and other demonic activity.
[Wacky Hijinks!]
2. Kill Rainer.
[Still live.]
Sebastian
1. Find out who killed his father.
2. Decide what to do about Ysabel and Andreas.
3. Discover a theoretical means to reverse a possession.
[Still live and in conflict: Social contract]
4. Sort out the university situation, decide whether he wants Rainer killed, and, if not, do something to convince the von Pfender to change his mind about having Rainer killed.
[The university situation is largely irrelevant; Sebastian is almost guaranteed to get the Philosophy Chair. The rest of this was phrased to specifically. Rather than the task-oriented "do something to convince the von Pfender to change his mind about having Rainer killed", I should have phrased it as "do something to keep Rainer from being killed". That part is still live.]
Niccolo
1. Banish the possessors of babies.
[Only 1 to go by the end of this session.]
2. Let Antonio know that Marcello is dead.
[Wacky hijinks.]
3. Resolve the question of what to do about / with Teresa and her unborn child.
[Still live.]
Andreas
1. Resolve the question of how to proceed with his relationship with Ysabel.
[Still live.]
2. Decide how to continue to study sorcery and with whom.
[Still live.]
Ingrid
1. Keep things quiet, civilized, and safe, without giving up Aquila.
As folks finished eating, I said, "So, Sophia wants to summon a dkmon?". My goal hear was
a) to get the critter defined quickly, so that it didn't hold things up in the middle or end
b) get folks invclved in helping, making a nice transition from eating to playing
c) get a juicy demon defined that could wreak havoc -- for this I'd prepared an index card ahead of time, with blanks for the numbers, and a list of possible powers.
This mostly worked. That is, we had our critter defined, Josh was bored and dozed while others helped with suggestions, and we got a heaping handful of a demon.
Julian suggested Big.
Special Damage: Lethal: Claws was obvious, as the creature had to have been capable of having committed the murders Nariya had committed.
I suggested Armor.
Someone suggested Cloak.
Cover: Mimic is what I have written down, with Cover: Play Dead scratched off. I think Pamela had suggested the latter, then changed her mind, though there was some discussion of taking Cover twice.
Pamela got this lovely look of dawning comprehension as she realized that this demon was going to be fairly powerful.
Pamela: I'm hosed, aren't I?
Lisa: That's the idea.
Lisa (a bit later): You sure you don't want it to have Vitality?
Understandably, Pamela nixed this.
While she'd originally intended for this to be a demon that got killed off, she was convinced to try to makk it one who could pretend to be dead, I think using Cloak to dissolve into the shadows, because a) summoning a demon in order to kill it might make it a bit, oh, testy, and b) why waste a perfectly good demon when it might be useful helping Sophia fight Rainer, a powerful sorcerer with 2 demons of his own.
We figured the stats as Lore 6, Power and Will 7, and, Pamela agreed, Stamina 6, the same as Sophia's.
There was a brief digression on Inconspicuous demons, who get Cloak for free. Our game only has Passers and Possessors.
Someone: Any inconspicuous demons around.
Lisa (checking): I don't see any.
Someone (very conspicuously): Oh, me! Me!
Lisa: So, Passer or Possessor. Hm, Sophia doesn't know about Possessor demons, does she?
Pamela confirmed this, and we discussed what animal to use. Julian suggested a wolverine, which Pamela liked, but, ultimately, we decided on a raccoon. Its Desire was to steal things. I had already decided that its Need should be to kill.
I next turned to Dave, who'd missed the Italy session. We agreed that Andreas would actually get a full night's sleep and then head to his classes. Leonardo's Need was being fulfilled, though his Desire was thwarted. Axel's need was not met that day, but Andreas didn't mind. He carefully prepared Contains for the two (+1 on both).
NB: I should have given both Andreas and Sebastian consistent lab bonuses. We forgot.
Meanwhile, Sebastian had a placid mouse and a droopy raven. 'Elena felt utterly useless.
Sebastian said that he had a mission only she could perform: Deliver a message to Andreas.
'Elena: A message?!
Sebastian explained that she herself was part of the message. He wanted her to tell Andreas to comport himself with discretion where Ysabel, Sebastian's niece was concerned, or Sebastian would be displeased.
'Elena, none too pleased herself, delivered his message to Andreas, the only witness being fellow demon Orion.
Andreas: I understand.
'Elena (hopefully): Is there anyone you would like me tg kill?
Andreas: Ah, no.
'Elena: Oh. (Flies off disconsolately, shedding feathers which turn to ash as they fall)
Ingrid was talking with her grandmother, who suggested a ball to celebrate Ingrid's engagement to Sebastian's brother, Edmond von Black. This was an idea I tossed on to the table, sort of hoping it might get a couple of PCs together. It took on a life of its own when Beth decided that Ingrid wanted a costume ball.
I originally said that the ball would be "this very evening"' but a) folks said that this was too soon to be plausible. Costumes had to be constructed and so on. b) Niccolo was out of town.
I next said, "the end of the week", and then, more appropriately, "It's dated whenever it turns out to be dramatically appropriate." Folks liked this, and we agreed that the scene in the movie clearly didn't show the date on the invitation.
Beth wasn't sure of the theme for the costumes, so we agreed that this, too, was blurry on screen. Dave pushed for a midwinter theme. I suggested Persephone and Hades. He agreed that this was the sort of theme that culture would use. Beth liked it and said that it was appropriate and ill omened.
Ingrid's grandmother decided that, naturally, despite the tension between Edmond and Sebastian, Sebastian should be invited.
Sebastian: "Sebastian -von- Black"? As if I were one of them! This is an insult! Of course. I'm going!
Minerva discussed costuming, Zeus or Poseidon being most logical. Sebastian noted that lame Hephaestus was appriate. Minerva disagreed. Sebastian suggested a hero, rather than a god. Minerva favored Nestor, but thought that the von Pfender might costume that way himself. Perhaps Odysseus?
Sebastian decided to jump pantheon and go as Wotan. 'Elena could be the ravens. Minerva announced that she'd make the costume. He asked if she wanted to go, but the mouse passer emphatically did not want to go outside the house!
'Elena returned. Sebastian praised her for delivering his message.
'Elena: Any street urchin could have done the same!
She was not mollified by Sebastian's insistence that the medium was the message. He told her that she was a valuable spy. Why, she'd shown him that Andreas and Ysabel were involved.
'Elena: They are?
Sebastian confirmed this, and he pointed out that, even if 'Elena hadn't realized it, she had still shown Sebastian what he needed to know to figure it out.
Minerva, delighted at the prospect of sewing Sebastian's costume, told him to let 'Elena know about the ball. Sebastian did so, explaining that here was something else only 'Elena could do, be ravens to his Wotan.
'Elena (not exactly thrilled): Which raven am I?
Sebastian: Both of them.
He explained that, when asked where the other raven was, he'd say that it was out spying for him, as 'Elena had done on occasion. 'Elena didn't quite follow the logic.
Someone: She's not good at this abstract thinking. Can we say "Bird brain"?
Ingrid suggested inviting some of the other professors, this being intended, at least in part, as a way to get Dave and Andreas in on the action. And, of -course-, the professor with the odd, ah, scientific exhibits should come and talk about them. Hey, he was even nobility, a poor cousin of Graf Rupert von Ouranenburg.
I'm beginning to grok Sim, perhaps. It's that which must be appeased so players don't say, "Wait! That makes No Sense!" Occasionally a pain, but often useful -- and White Wolf falls down on this, with "Despite Your Best Intentions..."
Joanna Gavelli was invited. Even though Ingrid didn't much like her, she was a female full professor.
Einhardt was murdered, alas. Hey! Ingrid's likely had practice time with her derringer!
Volkhardt was still missing. Ingrid's grandmother delicately suggested that he might have been found in an indelicate position. She was startled to hear Ingrid note that had that happened, rather than make the body vanish, those concerned about the deceased's reputation would have made sure it was found, decourously dead.
Ingrid and her grandmother agreed that Rainer Schwanhauser should not be invited. Great-grandfather, Siegfried von Pfender, aka The von Pfender, would have a fit.
Great-grandfather had his own ideas. In Sophia von Winterhagen's invitation, he had written:
-He- will be there, so you may fulfill your commission.
Siegfried had hired Sophia to kill Rainer in the first place. Sophia decided to costume as Athena. Pamela and I were both aware that Athena's sheild was part of what made this appropriate.
Dave said that Rupert had to go as Apollo. This led me to make a snap decision about Ysabel, her costume, and Rupert's desire to help both Andreas and himself.
We agreed that Niccolo would get an invitation, and that Teresa certainly would. She outranked him.
Beth: You could invite her without inviting him, but you can't invite him without inviting her.
Niccolo and Teresa were in Italy, confronting Flora, one of the mistresses of the deceased sorcerer Marcello, who was Teresa's brother. Niccolo had banished the demons possessing Flora's babies, which killed the children. Flora wasn't very distressed when she learned that the children were dead, understanding their nature and Marcello's. Changing her plans several times in short order, Flora ultimately decided not to return home, as Niccolo had instructed her to do. Instead, she set out on the road to the estates of Lord Antonio Mantuo, the father of Teresa and Marcello. She would probably have painted Niccolo as a villain who had murdered both Marcello and her children.
Unfortunately for her, Niccolo's Passer horse, Phaidippides, told Niccolo where she was going. Able to cover the distance between Vindabona and Italy in a single night, Phaidippides easily caught up with Flora.
Flora reevaluated her situation again in light of the horse. Deciding not to explain her actual plan, she said that she had been going to Antonio's estate because she needed protection. When Niccolo didn't understand why she needed protection, she got annoyed.
Flora: Niccolo, I will try to explain this simply, so that you can understand. I. am. a. woman.
Niccolo did not want Flora going to Antonio for protection, so he suggested that she go to Giorgio, one of Antonio's sons who lived in his own house. Flora agreed, noting that Niccolo would just keep chasing her with his very fast horse if she didn't. He didn't deny this.
Hm. There's an argument to be made for forcing the issue. Flora won't do what he says. What does Niccolo do about it?
I'm not convinced that would have been the right way to go -- Flora was a digression. She might have become a main plotline if Julian were interested in that. As it is, she might still hook up with Antonio. Or not.
Regardless, Niccolo returned to the home of Marcello's wife, Bianca, with Teresa and Phaidippides. Niccolo was determined to smoke out the demons there. We set Stakes: Does Niccolo force out the demons without killing any humans? He did, which, Julian said, meant that Bianca had not called back the servants we'd established last session that she'd sent away.
Giovanni, possessed by a fly spirit, was forced out by the fire. The demon was banished, leaving the child dead. Niccolo made sure that the flames consumed the body. Maria, possessed by a worm spirit, went to the tunnels. Julian lost that banish roll, so we agreed that there were too many tunnels, and that Maria had used her Command: Worms power to slow her pursuers down.
Back in Vindabona, Sebastian told 'Elena to find Trismegistus, Rainer's weasel Passer demon. He said that she could beat it up, but was not to kill it. This, too, was intended as a message.
People went to teach or to attend class (except for Niccolo). Andreas was showered with questions about the demons he claimed to be keeping. He solidly resisted answering, and taught a lesson as usual. Near the end, one student, solidly middle class, likely a baker's son, asked the important question: How much?
Andreas named a sum that could probably be scraped together by curious students in a couple of days.
Sophia had not originally planned to ask Sebastian for help summoning a new demon, as she thought he might refuse. She reconsidered, as she was planning to summon up a rather powerful demon. After class, she asked Sebastian for help with this. He said that he needed a couple of days to consider the matter.
By the afternoon classes, everyone had heard about the upcoming ball. Andreas, again showered with questions, acknowledged that he had been invited. Players speculated about how many students would take advantage of the fact that it was a costume ball to try to sneak in.
Julian: Everyone who thinks he can pull it off.
We agreed that Sophia's demon should be summoned in time to cause trouble at the party. Dave added that Leonardo should break his contain and show up at the party as well.
It took me awhile to remember 'Elena's errand. However, Rainer did get the message. He visited Sebastian, his mood foul.
Sebastian and he traded information. Sebastian learned that the passer raven demon was not one of Rainer's. The two sorcerers wondered whose it was.
Sebastian learned at last the truth behind his father's death.
Sebastian had originally summoned 'Elena to kill his father when he was refused permission to bury his non-noble wife in the family crypt. But, someone had beaten 'Elena to the dead.
This hadn't mattered much to 'Elena until Sebastian began summoning -other- demons. But, it did matter to Sebastian. He wanted to know who had killed his father. Siegfried von Pfender believed it had been Rainer.
Rainer told Siegfried that it had been Horst von Pfender, Siegfried's wayward grandson, Ingrid's wicked uncle, recently killed for his foul deeds by Sophia. Among those deeds was kidnapping Sophia's oldest brother, Freideriche, and cutting off his right hand.
Freideriche was suicidally depressed, recovering in the von Pfender household, and asking for poison to end his life. No one was inclined to grant this request. I'll likely take Dave's suggestion and have Freideriche costume for the ball as Tiw.
Sim alert: Dave's very particular. This a germanic setting, so it's Wotan and Tiw.
Julian: Technically, it's neither, since this explicitly isn't Earth or Germany, but we can't be bothered to make up a mythology for such a minor part of the story, so we're stealing a couple.
In any case, after Grafin von Ouranenburg died, Horst searched her home -- now Rupert's home (Gudrun's youngest and only surviving son) for the Book of the Heart of the Beast, her legacy from the Furstin and the Furstin's sister. Gudrun had used sorcery to summon a possessor into Horst's son, then banished it, leaving Horst with a dead child.
When the book was nowhere to be found in the von Ouranenburg mansion, so Horst guessed, correctly, that it had passed to the von Blacks, Gudrun's aunt being Sebastian's mother. He guessed, incorrectly, that Sebastian's father, Garamond, had it. Actually, Sebastian's niece, Ysabel had it.
But, Horst didn't know that, so he had his liveried thugs torture Garamond to death in a futile attempt to learn the book's whereabouts. Rainer regretted not having returned to Vindabona earlier, believing he could have prevented this, as one of his demons bestows Perception: Lies on him.
Rainer used this when Horst kidnapped Sigrid, bastard daughter of Gudrun and Freideriche. He was furious when, after he'd confirmed that Sigrid knew nothing and she'd been rescued, Horst tried to kidnap her again.
Rainer knew that Sophia and Nariya had been responsible for the carnage that claimed not only Horst's life, but also the lives of Sophia's parents, another noble, and a couple of house swordsmen. He did not contradict her story about Horst summoning a fierce and huge demon, reckoning that she certainly had cause to kill Horst, at least.
However, Einhardt Schilderote, head of the University, had been killed by what Rainer assumed to be the same felinoid demon. Sebastian told Rainer that he did not think this was this case. He did -not- tell Rainer that he was sure that Einhardt had been killed by Ludwig, Einhardt's nephew, who had sent his own felinoid demons to do the deed.
Rainer also explained a bit of recent history. He had clashed with Gudrun von Ouranenburg, who used the Book of the Heart of the Beast, which taught all about possessor demons. Rainer used a different book, the Book Bound in Fur, which taught about Passer demons.
Rainer: I assume you took the copy which was missing from the university library.
Sebastian: It was too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands.
Rainer studied a different copy, one belonging to the von Turtletaub family. His passer boar attempted to kill Gudrun, but was killed by -- and killed -- Gudrun's possessed husband, the old Graf von Ouranenburg. Those ignorant assumed that, somehow, a boar got into the house, and the mad Graf retained enough of his sanity to defend hearth and home. Those more knowledgeable blamed Rainer and the von Turtletauben for meddling with sorcery, not realizing that Gudrun, too, was a sorcerer.
Gudrun's swordsman challenged Graf von Turtletaub and killed his swordsman. The von Turtletaub family left Vindabona, as did Rainer. The following year, the von Turtletaub returned, though Rainer did not. Graf von Turtletaub swore, truthfully, that the Book Bound in Fur had been destroyed and that Rainer Schwanhauser did not have a copy.
Rainer had copied the entire manuscript. After doing this, he no longer needed the book. He gave the copy to Graf von Turtletaub, and the original was, indeed, destroyed.
The new copy of the Book Bound in Fur was studied by Ludwig, the son of a në client artist of the von Turtletaub. Meanwhile, Gudrun made a political and sexual alliance with Horst, who learned about what Gudrun was and what she had done from the von Turtletauben. He attempted to steal Gudrun's book. She used sorcery to kill his son, both as punishment to him and as a warning to the von Turtletauben.
This worked. Horst never dared act against Gudrun von Ouranenburg, nor did Graf von Turtletaub. Gudrun made a happier alliance with Freideriche von Winterhagen, the von Winterhagen heir, resulting in his surprisingly liberal attitude towards his sister, Sophia, and in the birth of Sigrid. Rainer remained in exile.
Then, the plague struck, killing many, including Gudrun and most of the von Turtletauben. Ludwig, dying of plague, as Ingrid was, drew on his knowlege of the Book Bound in Fur, and, as Ingrid had done without it, Ludwig summoned and bound a demon to help him survive. Rupert von Ouranenburg, Ludwig's lover, survived because, unknown to him, he was a half demon. He found himself the new Graf von Ouranenburg.
Mathilde von Hirsch, nee von Turtletaub, threw out a bunch of things, including the von Turtletaub copy of the Book Bound in Fur. Axel the peddler took it from a trash heap and sold it to Andreas.
Rainer contacted people secretly about returning to Vindabona. Like Horst, he sought the Book of the Heart of the Beast. Sebastian asked Rainer why. Rainer said that he wanted to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.
Sebastian warned Rainer that he was in Great Danger.
Rainer (dryly): Obviously.
Sebastian: Not by me!
He warned Rainer that the von Pfender wanted Rainer dead.
Rainer: He has invited me to the party.
Sebastian: Well, don't go!
Sebastian urged his rival to leave town. Rainer appreciated the gesture, but said that if the von Pfender were determined to see him dead, the von Pfender would track him down. If he didn't go to the party, the von Pfender would use this as a pretext for insult. He figured his only hope was to find a new patron willing to protect him.
Sebastian suggested they work with Andreas to produce a fake corpse of Rainer. Rainer was willing to give this a try. He left, thinking, as I did, that Sebastian, Andreas, and he would doctor a corpse. Aftcr the session, Josh explained that Sebastian meant they'd summon a demon, of course. Hearing my assumption, he's now thinking about summoning a possessor into a corpse. He's sure that Herr Doktor Professor Andreas von Ouranenburg can supply the corpse.
Meanwhile, in Italy, Niccolo spotted Bianca staring at her burning home while neighbors fought the fire to keep it from spreading. Niccolo approached Bianca.
Niccolo: Bianca.
Bianca: Did they do this? I tried to be a good mother to them. I tried. You saw.
Julian: She's broken, isn't she?
Lisa: Yep.
Niccolo: Bianca, I'm worried about your children. Where are they?
Bianca: Antonio ran away when you came. Maria is probably in the tunnels. Giovanni -- perhaps the roof?
Niccolo: Call them, Bianca. They will come to you. You're their mother, after all.
Bianca called, and, after a time, Maria crawled out from the tunnels. This time, Niccolo succeeded in banishing her. All Bianca knew was that Maria crawled out and died. Niccolo knew that Giovanni was dead, and he now knew that Antonio was long gone. He took Bianca, Teresa, and his horse to the estate of the boy's namesake, Teresa's father, Antonio Mantuo.
Ysabel sent her uncle a note suggesting they meet for dinner. Sebastian agreed. She told him that Rupert was going to attend the party as Apollo, and she would attend as Artemis. Andreas, er, Herr Doktor Professor von Ouranenburg had been, ah, bringing her word of Rupert's, er, Graf von Ouranenburg's honorable suit. Discreetly. Such a marriage would be good the von Blacks. Sebastian agreed that this would do.
I'd toyed with the idea of having Rupert approach Ysabel off screen with the suggestion he'd made to Andreas, not sure if it was a good idea or not. Dave had said Andreas was trying to duck thinking about this. Was I giving him too easy an out? Was I failing to let the consequences of Andreas' indecision and denial come home to roost?
Possibly. It still remains to be seen. But, other players pointed out various ways things can go Wrong with Rupert's simple little plan. I also didn't want things to stop dead, but what really made me decide on a dime to do it this way was Dave's statement that Rupert -so- was coming as Apollo.
Andreas himself toyed with the idea of coming as Acteon when Ysabel told Ingrid loudly enough for Andreas to hear it that she was coming as Artemis. However, Andreas immediately dismissed the notion, deciding instead to come as Serapis. Orion was not invited, Ingrid being aware that the dog was a passer demon, but we all agreed that it would be unlikely that anyone would be able to stop him if he wished to go.
Ysabel thought that the one tiny problem in Rupert's plan to wed, but not bed, her was that her father, Ingrid's fiance, Sebastian's brother might object, being aware that Rupert was homosexual. Sebastian agreed that Ysabel shouldn't tell her father about the scheme to marry Rupert or about the careful coordination of costumes until her father saw her and Rupert at the party.
Either Beth or Julian pointed out that one logical way for this to go Very Wrong was for Edmond to insist that Rupert give up his lover in return for marrying Ysabel. It would be a perfectly reasonable request, and it would fit with some of my source material in ways I would not have dreamed of planning. Heck, all of it does, something I don't think I consciously realized when I first thought of Rupert as the logical odd answer to Andreas' situation.
Trouble is, Rupert's lover is Ludwig. What happens if the very powerful, very unstable sorcerer hears that his lover is being pressured to put him aside?
And, at what point, if any, do Ludwig or Ysabel decide to put a possessor demon into Edmond von Black?
Ysabel knows it can be done. She would think it an unpardonably rude thing to do to Ingrid before the wedding, and she has no idea that she'd be signing her own death warrant by doing it at all. This is tempting as a sturm-und-drang setting all PCs at each other's throats. However, I was not sure all players involved would be good with this. I later confirmed that they were, but it also seemed too easy a cliche. Still, I decided to let the idea simmer.
Ludwig had just learned about the existence of possessors when he first saw Teresa. Like Ysabel, Ludwig has no idea that Ingrid is a sorcerer. This may have possibilities.
Regardless, Ysabel thought that Rupert's plan was good for the von Blacks. She thought that Sebastian should remarry. That, too, would be good for the von Blacks.
Someone: She's trying to play matchmaker.
Josh: No, Lisa's biting me with the demon Sebastian summoned up for Ysabel.
Clever Sebastian had decided to give Ysabel a demon that wanted to improve the survival of the von Blacks. Of -course- the only remaining unattached von Black should marry and sire heirs. Ysabel asked what Sebastian's wife had been like. She also suggested that perhaps Sebastian should wed Sophia, an idea he firmly quashed. If he hadn't, Sophia would have.
Ysabel and Sebastian spoke of sorcery, comparing notes. Both knew Rainer was a sorcerer. Ysabel asked if Sebastian thought Andreas should study with them. He said that he didn't want that, but that he didn't object to Ysabel passing on what they'd learned to Andreas. He told her about Sophia and Ludwig, cautioning her that Ludwig was the most dangerous of all. Neither knew about Ludwig, and Sebastian did not tell her about Niccolo.
Ysabel went to Andreas that night, Dave saying that this would be at Andreas' home, not at the lab. There was no reason for Leonardo to get a second eyeful, or Axel to get a first.
Ysabel either told Andreas about or confirmed that he already knew about Sophia, and confirmed that he knew about Ludwig. Ysabel asked if it were really true that Ludwig was the most dangerous one, as her uncle had said. Andreas said that while he would generally take her uncle's statements as true, he thought that, in this particular case, Sebastian was wrong.
I don't know if Andreas thought that Sebastian was the most dangerous, or that he himself was, nor am I sure whether this was pure denial on Andreas' part about Ludwig sending his demons to kill his uncle.
So, Andreas had to decide: Sex or Sorcery -- which first? After considering the matter, he decided to study sorcery with Ysabel before having sex with her that night.
Ingrid decided it was time to have a talk with her future daughter-in-law to make sure that Ysabel knew the facts of life. After all, Ysabel was being intimate with Andreas.
Ysabel: I do not think this can be proved.
Ingrid was glad a) that Ysabel wasn't trying to lie to her (Ingrid has about 13 dice base in Perception: Lies), b) that Ysabel was aware, however belatedly, of the importance of discretion, and c) that there was a plan for Ysabel to marry Rupert, even if Ysabel was lying about Andreas setting this up. Heck, it wasn't exactly lying-to-Ingrid so much as rehearsing-the-cover story. However, there were still a few ground rules to establish.
Ingrid: It is best to marry at least nine months before one has a child. It is -essential- to marry at least seven months before.
She explained about contraception, the rhythm method, and other such details, as we assured players who didn't already know that, yes, there had been condoms that early. They just weren't necessarily effective.
[Cf. Pepys.]
Ingrid wasn't thrilled with Ysabel and Rupert's plan, but, like Sebastian, she thought it would do. She reckoned that Rupert was discreetly passing his title to a cadet line of the von Ouranenburgs, something that there was precedent for.
Meanwhile, Niccolo and Teresa snuck into the bedroom of Antonio Mantuo. (Stakes: Do they get caught? They didn't.) Niccolo lit a candle, removed all weapons from easy reach, then called Antonio's name.
Antonio asked if they were ghosts. Niccolo denied this, proving his solidity.
Antonio: Then, why are you here? Oh! She's pregnant, and you need money.
Niccolo: No, that's not it --
Antonio (hopefully): She's not pregnant?
Niccolo said that wasn't why he was there. He proceeded to tell a bemused Antonio that Marcello, one of Antonio's sons, was dead, and another, Leonardo, was somehow damaged in the head.
Antonio: Did you take a swing at him? But no, you couldn't have landed a blow.
Niccolo (who had done just that): Oh, I could have landed the blow. But, do you really think he would have noticed?
Antonio conceded the point, but was increasingly baffled by the riddle of his sons' fates, which Niccolo seemed to him to pose, but not to answer. And, Niccolo said that the people of Vindabona were superstitious and convinced that there was a demon inside Leonardo or something to that effect. Antonio decided that he would go to Vindabona to seek his answers.
Niccolo: They may not be able to give you answers.
Antonio decided he would go anyway. Niccolo and Teresa could accompany him and slip away in the city. Niccolo said that he and Teresa would slip away now, but that he was very sorry for having betrayed his patron's trust. Antonio had been good to him, and he had repaid Antonio poorly.
Antonio (distractedly): Niccolo, I do have other daughters.
Niccolo told Antonio where Bianca was. Antonio tossed him a purse of money, which Niccolo did not take. Teresa did.
Side note 1: I said that Teresa would take the purse unless Niccolo stopped her. Julian said that Niccolo would if he saw her, but that Teresa was Fast -- it's one of her demonic powers -- and that the hand really is quicker than the eye.
I decided that it would be a pointless waste of time to roll dice in that case. We had our nice character note: the demon-formerly-spoiled-noblewoman was far more practical than the artist. Also, Teresa really had nowhere to go. Antonio had written her off. Julian agreed that this was a valid way to play Antonio, and that there was even a certain odd pleasant notoriety in having one's daughter run off with a gifted artist.
Side Note 2: Apart from taking the purse, Teresa didn't do anything in this scene. I think that was the correct decision, as Julian's focus was on Niccolo trying, in his fumbling way, to make apology, if not amends, to his patron, and I did not want to undercut this. In PtA terms, this felt to me like a character development scene, not a plot scene, though it generated plot.
During all this, as our 10:30 pm alarm went off, Josh and Pamela were playing a separate scene, with Sophia and Sebastian talking about the demon that Sophia wanted to summon. After all, as Pamela pointed out, Sebastian wanted a favor from Sophia: He wanted her not to fulfill her commission to kill Rainer.
Sebastian asked why Sophia had killed her parents. As I understand it, Sophia first said that it was Nariya, not her, but later admitted that she wasn't all that sorry that they were dead, and that, okay, maybe she did sort of want them dead.
Now, we'd decided that a Passer Raccoon was the way to go, but that was before Sebastian applied his mind to the problem. After all, he wanted to Continue the Experiments! For Science!
Er. Anyway, he convinced Sophia that what she should do was Summon a Possessor into a raccoon. Perhaps the spirit of some actor?
Sebastian ordered 'Elena to fetch mice. Dejected, she went to Andreas' house, and asked him to help, explaining that her master wanted to summon yet another one. Intrigued, Andreas did his best to help.
Trouble is, Orion's Need to eat small animals and Andreas' Telltale, small animals flee him, meant that Andreas' place was rodent free, and his help wasn't that helpful.
I so should have noticed this combination from the start and played with it. And Judd's idea of a yappy poodle as a lady's beloved pet Orion wanted to eat is beautiful, especially if I'd made it Ysabel's. OTOH, Dave agreed with me that we're in endgame, and it's far too late for that plot twist, while, as Julian pointed out, Andreas manages to complicate his life quite well even without my pushing the Need-Telltale combination.
Andreas went to see what his colleague Sebastian was up to, arriving shortly before 'Elena did -- she had much more luck once Andreas wasn't helping. Aquila showed Ingrid Andreas and 'Elena together, and then Andreas going to Sebastian's home. Ingrid was intrigued.
Sebastian made a mental note to tell 'Elena not to tell other people things he hadn't specifically told her to tell them. Meanwhile, the mice were loose in the presence of 'Elena and Orion. We agreed that we did not want to waste time on mousey hijinks, so we just said that the mice got rounded up.
Sebastian introduced everyone to Minerva. Both Andreas and Sophia found the clothed mouse "a little disturbing", as Andreas put it. Minerva proudly announced that she was working on Sebastian's costume.
Sophia: I'm sure it will have very fine stitches.
'Elena revealed that Sebastian had not merely dressed, but had also kissed the mouse as part of the various Contact and Summon rituals. For Sophia's Contact ritual, Sebastian put white face paint on the raccoon's face. This disturbed Sophia a lot.
Sophia: Don't you put clothing on my demon!
Sebastian assured her that it would be completely inappropriate to do that for the ritual. And no, he was not going to kiss the raccoon or to suggest that she did.
So, Sebastian helped with the Contact, but Josh rolled no successes. Sophia did, however. On to the summoning. The raccoon was allowed to kill one mouse, fulfilling its Need. Sophia then held another just out of reach, allowing the raccoon to "steal" a mouse, fulfilling its desire. I hadn't realized that this netted a 5 die bonus, but Julian remembered the rule. He wasn't sure if the way Sophia was fulfilling the raccoon's desire merited the full 5 dice. I agreed, and gave Pamela 3 dice. Sebastian had no successes to contribute as bonus dice.
Sophia lost to the demon, and we rolled its successes over into the binding roll. Sophia won the binding roll with 2 successes. We named the demon Hermes and broke for the evening.
Upon checking the rules, Julian discovered (after much searching for the actual rule) that he didn't quite remember them correctly. It's a 5 die penalty for not meeting the demon's need, and a 2 die bonus for meeting the Desire. So, we weren't that far off when I called it a 3 die bonus. (At least, if that's correct. Julian said he found the 2 die bonus in "the PDF rules summary", which I assume means Nev's Quick Ref. He couldn't find it in the book.)
On the way out and to the subway, we discussed a couple of potential problems.
1. Andreas' kicker was that he was falling in love with Ysabel.
Dave said that his kicker had been resolved, and it felt like Andreas had been floating ever since. He'd wanted the girl; he'd gotten the girl.
Someone: He has Ysabel, sure. But does he love her?
Dave: Ah! Very good question.
2. Josh wanted Sebastian to learn how to reverse a possession. Theoretically, given the assumptions of the world, Sebastian might be able to bind the "real" Teresa into her own body.
But, to Julian, this felt like giving Niccolo an out. Julian neither wanted it, nor felt that Niccolo deserved it.
The two positions were not utterly incompatible, but I wanted Julian and Josh to work out mutually acceptable parameters, preferably between sessions, and tell me what the Social Contract was. Julian's ultimate decision points to a pattern, as I think he's zeroing on the same thing that was bugging Dave.
Julian: Don't solve my problems for me.
On the plus side, Josh said that I had no pointless die rolling.
We all agreed that all the PCs should be at the ball.
Dave wanted Leonardo breaking his Contain and going to the ball.
We all knew that the new demon, Hermes, would cause trouble at the ball.
Someone: People will be talking about this party for decades to come!