[actual play] Changeling: the Lost

 

Changeling: the Lost

Venice: Broken Masks, Shattered Dreams

Episode 3 - Skulls - parts 3

 

      The motley having regrouped with Freki set out to the island of Poveglia. The island lay to the south west tip of the Lido, a wedge shaped island split in half by a canal. The southern tip of the island was the remains of the fort and the rest of the island consisted of the retirement home and hospital, and apparent asylum. On their approach across the cold dark waters of the Venetian lagoon they could see the tower of the old church. From the tower the beam of light from the lighthouse shone out in the dark. To both Venetians and visitors to the city the island of Poveglia is off limits.

      Else piloted the small boat to the docks of the island and the motely disembarked. Before them was the complete darkness of the trees and buildings, save for the lighthouse carving light out into the lagoon. They made their way to the main grounds and began their search for the gateway to the Underworld.

     As they searched the grounds the moans of the dead could be heard. The decaying wooden shutters on the windows flapped about, but it was through the use of Kenning, that ability of those touched by the Fae to perceive the more supernatural and magical, that Freki found the open gateway to the Underworld.

     The gateway was at the foot of the tower, where legend has it that the mad doctor fell to his death, only to be taken by the dead of the island. The gateway was a spiraling staircase of black stone down into the dark. Along the way skulls and bones and candles dotted the pathway. Pieces of Roman and Baroque stone work made up the walls and of course the air within moved as if the entire tunnel was breathing.

      To begin, Sonata, invoking the clause of his Contract of Darkness, clambered down, the others following using torches. Soon enough the tunnel began  to turn and come level, with water appearing at the base of the tunnel until they were following a path along an underwater canal. Shades moved about, not seeing the group, while offerings to the dead sat resided in alcoves. Fungus illuminated the dark and Venitian bridges dotted the canal. It was then that they felt power of the weird bind them to a pledge, and the very power of Death was tied to them. Sonata theorized that if they were bound to death by a pledge did that mean all things die, even the Fae. Soon enough they came to a large opening where there were three routes forward. One smelt of decay and from it flies buzzed. The next had the sounds of parting and the sound of violins. The last had the sounds of screams and the entrance was tiled and stained.

     Unsure which route to take the motley asked a shade nearby. The man was stood on the arch of a bridge and repeatedly hanging himself. Again and again they watched his neck break. The motley approached, and as they questioned him about the man they were seeking and the woman he became interested in the earrings of Clio. In exchange for the information she handed over the green jewelry and he directed them to the hospital, via the tunnel of stained tiles.

     The tunnel to the hospital was like any corridor in a hospital. But it was darker, the smell of iodine and bile. It was lined with the rusting doors to other rooms from which the dead wailed. Lights flickered and beds lay over turned. At the end of the tunnel they found an enormous cavern. Before them was what looked like a dry river bed. As they approached they could feel the cold air from it and soon it was clear that it was a river of ice cold clear water. On the over side of the wide river were the twisting concrete spires of the hospital. From the highest tower light shone out like a lighthouse. From even this distance the motley could hear the mad screams of the patients.

      Sonata could hear the moans of chanting from nearby. He edged along the bank of the river and found another small cave. Within was a host of monks and priests. They preformed numerous prayers, a mad priest with stitched lips groaned from the lectern. The walls were adorned with images of from all faiths. Those praying were doing so until they bled from hands and head and lips. Sonata, overcome by what he saw fled the scene and returned to the motley.

      Meanwhile Freki and Stitches had tasted the cold waters of the river. Unknown to them it was the river of fate, something the Freki remembered from her life before her abduction. Both saw images of their future. Stitches witness the hordes of the dread Fae, Commodore Fathom, with his mandible, lobster like face and his ship the Leviathan. He also saw the bloodied and butchered figure of the Spring Courtier, Malvolio, and a sense of the blade being in his own hands and a sense of justice. Freki also had similar visions. She saw the shattering of a clock made of bones and of her being taken by two crow faced changelings.

      Soon a boat approached, a gondola piloted by a skeletal figure wearing old Renaissance armor. He offered them passage so long as they returned a book from the living world for him.

 

Son of Heaven - Volume 1 of the Chung Kuo epic | Chung Kuo

via chung-kuo.net

Yum

About Chung Kuo | Chung Kuo

Chung Kuo means ‘Middle Kingdom’, and since 221 bc, when the first emperor Ch’in Shih Huang Ti, unified the seven Warring States, it is what the Han, or Chinese, have called their great country.

For them Chung Kuo was the whole world; a world bounded by insurmountable mountain chains to the north and west, by the sea to east and south. Beyond lay only desert and barbarism.

And so it was for two thousand years, through sixteen great dynasties.

But then, from the far west came young, aggressive nations with superior weaponry and an unshakable belief in progress and change. It was, to the surprise of the Han, an unequal contest and China’s myth of supreme strength and self-sufficiency was shattered.

By the early twentieth century, China was the sick old man of the East, the future, it was assumed, belonged to the West. But from the disastrous ravages of the century grew a giant of a nation, capable of competing with the West from a position of incomparable strength.

The twenty-first century, ‘the Pacific Century’ as it was known even before it began, saw China become once more a world unto itself, but this time its only boundary was space.

This is the story of what happens next...

via chung-kuo.net

I think I have one birthday present idea worked out.

[actual play] Changeling: the Lost

 

Changeling: the Lost

Venice: Broken Masks, Shattered Dreams

Episode 3 - Skulls - parts 1 & 2

      It was the New Year, 2010, and Stitches was at church. It was Sunday, and mass had finished. Stitches often came to church in order to seek some form of forgiveness for the sins he committed during his time in Arcadia.

      That day, however, was different. Stitches mind was distracted by the mounting number of deaths. The Rib Thief had struck 9 times in total, and the riddles and clues made little sense. Stitches knew he needed some insight into the events. And so, knowing the power of the Wyrd, Stitches committed himself to his next course of action.

      Stitches’ local church was that of San Salvador. The priest, Tommaso, was in his late 40s and one of the more forgiving priests that Stitches had met. Asking for privacy, Stitches and Tommaso spoke first of the strange deaths that had been occurring around Venice, to which Tommaso acknowledged that he knew that some had in fact occurred near a number of churches. It was then that Tommaso revealed to Stitches the meaning of the stars and the alchemical symbol of the sun. He told Stitches that it referred to Titian, the great painter of Venice, known by the verse from Dante’s ‘The Divine Comedy’ as the ‘Sun amidst small stars’. So in some way the painter Titian is related to the deaths.

      Stitches, finally spoke to Tommaso of something more strange, of demons and angels. He asked if Tommaso was willing to see the world for what it was, to see the truth, and so help Stitches repent for the sins he has made. With that Stitches held the hand of Tommaso, and recited the words of a pledge, binding Tommaso and himself into a pact of honesty and trust. With that Tommaso looked upon Stitches with new eyes. He could see how thin and frail  looking Stitches really is. He could see his pointed ears, and the stitches that criss-crossed his body. Tommaso was stunned and over the next hour Stitches explain what happened, and Tommaso realised there were many others who he might need to help.

     There was then a scream from within the church, and Tommaso and Stitches raced out to see a man dragging another of the church congregation, a woman called Veronica, away and out of the side entrance of the church. Stitches raced after the man. He followed the screams to a side alley where he watched the man, a strange fellow with a trimmed beard and desperate eyes. He kept a knife to Veronica’s throat and as he stepped backwards he disappeared with her, fading into the wall. Stitches called upon his Fae eyes, he peered behind the veil of reality. Where the wall stood was a gateway, into a dark tunnel. It smelt awful and there was the sound of rats and the buzzing of flies. But where ever it led to it wasn’t the Hedge. Stitches then around and there waiting was a man with long blond hair and a leather biker jacket. Stitches could see that he had a shadowy figure nearby, covered in nets and barnacles.

 

*****

 

      Elsewhere in Canneragio, Sonata was sat outside a café, sipping at an abandoned drink. He loked up and sat across from him was an old man. The man looked pale and passed to Sonata a photo of a woman. He said to Sonata to save her, and then as Sonata looked up he was gone.

      Sonata began to ask around about the woman, and it turned out she lived locally, as did her grand father. Sonata eventually tracked down the apartments where the old man lived, and broke in. he found it dusty and abandoned, as if it hadn’t been lived in for months. He looked about until he stopped in the bathroom. The mirror steamed up and a message was written in it. ‘Save her’ it said. Sonata left, knowing he needed the others t make sense of this.

 

*****

 

      Freki had been running errands, it was the only way to keep her mind of the fact that she was being haunted by crows flowing her. She tracked down Sonata and together they went looking for Stitches. They eventually ended up at the San Salvador church and found the police there. They asked around, knowing Stitches went to church there, and they found out that the woman they were looking for was the one who had been kidnapped. They were then approached by Father Tommaso, who spoke to them as if he knew what they were. They seemed puzzled and asked after Stitches, and then they realized that Stitches had reveal the truth to Tommaso.

 

*****

      

      At the Teatro Fenice, Stitches and Ralph were at the entrance to the House of Autumn. Stitches was surprised by a number of things. That Ralph knew of the House, and that Ralph also knew of the key to open the door to the House. Inside they met Codexial, and they discussed how Ralph knew the House of Autumn, and that he was what was known as one of the Bound. They also discussed the missing woman, that a gate to the Underworld had been opened, and that Ralph had come across a ghost of one of the dead killed by the Rib Thief. They ghost spoke of ‘Sine Sole Sileo’. Stitches recognised this as ‘Sins souls lie’. But the version Ralph knew meant something more. ‘I am silent without light’. With another verse that they had learnt from a victim, Stitches realized that it referred to a sun dial. But how did a sun dial and the work of Titian, and ribs fit together he wondered? Furthermore, Codexial informed them that they had found something of importance in the diary of one of the victims. It was a rhyme or riddle.

   ‘We all stand on the field of battle at Marostica. None can take first blood, such is our honor, such is our law. We are the armies of day and night.’

     Codexial explained that the town of Marostica lay to the no
rth of the Veneto, renowned for it's human sized chess board.

      Soon Freki and Sonata arrived and in time Clio and Else. Else had been repairing a boat for Etiene Epee, a knight of the House of Summer. In passing he mentioned that another of the House of Winter had turned up, murdered, and that the night patrols would be upped to find the killer, but that Else should keep and eye out

     Else informed the motley that she had also seen some other strange things in the Museo Correr. She had gone to research the creation of astrolabes, globes and other devices for the studying of the stars. It was here that she witnessed a strange being, seemingly unseen by the tourists. It was like a large fly, with translucent skin, and with skin, tattered, trailing as if it were wearing some cape. However, when it was almost spotted it morphed and turned to stone, nothing more than another piece of Greek stone work from the ancient times.

     With the motley gathered they learned that Ralph and his krewe deal with ghosts on a pretty regular basis, but that his team were off on other business and that he had to stay to deal with the coming Carneval and the issues with the two ghostly doges. He explained that in the south of Venice cases of illness due to what looks like the plague, had been increasing. He suggested that for them to work out what was going on and to save the woman that perhaps they were best off going to the Casino Degli Spiriti, the House of the Spirits, and consult with the ghosts that gather there.

 

*****

 

     That night at the House of the Spirits, the troupe prepared to enter. They had approached from the north on boat, the house looks out onto the lagoon, and has always had legends about ghosts and spirits and murders.

    The motley stood outside the gardens of the House. It was dark and foggy and cold, and the house looked imposing and with a life of its own. Wooden shutters flapped in the wind. Else reached out and touched the lock of the garden gate and the lock crumbled and the gate swung open and squeaking hinges. The motley headed in led by Stitches, with Else bringing up the rear. With each step they were bombarded with strange sensations. Crows gathered, voices whispered for them to leave, statues moved, and Else saw visions of her time in Arcadia, the experiments and the pain and the abuse. She was wracked with pain and she became panicked.

     The haunting ended and at the door to the house a figure in 16^th century garbed wave to them to enter. In the house they watched ghost of all periods, and in all states, dancing to the tune of the ghostly waltz. Their host offered them drink, food and entertainment, and then after some time, he spoke of the island of Poveglia, the plague which he lived through, the mad doctor and the asylum. If there is a gate to the Underworld and something to do with the plague it makes sense it would be that one that is open since old ghosts, the plague dead, have been seen wondering Venice, hungry. 

Vampire: the Requiem - The Endless Waltz - Dimitri

So here I'll let Sam explain her character for Vampire.

OK, this is the DEFINITIVE, Wiki-style guide to my Vampire character, Dimitri. He's a Daeva Carthian. I wanted to post this prior to any future games we do, because a) the character has had some adjustments made to his backstory, and b) you guys just have to know how COOL he is. It has pictures (courtesy of the lovely Ben Barnes, who basically is the doppelganger of Dimitri in real form, and also the guy I would choose to play Dimitri any day of the week). Enjoy. This bitch is HOTTTTT.

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Sexy Metal Dice #dice #roleplay

via blog.eail.ru

I'll try and find the source

[actual play] Changeling: the Lost

 

Changeling: the Lost

Venice: Broken Masks, Shattered Dreams

Episode 2 - Clay - part 3

   In the park Sonata had summoned the power of his contracts. Fog and darkness now enveloped him and he approached the statue where Stitches was held down, in pain. Sonata, from his hiding spot, began to spook the men using his guitar. The shrill tune caused them to split up. The fog allowed Sonata to move forward, and in the near dark he struck. Freki and Else soon arrived and as Sonata had finished with the first of the men, they began to hear screams from another two off them. Something in the night had also attacked.

*****

   At the party Clio awoke to find her clothes in disarray. She adjusted them and smartened herself up, not realising that Malvolio was watching. He left with a grin, and remarked that it had been a good show, leaving behind a rose and some polaroids of her and Mercutio.

*****

   The screams of the men came thick and fast until there was just one remaining. A single hunter still stood with Stitches, his gun with the changeling in its sights. The Cheshire Cat stalked the fog and darkness and leaped toward Else. She took a minor cut to her arm from the Beast's claws before Freki intervened. The aura of the statue drove her onwards, and the beast in her awoke, and tore at the cat person. The two scrabbled on the ground fighting like animals. Claws tore and cut, teeth snapped and fur and blood mixed. Soon though Freki regained her composure. The Cheshire Cat was before her, crying. He wanted no more fighting. He kept saying he didn't want to go back. Over and over again.

   As the two animals fought Stitches took the chance to rush the hunter. His wounded knee hampered his efforts as they grappled for the gun, leaving Stitches to try and escape and take cover. A single gun shot was fired, hitting Stitches in the shoulder. Stitches slumped against the statue, smearing the thing with his own blood. Sonanta, fearing the worst, opened the music box and all sounds were consumed by it. He sneaked right up to the hunter, and with out waiting, slit his throat. Closing the music box, Sonata found that although sound had returned, he could not speak. The hurriedly disposed of the bodies in the nearby canal, and grabbing Stitches and the Cheshire Cat they headed to the Teatro Fenice.

 

*****

   At the theatre Stitches was taken to the infirmary and ate a good number of the juicy, meaty, mapples, while hie knee was patched up. He would be limping for a few weeks. The Cheshire Cat was slung into a cell. Mad Dog was present, and he debriefed the motley. He revealed that the statue was what was known as an Innamorta, and that the House of Autumn would for now try and keep mortals away from it's influence. The events of this evening being already a good warning. As for the Cheshire Cat, his madness had been a useful tool to the House of Autumn to scare people, but that time is up and now the House of Autumn will do all they can to recover his broken mind.

    However, Mad Dog reveals more information regarding the deaths. There are now 9 bodies in total. The 1st body has finally been found and in the diary of this missing person the police found a strange verse from the Bible. 

 

Revelations 5:7-9 ‘He came and received the scroll from the right hand of the one who sat on the throne. When he took it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones. They sang a new hymn: "Worthy are you to receive the scroll and to break open its seals, for you were slain and with your blood you purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation.’