Vaugr 1

A series played using Fantastic Journey from the Calypso Compendium. This post is published under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 licence.

Explore a wondrous realm in search of sanctuary.

Vaugr

• Nimble (Acrobatic, Fast, Pilfer, Swordplay)
• Non-Human (Change self, Fly, Huge, Keen senses)
• Social (Cold read, Fast talk, Perform, Small talk)
• Strong (Athletic, Brawl, Force, Swordplay)
• Key of the Adventurous (experience something new)
• Key of Chaos (take risks to break rules)
• Secret of the Candle (+1 Strong per harm taken)
• Secret of Superiority (Nimble has a +5 cap)

A cloud giant sorcerer and swordsman; cunning of spell, blade, and word. Sees rules as inconveniences and tends to take risks in the pursuit of new knowledge.

Vaugr's story begins with his exile from the court of Bleyn, queen of the giants. A series of stunts, pranks, and intrigues finally resulted in him being stripped of his titles and roles as court under-librarian. He has a leather satchel that holds his lyre, his blade (in its extradimensional scabbard), and a few manuscripts that he was able to smuggle out of the library.

He's following the Queen's Highway, the road that passses through all of the known realms, so he's sure it will eventually grow tiresome and he'll try exploring the unknown realms. For now, however, he's satisfied to be on the road and reaching the sights not normally visible from the palace. The rolling hills are coated in lush green grass and the path is lined with apple trees; the fruit hanging temptingly low. Vaugr misses the rich and luxurious banquets of the court, but manages to stay his hand for the moment.

By the time the sun is beginning to set he feels that he's made good progress for the day and starts to look for a place to set up camp. As the road curves to the left, a ruined structure comes into view on a hill roughly fifty metres from the roadside. In the fading evening light he glimpses a flickering light, perhaps the campfire of another soul wandering the road?

Vaugr hums a few bars of a melody to conceal his true form and identity. 2d6 + Non-human + Change self = 6 + 3 + 1 + 1 = 11. Gain the condition "Disguised." He shrinks in size and his skin  wrinkles as he takes on the form of an elderly man, dressed in rags, and generally carrying air of being a wandering beggar. Confident in his disguise, he hobbles his way towards the ruins.

Up close it becomes clear that this was once a tower of some sort, maybe an ancient outpost from the expansion of Bleyn's realm. Once, many such towers lined the paths and borders of a mighty empire, now it has turned inward and become insular. The hinterlands had become lawless, while the centre had become obsessed with its own past glories. That the ruin had withstood the generations of neglect was a testament to all that they had lost.

Now that he's closer he sees that it wasn't a campfire, instead he sees that it has a more supernatural origin. A cluster of orbs of eldritch green light dances across the tower floor, their hues and brightness shifting as they move. Vaugr has heard of spirits that lure unsuspecting travellers to their death, and wonders if perhaps these are such spirits. He stills his thoughts and listens with his heart. 2d6 + Non-human + Keen senses = 6 + 5 + 1 + 1 = 13. Gain 3 currency "Detect Magic."

He feels the threads of fate that bind all things together and to the world. A skilled hand could strum these strings and bend creation to their will, but Vaugr is a more cautious musician. He gently runs his fingertips over the threads of the spirits, seeking knowledge of the name of this type of entity. Spending 1 "Detect Magic" to learn the name "Isead." He recognises the name faintly from an ancient taxonomy, but from the branch pertaining to curses, not spirits.

Perhaps sensing Vaugr's scrutiny the lights begin to coalesce, their brightness flaring with what looks like anger. The pulsating beacon starts to take on a humanoid form, limbs and a head emerging from the central mass as it enlarges into a torso. It turns to "face" Vaugr and the light intensifies until its almost blinding. A harsh, guttural voice issues forth a challenge in an ancient dialect. Vaugr tries to bluff the entity by acting the part of an old man looking for shelter. 2d6 + Social + Fast talk + Perform + Disguised = 5 + 4 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 13. Gives the entity the condition "Deceived."

Vaugr successfully convinces the entity that he is not a threat; its light dims and resumes its previous fluctuating pattern, maintaining its form. Vaugr focuses on the name Isead and tries to plumb deeper. Spending 1 "Detect Magic" to learn what an Isead is. These lights aren't spirits, they are the residual imprint of an ancient curse. Vaugr's intuition fills in the gaps in his memory as he pieces together the truth of the situation. Long ago a powerful curse was laid upon the inhabitants of the tower, their souls bound to the ruin but over time have been eroded and merged into the fabric of the curse itself.

Vaugr doesn't know why the curse was laid but can't stand by and watch this situation perpetuate itself. But first, does the scrutiny damage either of the two conditions? 1d6 = 5. Yes. Odds its "Disguised," evens its "Deceived." 1d6 = 6. The deception is slipping. The luminous figure observes Vaugr closely, it accepts the appearance of an old man but not necessarily a trustworthy old man. It keesp its distance but stays in Vaugr's line of sight as he explores the ruins further.

Vaugr slowly paces the perimeter of the outer wall, now just a trail of rubble. There are no immediate indicators of further enchantment, so he moves to the taller ruined walls and what appears to be a central well. The rim of the well is carved with symbols, some of which appear more worn than others. Spending 1 "Detect Magic" to read the symbols. Vaugr's eyes trace the symbols; most refer to spells to preserve and purify the water, both as a source of drinking water and as a conduit for natural magic to reach the surface. However, the mangic-cleansing symbols have been marred to the extent that they could be the reason why the Isead formed.

Vaugr now knows enough to be prompted to take action. This corrupted curse has lingered past any need for punishment and it has unwittingly trapped souls within it. He remembers enough scraps of lore to feel confident in attempting to undo the curse laid upon the tower. Thsi will be difficult, he must work carefully to avoid angering the Isead. 2d6 + Social + Perform = 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 5. Gain 1 currency "Building Power." The Isead flares into hostile action, its light growing to an incandescent blaze, the weight of its power bears down upon Vaugr and holds him in place.

Vaugr decides the time for subtlety is over; the throws off the enchantment disguising him and harnessess the release of power to boost his curse-breaking ritual. 2d6 + Social + Perform + lost condition = 5 + 3 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 11. Take +2 forward. The burst of energy gives him the freedom to continue the ritual. 2d6 + Social + Perform + 2 forward = 6 + 3 + 1 + 1 + 2 = 13. Gain 1 currency "Building Power" (new total 2).

Oracle Question: How many Building Power points will it take to break the curse? 1d6 = 4. Okay, halfway there!

Vaugr is uncloaked and a corona of power is building around him. He feels the curse beginning to give way, but its not over yet. He switches tactics, he draws his sword to channel his power and executes a swift, complex series of movements to deliver power in precise strikes. 2d6 + Nimble + Acrobatic + Fast + Swordplay = 6 + 4 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 13. Gain 3 currency "Building Power" (new total 5). Vaugr moves like a blur of arcane power, striking the Isead's curse at key points to sever its ties to the corrupted wellspring. The Isead's humanoid form, still too bright to look at directly, fragments into hundreds of motes of light.

They dance across Vaugr's field of vision before slowly drifting upward to fill the night sky like a second firmament. He watches as they take their places among the existing stars, satisifed that the overstaid curse has ended and the trapped souls are freed. He turns back to face the road, contemplating his next destination. 2d6 + Non-human + Keen senses = 3 + 3 + 1 + 1 = 8. He fails to notice an even newer star falling towards him.

To be continued...

Prudence Barrow 1

A series played using Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition. This post is published under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 licence.

Prudence Barrow, Nosferatu Antitribu and longstanding member of the Sabbat, has just survived being led into an ambush.The only other survivor is Erasmus, their pack priest. Unfortunately he's a Malkavian and he's not handling the trauma well, he's been in a fugue state and had to be towed back to the van. Prudence relishes an opportunity to suffer performatively and can't bear to see others suffer (out of compassion mixed with jealousy). She hauls Erasmus to the black van where her ghouls wait.

Strength + Athletics (4) = 3 successes.

Frances, a sturdy if ill-tempered woman who has served as a ghoul for most of Prudence's inlife, steps out fo the van to grab an arm. Together they bundle Erasmus into the van and slam the doors shut behind them. Gautier, her wily but frail ghoul, floors it and the windowless van peels away into the waning night.

Did Prudence spot the ambush?

Perception + Awareness (3) = 0 successes.

She walked in just as oblivious as the rest of the pack. They'd been drawn in by the promise of lore; Erasmus had been granted a vision from the beyond and was keen to verify if an ancient was indeed buried in the field outside the city limits. The pack assumed the location was too isolated to attract Kindred rivals, while also too close to the city for the lupines. Unfortunately, they'd been wrong on the latter count; before they'd even got the shovels ready the wolves had materialised and the carnage began.

How quickly did Prudence react to the ambush?

Wits + Awareness with specialty (6) = 4 successes.

Once the lupines were upon them, Prudence's reflexes kicked in and she was racing back toward the exit. She nimbly evaded the claws of one of the nearby werewolves, the dagger-tipped digits opening the neck of their erstwhile misson leader. The Brujah Antitribu had been trying to use celerity to speed past, but their speed merely increased the spread of the spray of vitae as it erupted from his neck. Prudence kept her head low and broke into a low sprint, focusing to keep ther Beast in check.

Instinct (1) = 1 success.

Her fear is palpable but she knows that survival is a must. Yes, loyalty is also important, but this conflict was over as soon as it began. Prudence tries to think of this as loyalty to her ghouls and the greater Sabbat.

Path (5) = 3 successes.

In the heat of the moment she is able to hold on to her convictions and takes the opportunity to grab Erasmus as she flees. The priest was crouched over the head of the Brujah, having snatched it out of the air after it was torn free. Erasmus was whispering in its ear, pleading for advice on how to proceed in light of this new obstacle. He offered little resistance to Prudence grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and hauling him away from the ongoing massacre.

Are the lupines pursuing the van?

1d6 = 1. No and... they were opportunistic as opposed to actively stalking them prior to the attack.

As Gautier drives into the encroaching dawn he checks for pursuers non-stop. It doesn't look like the wolves are following them, but Prudence is all too aware of their tricks. She doesn't let Gautier ease up until the van is back at the rental garage, luckily just in time as the dawn is compelling Prudence and Erasmus into sleep. Prudence orders Gautier and Frances to take shifts on watch and then slips into daysleep.

The following evening she rises to find Erasmus deep in prayer, this is one of his nightly routines so Prudence tales some comfort in seeing this. She bides her time until he's finished before broaching the topic of next moves. She won't be bringing up the previous night until she's more certain of his mental state.

To be continued...