A series played using Cocktails & Cantrips.
I created a character and their rival using the full character creation, an apprentice for the role of wildcard using partial character creation. The teacher who is hosting the party begins the game just as a name.
Rather than playing the hours in order I'm rolling 1d6 at the start of each scene to figure out which hour of the sequence it is. 1 is 6 pm, 2 is 7 pm, and so on. Duplicates will be re-rolled, and once all six scenes have played out the final scene at the stroke of midnight will take place. Exactly how this works out in terms of the characters' perceptions of time and past events remains to be seen.
Time: 9 pm.
Location: The Solarium.
Goal: Noble's goal is to make contact with his teacher, Isolde Grove.
I entered the solarium just as the distant clock in the great hall struck 9 pm; the waters of the small pool were still, the moonlight coming through the windows and skylights lay peacefully on the surface.
Oracle: Am I alone?
Yes [4], No [6] - I'm not alone...
Oracle: Is it my rival, the wildcard, or someone else?
Rival [4], Wildcard [6], Someone else [6] - Wildcard and someone else.
I was startled to notice Isolde and her latest apprentice, Greta Shields, standing on the far side of the room, deep in whispered conversation. They hadn't noticed me either, so I waited patiently for them to finish.
Note: I know that in the Cast listing I mentioned that Isolde is dead. I'm thinking that she dies at 6 pm, but until that scene happens she can appear in a later hour's scene. Prior to 6 pm arriving Isolde knows she dies then, and that the mage and rival are responsible, but not specific details. After 6 pm she can no longer appear in scenes and we all know the specifics of her death.
Their conversation ended with Greta bursting into tears and running for the exit, Isolde watching her leave impassively. As Greta neared the exit she noticed me.
Oracle: Is she going to confront me?
Yes [5], No [4] - Brace for impact.
"You!" she spat her words at me through her tears. "How dare you come here! After what you both did!"
I held my composure, paused a moment to finish scrolling my social media accounts, and then casually raised my head to look at her. "Greta, wasn't it?" I sighed "Look, I know that things didn't, or won't, turn out the way we'd like."
She cut me off with a gesture. "I will do everything in my power to stop you. To save her." Her tears had halted, her face a mask of cold fury as she attempted to stare me down. A flickering light, like the soft glow of embers, began to light the space around her. I saw ethereal flames curling around her hands and up her arms.
Goal: Not giving a shit [5] - Success
Danger: Do they hurt me? [6] - Nope.
"Now now, Greta" I chided. "We both know that your power, such as it is, isn't enough to cause myself any real problems. Or Mara for that matter, though I'd love to see you try those parlour tricks on her." I was reasonably confident in my own abilities, and the limits of hers, but nonetheless I shifted my attention to feel the weight of the emerald ring on my left hand. Its power stirred, ready to been called forth at a moment's notice.
Oracle: Is she going to attack me?
Yes [4], No [5] - No, phew.
The flames slowly dimmed and then dissipated. Greta scowled at me. "You'll get what's coming to you eventually. Mark my words." Then she pushed past me and entered the main manor building. Greta was always very melodramatic.
I took a moment to appraise Isolde's reaction to our little exchange; she hadn't moved and her expression was still unreadable. I skirted the edge of the small pool as I approached my mentor, the woman who had taught me so much about magic.
Oracle: Is she going to tell me what she knows about her death?
Yes [2], No [1] - Yes, ooh...
Oracle: Is she going to share details or make allusions?
Details [5], Allusions [6] - Sigh.
Note: I'm going to draw some tarot cards and use them both inspire some BS from Isolde, and to reveal the "details" of what happened at 6 pm.
IV The Emperor: Authority, establishment, structure.
XVIII The Moon: Illusion, intuition, anxiety.
XVII The Star: Hope, faith, renewal.
"Noble, welcome home." Isolde whispered in her usual dramatic manner. I could see why she'd been drawn to take Greta on as a student. "The cycle continues apace, but the phases are not yet aligned."
As Isolde stood and nodded sagely I pulled up a wicker chair and got comfortable. When she was in this kind of mood it was always best to have a seat.
"You and Mara sought to push the wheel by hand, rather than allow the river to turn it. You disrupted the flow, got wet for your trouble, and still the river flows." She turned dismissively from me and gazed out the window. "I always loved watching the mists drift across the hills. I brought me a sense of peace." Her voice, while still quiet, had lost it's portentousness and now simply sounded small.
Realising this was going to be short talk after all didn't fill me with relief as I thought it would. Instead I had a growing sense of unease. I hadn't seen Mara in years; we'd drifted apart after we'd graduated from Isolde's tuition, a few letters here and there as we'd each aimed to outdo our teacher, and perhaps each other, in our own ways.
I decided that it would be best to leave Isolde to her thoughts. I made my way back across the room and entered the manor.
Coins: Noble 1, Mara 0.
Mara's reaction: she acts bodly...
Next scene takes place at: 6 pm *yikes*
Thoughts
Okay, so no actual cantrips were cast, although Greta's power was referenced. That's fine, the night is young (well, that depends on where you count from...). So Isolde knows she's dead or is alive but knows she has died or will die. Interesting. And the tarot card spread came from an online generator that apparently only does Major Arcana.