Dramatis Personae

• Arnold Zahn (NPC): Son of Ares. Has a deathwish. Drunk. Tagline: “How about that drink?”
• Julie Wilms aka The Assistant (Winfred’s Ally): Human, probably. Former covert agent turned convert. Now spends her time assisting, guarding, and herding Winfred. Tagline: “Time to go, Sir.”
• Sarah J. Pokorny (NPC): Daughter of Thoth. Magician. Capable as hell. Tagline: “I may be in a wheelchair but I’ll kick your ass.”

Previously . . .

The group had taken care of some minor things and by the time they got back to the Regency Towers where Pokie had overlaid the previously existing wards with her own basic ones and then covered the rest with wards, planning on not even allowing other gods to visit unless allowed.

Back to Base

Ekaterini Tsakalidis, Tercallus, Theroikon, and Winfred Timotheos
Regency Towers
Monday January 23rd, 2012, 1800 hours
3111 Bel Air Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Those that are currently part of the Baby Turtle Initiative get tokens to get them past the wards. Pokie is sitting on the couch in the media room looking almost emaciated by her recent spell casting, Julie getting her some ice cream to eat, one way or another, she would eat it. Zahn is complaining about the lack of good alcohol with only Ouzo left, but Winfred had only ordered the bar to be stocked for two or three social events.

In the past few hours, there was one thing that turned up in their inboxes. Revan Rheed, a demigod of Ullr, the god of games, skis, and the bow. A quick look over social media pins her as being a former Olympic Athlete, for Biathlons and Archery. She’s not in the Thule files, but she’s new in town and is interested in their initiative after having heard about them through the grapevine, contacting them through a secure webform and asking to meet at the Black and Blue Diner which is more or less effectively neutral ground.

The set up a meet-up the next day at nine in the morning. The in-between time is spent trying to figure out how to restock Winfred’s bar so Zahn would stop drinking Ouzo and glaring at them. Winfred suggests that they just called Jessica to get her catering contacts for ordering alcohol. While on the phone, they also inquire about the Lodge of the Crimson Tongue, which she says that she could do that same day and then they can introduce her to The Bluebirds. Before letting her go, Winfred just hands the phone to Zahn and tells him to order what he wants, which ends up being about $20k worth of Japanese Whisky among others, saying that it’ll be good enough to keep him going for a week. Winfred insists that it’s for a month.

Back to Blue

Ekaterini Tsakalidis, Tercallus, Theroikon, and Winfred Timotheos
Black and Blue Diner
Monday January 23rd, 2012, 1900 hours
315 S Decatur Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89107

The Black and Blue Diner is where they’re meeting Jessica and Tyler. The waitress, Meryl, is surprised to see them back there so soon. They order up some food, while they wait, and when Tyler comes in, the first thing noticed about him is that he’s covered in scars, almost like self-cutting related scars. Ekaterini introduces herself and her and Tyler bullshit that they heard good things about each other. Winfred comments that the scars are probably the result of the ritualistic sacrifice of health and blood for invocation. Tyler agrees, saying that he worked with blood and when he can’t support that, he’d look up the sex offender database and use them, sneering as though daring them to say something about that.

Ekaterini and Tyler hold a conversation about the local lodges, that there’s three of them but the third is one that is not to be spoken about, just that they’re a Red Lodge. If they want to be known to the group, then that lodge would be the ones to do so. There’s some discussion about what the Thule had with the Olympians, which Tyler doesn’t have information for. The fact that the Thule were great at archaeology. Leading into the fact that Tyler wasn’t aware of the Aztec locations.

Tyler tells them to sell him on the idea of them being allies, which Ekaterini utterly fails at. They don’t have anything they can offer them, or any tasks they need done which means they don’t have anything. Even a non-aggression pact isn’t looking too likely due to the previous attempt of a Baby Turtle Initiative being unsuccessful. Apparently the past harrowing had an attempt where the Kindly Ones sent in a Fury, a troubleshooter, to break up the group, decimating them and intimidating the rest to break up the group. There’s just one question from Tyler, directed at Winfred, if Winfred is a good man. Winfred honestly answers that he probably isn’t, just that he tries to be. That was fair enough to Tyler and he’s in, giving Winfred a handshake and telling them that he and his Lodge of 200 members are there. Jessica didn’t expect it to go that way which Ekaterini waves off and says that they’re looking for strong alliances as well. Jessica continues on, saying that Tyler generally doesn’t make snap decisions like that.

Next up is the Bluebirds which come into the same diner. John and Linda were excited to see the group, getting the Thule out of the society was a real triumph after all as the Bluebirds aren’t exactly a powerful lodge. Theroikon introduces the Bluebirds and Jessica. Jessica is rather excited because they’re not a lodge that Jessica knew, apparently they hadn’t based themselves in Las Vegas until recently and Theroikon is rather happy to have brought the two together. The four just start rambling at each other, enjoying each other’s time and planning to set up a nature hike, perhaps out in the badlands. Ekaterini is interested in knowing where the Black and Blue Staff get their uniforms cleaned, and perhaps switch to her services. They’re somewhat willing to swap over, once they get more information from Ekaterini. Ekaterini is also interested in knowing where the Kindly One’s headquarters are, and get a bit of information.

Apparently the fact that the gods can command them to break up a neutral party has shaken some of the group. The Kindly Ones were supposed to be seen as neutrals, mostly mortals that have drunk soma or ambrosia or what have you. Each major pantheon has a liaison to the Kindly Ones, namely those that control fate such as the Fates or the Norns. Their duty is to the Compact first, enforcing it in both spirit and letter, not to be neutral and will break up anything that infringes upon the Harrowing.

The question comes up what to do with the rest of the night, which Ekaterini, Theroikon, Cal and the Thugtrio spend going out on the town, with Shira and Pansy looking forwards to go dancing. Winfred brings back some takeout for Pokie to eat, which she is going at like a ravenous caveman with no table manners whatsoever as she watches movies on the big screen. Cal tells Julie to keep an eye on them while Zahn sings love songs as he drinks booze.

Most of the group straggles back to the apartment at near two in the morning to get a few hours of sleep and then prep themselves to meet Revan at the diner. Julie expresses her discontent at the pattern they’re creating with meeting at the same place several times in a row which Ekaterini dismisses.

Back to Black

Ekaterini Tsakalidis, Tercallus, Theroikon, and Winfred Timotheos
Black and Blue Diner
Tuesday January 24th, 2012, 0900 hours
315 S Decatur Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89107

Back at the Black and Blue diner, most of the group picks up some food and wait for her to come. Meryl comments that they’re there, once again and reminds them to tip their waitress. Winfred waits for McDonalds for his standard Egg, Sausage, and Cheese McMuffin and hashbrowns.

Revan enters the room, an obvious woman of mixed heritage, comes into the diner and notices Winfred and approaches the table. She sits down and speaks with them, telling them that her father had told her to come to them since it’s the best chance for her to survive if she didn’t just hide. Apparently she’d been cursed by a witch when she was younger, being unable to harm anyone. Ekaterini is a bit dismissive since Revan wouldn’t be coming to help with fighting and asks what she’d really bring to the table. In her case it would be that she could use runes and is rather lucky, she’s a good fortuneteller. Ekaterini suggests that her Olympic Career was more or less a result of her luck and not actual skill. Revan tells them that she hasn’t been able to remove the curse and that it was really painful when she tried to remove it. She basically called an old woman old, and that some things may have been blown out of proportion.

Theroikon wants to know what Revan knows about hiding from the Harrowing since that’s what they’d do if they hadn’t gotten together. It’s a bit too late for them to try to hide since most of the group like Ekaterini wanted to make a huge splash on the scene. Some word on the street is that multiple demigods are looking forwards to killing the group, especially Winfred considering his pacifistic nature. It seems that gods abhor a pacifist. They more or less welcome Revan to the Initiative without much more ado, letting her pick a room somewhere in the Regency Towers.

Zanzibar Bazaar

Ekaterini Tsakalidis, Tercallus, Theroikon, and Winfred Timotheos
The Souk
Tuesday January 24th, 2012, 1000 hours
The Souk Demiplane

Ekaterini wants to locate a smithing god or someone inside Las Vegas, but her knowledge fails her and in the middle of this, they catch wind of a press conference on the television held by Mitzidu Ito pinning the blame for his house burning down on the Thule Society and a connected group known as the Spartans that had a particular identifying tattoo. He mentioned the attack on Winfred, though not by name, and the attack on the FBI headquarters which is not public knowledge at all, or even knowledge that the police would have had. He had completely overtipped his hand and it was something they should keep track of since it could blow back on their group due to his connection to Ekaterini.

But that’s to be dealt with later, as they look for someplace to get goods and Winfred knows of someone in what is basically a supernatural market, The Souk. Having to put a response to Mitzidu’s press conference on hold, he leads them to the back of the Diner where the entrance to the market exists in the form of chalk drawn on the wall. Knocking on the wall, it’s surrounded by light and opens up. Through the door, they find themselves in the middle of an outdoor market where they’ll have to pay in Aetheric Power to get in via an amulet pressed into his palm and informed that by passing through the arch they willingly submit to a spell of pacifism, any attempt to do harm will hurt them and harsher attempts may end up killing the person attempting it.

It’s like an endless bazaar full of demi-divines, mystical beasts, demigods with what seems completely and totally random in the way it’s set out. In response, Theroikon shifts back into his natural form. The Souk, also known as As’as Taim Allah Aliba, is a Djinn. He’s a friendly guy, he’s a scholar of all things past and interesting including relics and other things hidden, and he’s quite lazy. The Souk is easily recognized and is arguing with a man with a face in his stomach over some spices. Eventually he throws down some money and picks up a pouch of saffron picked by virgins before noticing that Winfred is there.

Winfred is greeted by multiple kisses on the cheek and forehead and pure friendliness. Asking what Winfred is there for, he replies that he’s there to make introductions. Still happy, The Souk, invites them to enjoy some shaved ice being done by a man within his debt. Winfred inquires as to what the man, Bruce Dirar Tahan, owes him, which is apparently the man’s virgin daughter. Bruce has been paying off the equivalence of his debt which is currently amounting to $2 million via his shaved ices.

Leaving Winfred and Bruce behind, Ekaterini and The Souk speak about being introduced to a smith that works with the new and the old and The Souk has such a person. A Celt by the name of Ierne Uí Murnáin which is immediately shortened to Murray. She has two tents, one for her wares and one for her actual workspaces with a mix of modern and old, pneumatic power hammers and propane forges. Her works seem top notch with plate mail of old Celtic design and modern body armors with chainmail running through instead of trauma plates. She stops working when they approach and scowls at the Souk who says that if she’d become his 75^th wife then none of that would have been needed. Ekaterini tells her that she’s there for some armor, which is met with obvious sarcasm.

Ekaterini details some specific requirements involving Titanium Carbon materials. Murray asks what Ekaterini needs but The Souk interrupts her. Murray waves him off, saying that he just doesn’t want her to pay her debt. Despite the material involved, it still wouldn’t be enough to pay off the debt, still they sit down and sketch out the design, Greek Hoplite or Romain Legionaire. Ekaterini says perhaps either, though she was more interested in just plain medieval suit of plate. Murray shushes Ekaterini and sketches out almost exactly what is being sought. It might take her awhile as she’s got some other priorities, possibly three months. Ekaterini says that should be fine, but would be appreciated a bit more if sooner. They speak of the Harrowing and that she’s been offending off an amorous suitor.

The final price is almost a million and a half, though The Souk encourages her to haggle the cost lower. They hand Murray a business card for The Baby Turtle initiative before haggling Aetheric Power down to 7 coins, and a requirement to pay upfront. Theroikon asks what if something goes wrong or if it’s not to Ekaterini’s specifications, Murray responds that then she’d make it to their specifications. But for the cost of 10 coins, she’d make sure it’s available in two months or in one month for 13 coins. They haggle it down to 10 coins for one month and claims to The Souk that she’s getting closer to paying off the debt. After taking Ekaterini’s measurements, Julie takes Murray aside and speaks with her, also getting her measurements taken. Telling Winfred that she’s spending more of his money.

Ekaterini also seeks more clothing dealers as Winfred gets the full story from Bruce. The local governor of his area had set his eyes on Bruce’s daughter, who is only twelve years old, and they made an arrangement with The Souk to get them to a different country. Winfred finally decides to pay for Bruce’s debt to be erased, haggling with The Souk down from two million to only 1.25 by asking if The Souk had ever heard of Unionization. Winfred also asks about Murray’s debt, which is currently beyond him to give. She’d managed to tick off the Morrigan and was using the bazaar as a safe space. Julie asks if Winfred is seriously considering taking on or paying off Murray’s debt.

Aftermath

Ekaterini finds everything from plain cotton to exotic fabrics spoke only of in myths and clothing patterns only found in old portraits, but no real protective cloths that could not be found in the mundane world. Theroikon also asks Murray for protective armor, possibly something to wear in different forms. It’s something possible, but not something that she’s particularly gifted in doing so she’d have to take some time to figure it out. They wander around a few more hours before leaving The Souk.

After Action Report (GM)

I rather enjoy the games where it’s kind of “Let’s tie up loose ends/day in the life/rando garbage” because there is no expectation on the GM or the players. You just DO stuff. Now I wouldn’t like a campaign of nothing but that – that’d make me crazy, but this was fun and very enjoyable. I also got to use the Souk! And The Souk! I created the The Souk before I finalized the campaign. He was a napkin note – “Make interdimensional trade place guy” while I was at my aunt’s place. I also got to use Murry – a Celtic godling of the Morrigan and Brigid who The Souk “took in” when she was almost killed in the Harrowing in San Francisco in 1921. She’s been his indentured servant since then. She still owes him a tremendous amount of money and I don’t see that changing any time soon unless my players do something crazy. The Souk is unlikely to take actual money for her, but instead deal in favors or aetheric coin – something the PCs are low on because they keep using it to you know, stay alive.

Overall, good session and a nice full one for a change. This is also the last session before an upgrade point and I’ll need to consider what possible arcs the PCs might want to go for this week. They have the “Baby Turtles Initiative” of course (and have been recruiting demigods who probably will be more liability than help). Winfred’s Gentle Heart Foundation might see some use coming up. What else? The PCs could dig into the Kindly Ones some. They are slowly realizing that the Kindly Ones are not exactly what they thought they were thanks to some older demigods. Perhaps a visit to the Once-Ler is in order . . . I have a lot of new ideas too, just need to decide what will spark best I think.

Other Notes

None.

Soundtrack

“Slippin Into Darkness” by War (opening song)
“The Best Things In Life Are Free” by Sam Cooke
“How Bizarre” by OMC (closing song)