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 . . .

Cal manages to scrape some temporal residue to find that the group was planning on taking them to someone known as Lord Bane at an English tearoom at the Waldorf Astoria. Hearing about this plan, and dropping off the rental car, the group decides to head towards the tea room, leaving Johnny behind. The group has an argument about how to deal with Gavin before deciding to just leave him in the car with the AC running and heading up to the tearoom.

Teatime!

Ekaterini Tsakalidis, Tercallus, Theroikon, and Winfred Timotheos
Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas Tearoom
Thursday July 26th, 2012, 1800 hours
3752 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89158

It’s a beautiful looking tearoom done in turn of the century style fashion. They spot a man surrounded by a group of people hanging off his every word, looking debonair and quite handsome. Wearing an oddly-coloured grey suit with a green tinge with dark hair tucked back in a ponytail. He’s obviously using a god-aura to draw attention to himself. Ekaterini and Thero goes to sweep the perimeter to keep and eye out for additional people looking almost like bodyguards. Winfred looks over the man, determining that he’s really good at pretty much good at eating people up, literally. He’s a killer and he’s very good at hiding it and he’s not the only other demigod in the room, another three or four exist.

Winfred, having his approach planned out, approaches the man and speaks. With the man standing up at the table, holding court with a foot cocked up in a chair. Winfred diagnoses him as having classic narcissistic behavior and a desire for power and attention, and the best way to draw his attention is to disregard him. Winfred, with Cal and Julie in tow, approach the man and asks if he’s using the chair with his foot upon it. The man, sizing Winfred up, says he was using it and invites Winfred to take a chair. Winfred does so literally and drags the man’s chair to another table that already had more than enough empty chairs.

This gets the man’s attention and soon he draws away from his court and approaches the group. A bit of witty repartee between Winfred and the man later and he sits down, introducing himself as Erasmus around those parts. Talking about them, their presence, and how Julie seems to be the most dangerous of the group and sets his nethers on fire. And when the topic comes down to the men that were sent, he says that out of the thirty that he’s marked to die, apparently they’re the only ones that got through things and asks if they’re going to be friends or enemies as he enjoys his meal. Thero comments that he seems to be someone rather dangerous to be enemies with, but is met only with a bland smile. Winfred pushes the food away that Erasmus recommended, asking for a doggie bag and when said they don’t do that, he suggests a tin foil swan instead and then speaks with Erasmus. The fact that he only gave them a binary choice was a problem in and of itself, as they could have just left each other alone but Eramus says that isn’t a possibility and with the lines drawn, he says that he’ll enjoy eating Winfred’s liver. With that final word, Winfred motions for the rest of the group to follow him out, but leaves with a parting shot across the tearoom that Erasmus may want to get those burning nethers looked at.

For Souk

Ekaterini Tsakalidis, Tercallus, Theroikon, and Winfred Timotheos
Regency Towers
Thursday July 26th, 2012, 1900 hours
3111 Bel Air Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Back at the Regency Towers, Ekaterini looking through their rolodexes to speak with the business people she knows that are related to those few they saw around the Tearoom. Getting information that his name is Alexander Erasmus and isn’t a local. He flies in and wines and dines the rich, he’s also into some rather hinky and kinky things, going through and having affairs with some of the more cultured elite of the area, especially the wives of the important people. He doesn’t own businesses, but seems to come in and ask people what they want and gets a favor back when he grants the person’s desire. The group knows his general entourage via Ekaterini and Cal’s contacts.

They also consider ways to gather information, such as police scanners and other ways, getting the Thugtrio to listen to scanners while Ekaterini speaks with the mafia about the fact that someone is horning in on their territory which they weren’t aware of and are properly annoyed while Winfred contacts The Souk who immediately appears floating in the air outside his balcony. They allow him up into the penthouse where they introduce Gavin to the Souk before showing him footage they’d got of Erasmus from Julie’s button cam. He suggests they don’t get involved with the guy, telling the group that Erasmus is an apotheosed mortal and he’s nasty but normally only shows up a couple days before the Harrowing starts. However much more than that is going to be costing them, either a favour or worse. Ekaterini negotiates two rights of refusal for the favour while the Souk counters with a kiss from Julie. Before anyone can say anything, Ekaterini transforms into Julie and nibbles on the Souk’s earlobe. Both Winfred and Julie are disgusted by the scene while Thero and Gavin discuss if they’re going to mate.

The deal is sealed with a handshake. The Souk gives them thick dossiers, a bag of VHS tapes, and the highlights. Apparently the man known as Alexander Erasmus is known as Alexander Sawney Bean/Bane, a cannibal. He survived the massacre of his clan and learned the secrets of apotheosis and becomes the nastiest piece of work that side of the world. Offering people immortality through the same ritual he used, but they’re not as powerful as he takes the majority of the aethera used. The Souk shows them all the information he’s got throughout the ages and all the horrible things he’s done. He doesn’t have a lot of folks coming between the Harrowings as he views his followers as disposable and they know it. He came to America sometime in the early 1800s and took on the name of Alexander Erasmus and did some really, really awful things.

He’s also been successfully killed on at least two occasions, verified, but still comes back. Erasmus had his head removed in Japan during the Harrowing there for one, but showed up ten years afterwards. He’s an extremely powerful black magician, and he’s also friends with all the Black Lodges that deal in blood and death. He’s a corruptive influence and The Souk doesn’t even know what all powers he’s got. Erasmus likes to go through minions first until they just can’t keep up and then he gets into things and mixes it up causing a lot of conflict. There at Jonestown, active during the Vietnam war, and during the Cold War he accepted something from the Russians despite his love of freedom.

Aftermath

The group sends out information on the Turtle network that the man in present in Las Vegas and to be aware while Ekaterini alerts Adelphin.

After Action Report (GM)

This week was really good. We’d not played since Halloween and getting back into the saddle felt great. I’d worked on a new protagonist for the PCs and decided that I needed full on operatic evil. Nothing in the grey. Nothing that is a bit of both, just evil. Alexander Erasmus was that evil and I was pleased at the reaction from the players: trepidation, revulsion, bit of fear. Getting them to make a deal so they had more information was also great because that will set up something later on and so on. So pleased with that. Just need to keep the PCs interested in what’s going on until a big finish.

Other Notes

None.

Soundtrack

“Sawney Bean” by Sol Invictus
“Tea Time Song” by The Pastels
“Majestic” by Wax Fang (Closing Song)