The Chronicles of Ceteri – A-Team – S00E03 – Stone Dead, Part III

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Dramatic Personae

  • Annalise “Annie” M. Murphy (played by +Ann LS): Exorcist extraordinaire, sorcerer, psychic, twice cursed and twice blessed monster hunter. Ex-Gladius Dei. The Murphy. Talks to God, sometimes He talks back.
  • Dr. Francesco “Frankie” Novella (played by +Troy Loy): Doctor and accidental hero. Surgeon with a shotgun. Unflappable. Logical. Sometimes literal. No sense of humor. Always capable.
  • Sir Al-Shams mac Lannageal (played by +Christian Gelacio): Man out of time. The Last Templar Knight. Warrior. Scholar. Sorcerer. Carries the Blood of Solomon and is the benighted grandchild of Brigid.
Previously…
Deciding that the local faerie lord, Duke Niallan “Lan” Lughnon should know about Millicent and her recent activities (e.g., her wanton demon summoning), Annie gets the others together to go visit him in Brookline.

Pearl Jamming

Sir Al-Shams mac Lannageal, Annie Murphy, & Dr. Frankie Novella
Ledbetter’s Automotive Refurbishing and Repair
January 27th, 1999, 4:00 pm
14 Sheafe St. Brookline, MA 02467

Getting through the gate is easy enough, though the guards give Al-Shams a hard time since he’s dressed in his fae mail garb. Once inside, Annie finds the Duke underneath a ’67 Chevy working on the exhaust. Unlike many fae, Niallan “Lan” Lughnon aka Allan “Lan” Ledbetter (his mortal name) has no problem working with metal of any kind thanks to his mother’s heritage as a iaranfuil (a fae able to stand the touch of iron). Annie warns him of what’s happened and he comes up from under the car to give his “niece” a hug (Annie is the many times descendent of his father, Lugh Lámhfhada, through Cú Chulainn).

They talk for a few minutes and he offers her some of his men in helping to track Millicent down. Annie accepts the offer, but asks him to wait until they locate her so they can deal with the evil creature for the last time. When Annie asked about the Conclave, Lan explains that they seem to be “into something big,” but has no other information. Annie sensing something is off calls her local custos1 contact, Erasmus McAllister. After a few minutes of conversation, he appears outside the garage compound and is then let inside.

Once inside Erasmus explains that someone broke out several inmates from the Donjon2 Since this has only been done five times before (the last being in the late 19th century), the custos are understandably upset. The worst part is they are not sure who or what actually got out. Erasmus asks if he can “borrow” Ronan from Annie for a while since he was the last person to break out (before he died). Annie agrees and tells Ronan to gather as much information as he can about Millicent – she’s going to take both Frankie and Al-Shams to the Goblin Market3 in H-Town4 below the city.

Brewing ‘n Stuff
Sir Al-Shams mac Lannageal, Annie Murphy, & Dr. Frankie Novella
The Shadowed Heights
January 27th, 1999, 5:30 pm
7 Cathaoir Road, Murphy Island, Boston, MA 02171

Once back at the Heights, Annie is greeted by Alvin (who she left there) and oddly – both Svalbad and Little Paw who have come to help her find Millicent. While Annie cooks a meal for everyone, Al-Shams, Alvin, and Frankie begin to make ques – a special incense that produces an acid-like fog when burnt that only harms beings who are of nephilitic descent (e.g., the Forsaken). Because of its rarity (the secret to making it are lost), it sells for triple or more in its weight in gold. Al-Shams, horrified that so many secrets have been lost in the last 800 years, teaches both Alvin and Frankie how to make it as well as recording it in a notebook for other hunters.

Aftermath
 The team gears up to venture into underground Boston aka “H-Town” via the troll from the Wachusett Aqueduct.

After Action Reports/Game Notes
Christian was quite method with how horrified his character was at the lost knowledge. We must have spent about 30 minutes just talking about what his character planned on doing to preserve the knowledge he still retained, but the world had lost.

Footnotes

1The custos are the Conclave’s peacekeepers, soldiers, and (when the need arises) executioners. But they are more than that – they are also the protectors, the judges, and investigators. Their name is also their designation – they are the keepers of their brother and they take their jobs very seriously. Despite this, they have developed a reputation for “guilty till proven innocent” and most ceteri flee from them if they can.
2If the custos are the Conclave’s police, then the Donjon is their prison – their intelligent prison. The very walls are its guards and the warden never offers a pardon. Within this monstrous sprawling extradimensional complex lay every type of dark monster the imagination can conjure. The Donjon is built as a labyrinth – in the center is where most prisoners are. They can live out their lives in relative peace and quiet, but as you go further and further out into the maze itself it becomes dangerous. The Donjon has a total of seven layers with each layer being more deadly than the next. It has only been breached five times in its history.
3The Goblin Market (sometimes called the Troll Market) is the supernatural version of a swap meet and is typically found in H-Town, though it occasionally meets in other places.
4Hadestown or “H-Town” as it is often abbreviated as is the collection of tunnels, old sewers, buried buildings, and other subterranean structures underneath Boston. It’s sometimes used as neutral spot by others, but it’s mostly used as a place free of the Pax Trimountaine (though that’s not actually true). The home of unseelie, vampires, and other unpleasant creatures the place is ruled (as much as it can be) by the Blood Mother (or sometimes Mother of Blood) an ancient female vampire who sided against her kin in the shadow wars that drove all vampires from Boston.

Session Soundtrack

“Me and the Boys” by NRBQ (opening song)
“Evil Ways” by Blue Saraceno
“She’s Crazy” by JT Coldfire
“Summer Wine” by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood
“Way Down Hadestown” by Anaïs Mitchell (closing song)

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