Dramatis Personae
- Amos M. Humiston (Played by Chris D): The Linguist, Librarian, and Leader (Temporary). He is the brains to the rest of the group’s brawn. Recently Amos has completed a double Masters in Library & Information Science Archives and History and has also managed to get a rather special job lined up, if he can ever get around to it.. Tagline: “True alchemists do not change lead into gold; they change the world into words.”
- Dillon J. Lynch (Played by Calvin J): The Tough Guy and a master of knives and fists. He is in search of his brother that he never knew he had. He bears a strong sense of duty and strives to do the right thing. He is broke, new to town, and new to this. Whatever this is… Tagline: “Yeah, I brought a knife to a gun fight.”
- Henry H. Norris (played by Rory F.): The Detective and Shooter. Not the smartest, fastest, strongest, or toughest of the team, but perhaps the best rounded. He is a classic overachiever, always trying to make up for past failures and even limited successes by working harder and smarter. Life caught him unprepared once, and he does not want that to ever happen again. That attitude and certain knacks have earned him a good income and a respectable place in Boston society. Henry is new to the group, having met under less than auspicious circumstances and is the religious member of the group. Devoted follower of Horus before really understanding what that even means but it just felt right. Tagline: “If he can see it he can shoot it, and he sees really good!”
- Lorenzo J. de Modouco (played by Christian G.): A man with movie star looks and a voice that belongs on the radio. Slowly coming to grips with the fact that he isn’t exactly human, but a “Lupus Dei” – “Wolf of God” – otherwise known as a Benandanti. Lorenzo’s been a firefighter employed by the Boston Fire Department for a couple of years. This gives him access to places he normally shouldn’t be able to go as well as medical gear and information that might not be available to the public. He’s become a master of spear fighting and is a highly capable combatant. He’s been helping Amos collect cursed objects and Tagline: “You can take me to the gates of Hell, but I won’t back down and I won’t be turned around.”
Previously . . .
It’s been almost a month since the four fought with William on Lorna Road and the day that some of them have to speak with Mara is soon, forcing Amos to prepare for her arrival. They’ve had to take the time to recuperate from the fight with William, Dillon having to take extra time to deal with the improvised trepanning that William inflicted on him, but it has left a groove in skull.
On March 14th, they’re somewhat relaxing in the church with Carl having stayed overnight with them having gotten his father’s permission. Introductions are made and some preparations with Amos instructing Henry and Dillon not to do anything too stupid and to direct any questions to their advocate to make things easily.
The Raven Queen Cometh
Amos, Dillon, Henry, and Lorenzo
The Church
Thursday, March 14th, 2002, 6:00 pm
106 Highland Ave, Hull, MA 02045
The beat of wings is heard outside the church and Amos has to steel himself to deal with it, walking out with Lorenzo and Carl in the front and Dillon and Henry in the back into the middle of multiple large black birds with one dog sized bird. Greeting them, most of them fly away and leave only the largest that folds into a beautiful woman that greets them back, asking about the composition of the party which Amos responds back that two were missing and one was busy, so he was there as part of the remaining three and was to speak for himself, Lorenzo, and Carl. He offers Mara some refreshments before the deal, taking some saffron tea and oreo cookies.
She offers them a deal, to have two favours instead of her selecting three treasures and Amos asks what the favours would be. The first is to find Circe’s Dagger, an old artifact and the first athame that boosts magical power exponentially kept in the netherworld of Purgatory that no non-humans could approach. The second is Lorenzo’s service to her for a year and a day. Amos has to conference with them before he can say for certain, but he has to say whether or not they would accept the favour before she would name the treasures.
Amos asks only one question of Lorenzo, and that’s if Lorenzo trust him. Lorenzo tells Amos that he’d go to hell for him, though they aren’t looking into going to Michigan any time soon.
Amos returns to Mara and asks what she plans to do with the dagger and she said it’s not to use it and to protect it from other people. Three times he asks her to swear on her name that what she said is true before he agrees to the favours with the addendum that he’d be negotiating Lorenzo’s servitude. She gives them a parchment and key to purgatory. They quickly prepare for what they need to do before Amos uses the key to open a portal.
Welp, Purgatory
Amos, Dillon, Henry, and Lorenzo
Purgatory
Thursday, March 14th, 2002, 6:30 pm
They step through into a mystical mist that tries to confuse their senses and forces them to try to navigate. They manage to get lost and walk a half a mile in the wrong direction before getting back on its track to a clearing with Lorenzo having to give Amos a fireman’s carry halfway there. They find a clearing where a bronze dagger sits on a stone plinth with a small rabbit and a large amount of bones that seem to terminate in a ten-yard radius. Obviously not natural. Amos ties the dimensional key to his belt and asks if Henry would like to do the honors and warns him that Mara said that brute force wouldn’t be any useful.
Henry enters the circle and speaks with the rabbit who said that it’s the guardian. Henry says that he’s there to give it to a new guardian, a rather powerful fae, and the rabbit says that he’s been fighting all night who have been fighting him. The rabbit offers the dagger in exchange for a taste of Henry but when Henry refuses, the rabbit warns that he’ll attack if Henry goes further. As Amos and Dillon move forwards, Henry runs and grabs the dagger off the plinth causing the rabbit to attack. Barely dodging the strikes, Henry steals the dagger and runs back away from the rabbit that now starts to change, but the dagger cannot leave the warded area. Dillon draws his knives and puts himself between the rabbit and Amos while Lorenzo pushes himself against the warding and telling Amos to use the key to open the dimensional hole, but he still isn’t certain if it would work under the effect of a greater warding.
Henry draws his firearm and preps to fire while Lorenzo keeps solid letting Amos turn the key, creating a dimensional hole they run through with Dillon doing a kick-flip on the dagger to grab the dagger and get through back to Amos’s church.
Aftermath
They find Mara there speaking with Amos’s aunt Justine with some girl talk when Amos tells Dillon to place the dagger on the table. She coos over the dagger and Dillon once more who immediately moves to help Lorenzo with his burns while Amos negotiates with Mara.
She wants to amend the deal again, she wants Dillon instead of Lorenzo after all, it’s just one person, who would mind? Amos tries to figure out why and she counters that she’s fae, she doesn’t need a reason but it’s mostly because he gets her the things she needs and that she was going to use them as a bodyguard for someone really important. Amos consults with Dillon and Lorenzo before he sits down and negotiates the contract with Mara, that his servitude is to be compensated and reduced for every cookie that she had eaten since they left, reducing his service by 90 days along with other benefits and to direct any grievances to him as he’s the union representative representing Dillon.
Asking for Mara’s number in case they need to get in contact, he’s instead given the number for Mara’s daughter before everyone signs the contract in blood. The season ends with Amos giving Dillon a small book on how to properly deal with Fae and bidding him farewell.
After Action Report (GM)
And that’s it for the third season of The Chronicles of Ceteri. The B-Team got most of the love this season because C-Team just couldn’t catch a break. Sigh. A failure on my part as the GM. The final session was a bit underwhelming compared to fighting Billy. The PCs had to deal with the fae and that always makes them twitchy (as it should). They mostly got out of it ok, one the PCs was wanted by Mara to be a bodyguard for someone. Originally, Mara wanted Lorenzo because he’s a Lupus Dei – but after the interactions between her and Dillon she changed her mind (and so did I). Dillon is nominally the more dangerous unless Lorenzo goes into wolf-form, but that’s besides the point. AS one player remarked he kept bringing her things she wanted. That’s very appealing to fae who have this weird blue/orange bronze age mentality. “Anything that I like that is good for me makes me want more. Anything that is bad or I dislike must be destroyed.” Overall, a fun game and a good send off for the season.
Other Notes
None.
Soundtrack
“Up in the Air” by Thirty Seconds to Mars (Opening Song)
“White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane
“Panama” by Van Halen (Closing Song)