"Sit down, my lady," says Ilmen, pushing a chair beneath her and then pouring a stiff brandy to calm her nerves.
"What is the Star being?" asks Bassianus once she is breathing normally again.
"Whatever horror you think the name implies is sufficient."
"How was it restrained?" asks Athalie.
"We, er, had it locked in a closet."
"Can we bind it again? Should we, even?"
[Q: Should they? 50/50 (4+): O2 C2 - No, and... ]
"No! And we should avoid it, whatever the cost. All who behold it have their souls stripped away by the cosmic winds. Now, you lot found a way in, so I assume you can find the way back out. Take me with you! Bring me back to the rest of the cabal, the ones on the outside. I have seen the error of my ways, and I have information to offer them which will be to their advantage." [scheming - agenda - family]
"What about me...?" mumbles Ilmen.
"Of course, you may come too. Are we all agreed?"
"But... my arrears..." moans Isabeau.
"Allow me to persuade them that whatever they may have initially asked for, circumstances have changed, and this discharges your obligation admirably."
"Let's go then!"
[+EVENT (from above): NPC negative - scribe - unavoidable Damnation : removing them from the NPC list...
Chaos increases now that the Star Being is loose.]
Scene 7
Chaos: madness (d6)
Setup: escape
NPC List: the Superior Order, PCs' patron, villain, Tail, Zurzoria, Ilmen, the Star Being
Threads: investigate location, get out alive
They go hurriedly out of the retreat and towards the stairs to the basement.
[encounter, major personage (d3): 1 villain, 2 star being, 3 other councillor: 2]
They are almost to the stairway door when the lift descends and the gates slide back to reveal the Star Being. It has merged with the corporeal form of one of the council secretaries, but its magnificent radiance is overwhelming. Blue-white light emanates from it in a blinding aura, and the roar of cosmic winds deafens all within its reach.
It takes no notice of the cowed mortals, strides past without so much as acknowledging they exist. The blue fires of untold suns blaze in its eyes, and the tiny quivering mortal creatures avert their eyes quickly so as not to meet its gaze.
[DEX saves all round to avoid its gaze : Athalie & Ilmen fail theirs. Those who made it take a mere d6 WIL damage, Athalie & Ilmen take d12.
Bassianus 2 dmg to 5 WIL, Isabeau 2 to 8 WIL, Zurzoria 5 to 6 WIL.
Athalie 5dmg to 12, Ilmen takes 11, only had 9...
Q: What does Athalie glimpse? SUCH is the Moon; and such are all Sublunary Things]
Ilmen withers in the harsh light from beyond; his ashes blow away unseen in the astral gale.
For the barest moment, Athalie glimpses an image reflected in the Star being's eyes. She sees herself and her companions as the Star Being sees them: how pale, how insignificant, how limited, existing as they do in only 11 dimensions. And how transient, their whole lives written like lovers' promises on wind and water*. She even sees the footnote.
* Catullus 70: « ...sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti / in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua »
The Star Being does not break stride as it walks purposefully past, though Athalie can not be certain it did not nod knowingly in her direction -- a fraction of a fraction of a micrometre.
Just being touched by the aura surrounding the Star Being leaves the others with a sickening feeling, as if they'd just come off a week-long laudanum bender. But Athalie feels a mordant emptiness in her soul, as if part of her psyche were torn off and hurled amongst the cosmic winds.
Athalie stumbles over her words a few times before her tongue remembers the faculty of speech. "What?"
"I said, 'won't you please wind my hand again, dearest'. It's run down again, and I can't open my fingers to grab the lantern."
Athalie helps Isabeau with her clockwork hand as Bassianus relights her lantern. He hands it over, and Isabeau leads the way down the stairs.
The cellar level is dark and mostly empty. The explorers find a servant in the giant silkworms' vaulted chamber who is too drunk to notice them file past [4 Oracle questions to figure out this non-event deleted]. In the utensil room they find three more servants searching for weapons by candlelight.
"Let us pass," says Zurzoria. [Wil save=4, ok]
One curtsies, the other two grunt and go about their business. The explorers reach the stairs to the sub-basement without further incident.
"Where's Chatterton?" asks Athalie at the bottom of the stairwell.
"Gone!" exclaims Bassianus. "Probably stolen by a fleeing servant, I'll wager."
"Is it wrong of me to feel a little relieved?" asks Isabeau. "Only I wasn't sure how to tell him about Mortine."
[For the trip back, I'll be counting down the turns/areas from the Random Location Crafting. As usual, there's a 1-in-6 chance of encounters in each.]
[T12]
They file out of the hole they'd broken through the bricked-over wall at in the sub-basement, firearms readied. They look about furtively for signs of any one --or anything-- lurking in the dismal concrete tunnel.
[Athalie's WIL save succeeds, so...
Q: Any signs? unlikely (5+): O6 C6 - yes
+Event: NPC negative - the Superior Order (will wait until the PCs reach their location to figure out what happened)
Q: Signs: Waters drop, incessantly, from, the Eves =blood trail
Q: The way the PCs are going? 50/50 (4+): O3 C2 - no, and...]
"Look!" cries Athalie. "A trail of blood! It starts there on the steps and leads off that way."
"Which way are we going? asks Zurzoria
"T'other," says Bassianus.
"Well, good luck to whoever else got away!"
The explorers proceed back to the platform [T11], and Isabeau once again operates the pump car back to the basement of the ruined theatre [T10]. They then go up the rusting stairs [T10 Special] to the roof, through a trapdoor and down a ladder to the balcony [T7] out of theatre to the subterranean street [T6] where a terrible stench -- worse than the the ambient reek of the underground -- assails their nostrils. [encounter: stinking filth, bull, controls others]
A bull blocks their path. The creature stands proud and erect, and would cut a commanding figure were it not for the malodorous secretions matting its long shaggy coat into an oily tangle.
Athalie senses a glimmer of intelligence in its mien, and steps forward, intending to reason with it. [WIL save: d20= 18, fail]
"Please, gentle sir, we mean onl--"
The beast lowers its horns and springs at her.
STR 14, DEX 6, WIL 8, 6 HP
driven to cause strife
Oily Horns: d10, next attack impaired from nausea
Sow Confusion: each round, a random target must make WIL save or turn on friends until bull dead (automatic power, functions even when unconscious)
[Round 1]
The explorers unload their guns into the stinking creature, and it falls in mid-charge. [2+6+3=11 damage, to 0hp 9STR: d20=14, crit]
But even as the fallen creature's ragged breathing seems about to fade, [d4=]Athalie feels a psychic force grasping at her mind. [WIL save=2, success] She steels herself against its control and shrieks, "it's not dead!"
[Round 2]
Swords and an axe are brought to bear against the helpless creature. They slash and chop and cleave until Athalie assures them the danger has passed. [damage 9+4+11 = dead (attacks are Enhanced against defenceless foes)]
They reload quickly, then continue lest any other beasties lurk in the open. [d6=5, nothing else attracted by gunfire] Back they go through the hole into the vault [T5], over the marble floor [T4], and along the balcony [T3] to the long curving room [T2], and thence through the rotten dwelling [T1], and finally down the grand hallway to the bottom of the well [T0].
[Q: Is their rope still there? doubtful (6): O3 C3 - yes, but...
+Event: Ambiguous event - Every Object, a little while ago, glared with Light]
The dull grey circle above indicates it is still daytime. But the rope seems to be missing. No, not missing -- some <unprintable> passer-by has untied it and thrown it down the well. At least, thinks Athalie, it wasn't stolen.
Isabeau breaks off a limb from the vanquished iron serpent which will readily answer for grappling hook, then they take turns throwing it up the well and trying to catch the edge.
Suddenly an intense blue light shines down the well for a moment, blinding them all. They feel the push at their souls, but fortunately the diffuse rays of the cosmic wind wash over them only briefly [no WIL damage].
"The Star Being!" gasps lady Belial. "He's escaped the stronghold!"
They wait an extra long time [2 more encounter checks' worth] before continuing with the grapple throwing. At last it catches firmly on the side of the well, and one by one they scale the rope up to street level. Not a soul stirs in the empty square, though the feeling of being watched is palpable. They hurry away into a more populated district.
"They've taken rooms at the Despair & Anchor," answers Isabeau.
"How déclassé! But come, let us make haste. Someone, hail that cab." [Fastest way across town: d%=horse carriage]
"I'm afraid we're a bit skint," admits Bassianus.
"Not to worry, I've plenty of dosh."
[Q: Do they get back without incident? likely (3+): O4 C4 - yes, but... takes longer than it should
+Event: PC negative - Isabeau - stung by the Serpent]
The inside of the coach smells faintly of sick, though the explorers cannot but wonder if its their clothing providing the odour; two trips through the underworld will do that. They are very certain that the cabbie is driving the long way round on purpose, but as they are feeling rather weary (two trips through the underworld will do that, too), they don't castigate the driver. And Lady Belial's paying for it, after all.
But what they have failed to notice is that a street snake had curled up in the back of the carriage, and was sleeping peacefully beneath the back seat all this time. And as Isabeau stands to (finally) exit the coach, she accidentally treads it underfoot, for which she is rewarded with a venomous bite [d12 poison: 6 to STR 11]. She kills the hapless creature with her sword, and Zurzoria spends the next 20 minutes remonstrating with the cabbie [her WIL save =2, success] who eventually refunds half the fare. Isabeau is still a bit wobbly when the cab drives off, but Athalie reminds her she's ingested worse of an evening, and they proceed arm-in-arm towards the public house.
[Q: So, what was the NPC Negative event that befell the renegade councillors (well above)? stand exposed to the reproachful indignities, of an insolent Rabble]
"Well, this was a wasted trip," says Zurzoria.
"My arrears," whines Isabeau.
"Cheer up, my dear, whatever monies you may have owed are still within my power to strike from the record -- should the records still exist. I do hope the stronghold is at least somewhat intact, and there are some councillors still standing. Besides myself, that is."
"Oh. When you put it that way..."
"But come, let us repair to my residence for now. Tomorrow I shall send a messenger to the council chambers to see if any of them have survived."
~~ finis ~~
Dénouement
Having completed the adventure, the PCs are 1/3 of the way to the next level. They have time for a long rest, meaning all their Ability Scores are back to full, except perhaps for Bassianus' STR.
Bassianus was infected by the bite of the giant silkworm. Without treatment, he can't recover STR and will die in d4=3 weeks. I decided to ask the Oracle if he can be cured, but I decided all the interpretations in advance.
Oracle
result Interpretation
------ --------------
no, and... basically fucked
no can try later
no, but... opportunity during next adventure
yes, but... will have to trade Arcanum for it
yes incurs debt of 1d12x10 shillings
yes, and... remedy only costs 1s
Q: Can Bassianus find a cure for the infection? 50/50 (4+): O1 C4 - no, but...
At least, he has time to examine, and consume the contents of, the Mysterious Phial he'd found in the sub-basement: d%= insides feel cold, liquid metal coats bones - always have Armour 1.
next adventure: serving 1d4+1 masters
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