Sorry about that, too many plates.
Take a point in practicality and runic sight.
Drive the truck across the canal to the concrete plant immediately on the other side. Run the truck straight to the truck filling dock and use knowledge, charisma, illusions and fast-talking to pull a Bavarian Fire Drill and bury the casket and all it's related gear in tons of wet concrete. Leave before things go to hell, but that should at least slow the necromancer down for a time. Ditch the scene and head back to Vince's.
As the equipment on the back of the truck crackles and screams, parts falling off and skidding away with eldritch flashes, you speed towards the concrete plant. The journey takes a minute, by which time the back of the truck is covered in blue fire and several massive pseudopods of bones machinery snatch dreamily at passing streetlamps, the latent will of the entity residing in the coffin imposing iteself on its surroundings. Metal screeches and tears as you swerve to a halt in front of the concrete plant.
Dealing with it: 3
No time to wait for the gates to open, you plough straight through them, steel crumpling and glass smashing as you power through. Shaking off the jolt, you kick a door open, grab a communicator from a flabbergasted technician as you pass him, and frantically order the filling dock cleared of vehicles. Tyres shredding, you more crash than brake to a halt in front of a loading pipe, ramming an empty vehicle aside. Frantically screaming commands regarding fire, biohazard and military personell, you conjure up several illusory soldiers in a barely-grlimpsed control room ordering all dispensing pipes filled to maximum. A steady pool of concrete rapidly forms on top of the stone coffin, now bathed in white fire as the final bits of machinery burn and wither.
Stones and pebbles shudder and roll in consternation as a mind potent as a god stirs and wakens, mighty throbs of consciousness dulling noises to a whine. The concrete has barely begun to set, nothing like enough covering the massive conglomerate sarcophagus. Desperately, you draw on any remaining puissance and fire your costliest spell at the massive concrete mixer above the loading dock. The side of the drum shivers and cracks, before a flood of concrete bursts out, completely hiding the coffin and the remains of the truck carrying it. A scream of irritation stuns you for a moment, as whips of physicalised emotion lash out of the mound of hardening concrete, tearing streaks from the ground and ripping the air into a fury. You run blindly, as the pile starts to shudder and strain, leaping a fence and finding yourself crashing into brackish canal water. Behind you, a sympathetic storm has instantly formed, black clouds rumbling displeasure and annoyance.
A webbed limb grips you by the shoulders and pulls as your lungs fill with liquid, then there comes an interminable period of acceleration through green-brown waters studded with blurry shafts of light, shreds of plant or plastic whipping past you as you're shot through a murky tube, pursued by an overwhelming feeling of awe and dread before righteous, world-bending anger.
Finally, you're cast out onto a muddy bank, miles from the wakening of a furious dark lord, vomiting canal water and watching the black clouds flash in a tight spiral. The river spirit pulling you staggers feebly to the shallows, his sunken eyes staring at you desolately from green-grey skin. It opens its mouth as if to say something, but instead topples, its cold wrinkled flesh blackening and swelling with necrosis. As you back away, the river water darkens, the plants by its edge drooping and dying, the green carpets of algae fading into purple rot.
The stench of death hangs on the wind blowing round you, the stomping grounds the Coven calls home on the edges of the inner city blurred with necromantic potency. A rune embeds itself in the coils of your brain:
Pestilence.You stand alone and friendless, soaked in canal water, bruised and bloody, missing several fingers. The pall of death hangs over the place you left your allies. You don't know your surroundings, nor can you guess at the strange and hostile beings that lurk in these suburbs, roused by the screams of the necromancer.
Don will pick up the sword if nobody else does and offer Ben a ride back to base in the Maserati. Level up decision to be made later.
Ben gains a point of Banal Weapons, and a point of Agility, to the surprise of precisely nobody.
Then he quickly packs his weapons up, and takes a cursory look around the area; in particular he's gonna check the corpse of Steve and the swordswoman he'd been fighting, and put a P90 bullet into the latter's head. Two of them, if he thinks there's any chance she's alive.
Then he's gonna start retreating down the canal in the vauge direction of Vince's place.
The body of the swordswoman is nowhere to be found. Perhaps it was destroyed in the blast, burnt to an unrecognisable crisp. Perhaps her armour saved her, and she crawled away after the blast. No way to tell.
Try to find and take the racing broom of the witch that burned me. Seems she won't be needing it anymore. Once the broom is recovered or I confirm that it was destroyed, get in the truck and upgrade Agility, Aim and Puissant fettle (Extra point from lichdom).
If there is enough time, try to recover the body (and maybe the pair of swords involved into the fight if I can find them) from the guy who died in the sword fight. Otherwise just get into Vince's truck.
Make sure to fix up and heal everyone in the truck, including me. If no one minds and I had enough time to recover the body, stab Steve's corpse in the heart with my phylactery and suck it's magical blood. If no one opposes to tearing him appart, surgically remove his whole spine to use as the staff of the Caduceus, and his intestines for the "snake-like" flexible part of the Caduceus. Make the Caduceus with my 2 clots.
((Now that I have 2 clots, I'm considering making a caduceus to heal more effectively. Could anyone help me gather materials later? I'll need a human spine (Probably from Steve's corpse (Sorry Steve.)) and 2 snake skeletons.))
You get the lightning longsword, but everything else is in cinders. Applying basic first aid to the bruises people have isn't difficult.
Name: Jane Zisigin
Backstory: She had a normal life until her parents were eaten by a giant magical demonic rhinoceros!
Description: A 12 year old girl, who looks pretty normal for a 12 year old girl.
Stats:
Puissant fettle: 2
Runic Sight: 1
Aim: 3
You know the drill, normal starting stuff. We'll assume you're far from Vince's place or the Coven's home ground, given the Bad Things™ happening near his house. Start with 3 clots. It's a rule change for a reason, I'll explain later.
Zamenis, Ben and Don get into the front seat of the truck, which drives back to Vince's. Halfway there, their ears start ringing, and the vehicle speeds up. Those who sense such things percieve a massing of death-energies to the south, where Nanami drove the flatbed. As Vince stands in the door to his house calling to them, one hand scribbling occult symbols of protection onto the frame, a being wondrously composed of bright lights and celestial energies passes high above their heads. A joyous battle-cry rings out as it travels towards the source of the grim reverberations of the awakening necromancer, an evensong of wars fought among the ancient stars.
Vince rushes about the house frantically sealing the windows and doors with protective wards. Once certain that nothing can get in, he draws the curtains against the flashing stormclouds and waves of death-energy, before sitting down heavily.
"We'll have to lie low for a day or two, but well done. You did good."Name: Nanami Adachi. (Nanami)
Unnatural beauty granted by demonic contract and the adoration of mortals. Slight charisma/popularity boost.
A few fingers short.
Power from mortal media.
Can create illusions.
Conscripted into twenty-nineth legion of Amdukias.
Puissance: 2 +1 not from Amdukias
Ritual: 0
Runic Sight: 1
Banal Combat: 0
Aim: 1
Melee: 0
Agility: 1
Praticality: 3
Inventory: £25
Backpack, expensive camera + memory cards
Quality sketching paper, art pens+pencils, charcoal, etc.
Sketches of self as main character, Amdukias, the non-mortal world, etc.
[Tier Two Glass Rod Crystal Wand] - Enhanced slightly through media
Mediocre Pistol (1/6) (Dropped)
Large, fist-sized mind-controlling spacerock fragments.
Painting supplies, a glass cutter, battery powdered soldering iron, eighty feet of red cloth, white rag and thread
Diving gear: masks, suits and some scuba tanks. (dumped)
Knife
Runes
Pestilence: all living things will someday die. This rune accelerates the processes of death with the energies of life - a draining and a consumption at once.
Puissance: 7/13
Puissant Clots: 2
Goethe T. Helle
Puissant fettle - 1
Ritual potency - 2
Runic sight - 1
Banal combat - 0
Aim - 1
Melee - 0
Agility - 2
Practicality - 1
Inventory: £20, clockface minus one hand, highlighter pens, two kitchen knives, half-empty cologne bottle
From the beast: one bone,
Italian Dinner suit, stored at Vince's place.
[Dog Collar Pendant][Molasses Clockhand Wand]
[Icecream Beast Blood Fur Chalice][Beast Remains Wand]
Runes:
Isolation: you never had many friends or allies, so are used to poor odds. +1 to rolls when outnumbered and alone.
Stoicism: a rune that calms those dealing with shock, tragedy or injury.
Perseverance: despite all the odds, you managed to kill a huge beast using nothing but hot syrup. Bonus to attack and extra damage to powerful or resistant enemies after several turns of combat or aggression.
Dwarven Weapon Storage: learned from a dwarf carrying a small armoury on his back. Increases load of weapons and tools that can be borne without being hampered or slowed down, or collapsing outright.
Ruination: when written, it makes a bad situation worse, and an irretrievable one more so. Learned after the second mission.
Puissant clots: 1
Puissance: 6/6
Name: Sir Worthington the Fourth
Has a demonic leg. Old leg is in possession of monarchs of hell.
Enslaved young man under demonic contract, wields katana, wears combat pants + green sweatshirt.
Stats: Ritual Potency: 3
Practicality 3
Inventory: £22, Pint of royal blood (stored at Vince's), blood covered knife, Cursed String
Stored at Vince's place: mortal's tendons, skull and leg bones.
[Glass Eye Pendant] [Paintbrush Wand]
[Toad Demon Battery Acid Tupperware Chalice]
Competent's Pyromancy Flame - Heal Burn (1P), Create Flame (1P), Flame Claw (3P), Mesmerising Flame (2P)
One shot, recharging: Chaos Insect Swarm
Wears tinfoil hat.
Puissant Clots: 0
Puissance: 5/5
Ben Breeze
Stats:
Puissant fettle - 0
Ritual potency - 0
Runic sight - 0
Banal combat - 6
Aim - 1
Melee - 1
Agility - 3
Practicality - 0
Inventory: 2xtaser, handcuffs, police baton, stab vest, torch, incapacitant spray, and a first aid kit. All in sports bag.
4 Athames, 2.5 legs War Bacon (Vince's Fridge), a worn face-concealing hooded coat, bin bags.
Concealed: knife in one boot, knife on a leg, and one on his torso.
Two generous Roast Beef and Horseradish Sandwiches
Two bin bags of assorted pills from pharmacy (Vince's fridge).
£20
Set of keys and passcard
Gunfarmer P90 (50/50) (in bag)
FN Minimi light machine gun, 200-round belt, (59/200) round belt
Puissant clots: 6
Puissance:5/5
Steve
DEAD
Banal combat - 3
Agility - 3
Inventory: £50
Rusty, shard curved sword
Puissance: 5/5,
Clots:3
Name: Bella, the Speed Witch
DEAD
Runic sight: 2
Banal Combat: 2
Melee 1
Agility 2
Inventory: £0,
Benflesh Bullet, Concrete bullet x3, Cloud bullet x2, organic armour x1
Large gardening axe
[Tier Four Racing Broom]
Runes:
Speed lover: +1 to doing anything while moving faster than you need to. Does not prevent (but can negate) maluses from trying to do things while moving faster than is sensible.
Slaughter: enhances speed and efficiency of murder when facing many opponents/victims. Passive boost, but can be written on things.
Broom Dodging: makes you better at dodging things while on a broom.
Phoenix: fire, if controlled, has a slight restorative effect on you.
[Sub Nosed Glock Wand] 9/9
1 Organic Armour Bullet
Nascent Pyromancy Flame: Create Flame 1P
Puissance: 5/5
Clots:1
Name: Zamenis Paean
Puissant fettle: 3
Agility: 3
Aim: 3
LICH: feeds on the bleeding hearts of his enemies.
Undead. Necromancy bonus.
Heavily Charred, not that it matters to you. But you look like you've spent the night on a live barbecue grill.
Inventory: £25, Certificate from Belial (valid for one sample of occult substance)
Large Knife, knife.
Surgical tools: scalpel, a saw, and tweezers.
Dead Guy's pockets: a set of car keys, a length of shimmering, crystalline rope,
{Unknown Potion}
Dragon Tooth Phylactery on End
[Human Leg Wand]
[Ulna and Hand Wand]
Gunfarmer's Armour-piercing Amphibious Assault Rifle (30/30 Rounds)
Lightning Longsword
Puissant Clots: 2
Puissance: 9/9
Name: Don Joe
Ritual Strength - 2
Runic Sight - 1
Aim - 1
Agility - 1
Practicality - 1
Inventory: £130
Murdered guy's wallet
Keys to Maserati
Card of Mortal-mind cleanup guy
[Chain Coin Pendant] - Used
[Giraffe Wine Chalice]
Simple Knife
Runes
Market Savvy: You know what things are worth, and who will pay for or try to get them. From your time spent as a banker, a passive rune.
Acid: a rune that eats into whatever it touches.
Puissance: 3/5
Puissant Clots: 2
((Rewaitlisting with a different character.))
[spoiler]
Name: Ennis Therebus
Runic sight - 3
Practicality - 3
Inventory: £45
Suspicious Tome
Camping Equipment: tent, canned food and snack bars
4 Litre plastic water bottle, Usquebaugh written on.
Runes:
Phlegmatic: you have no memory of the last decade, and are dealing with it remarkably well. Increased resistance to mental assault; a passive rune coiled around the inside of your skull.
Arcane Researcher: you're less likely to accidentally kill yourself, summon a great one, or set the room on fire when reading arcane texts. Applies especially to Suspicious Tome.
Amnesia: when written, causes mentally weak beings (non-magicals, for example) to forget their recent experiences. A rune inked over the innermost folds of your cereberum.
Usquebaugh: a rune that gives water healing properties and magical strength. In great doses, such draughts may damage one's soundness of mind.
Potential: a rune that draws out the power latent in objects, often damaging them in the process. Tattooing it on oneself would lead to a shorter life but greater charisma and power.
Cardoon: a rune that enhances the growth of plants, especially weeds.
Urbaturgy: slight bonus to performing magic involving the fabric of the city. Very situational.
Scorpion: melee attacks more likely to inflict various ailments (e.g. stun, tetanus, possession by evil spirits.)
Puissance: 5/5
Author
Topic: COVEN: Gulled Goldsmiths and Lost Locomotives (Read 153702 times)