We keep moving about Gabriel Chase. We find tracks inside the walls, but no Heron-masks. Among the revellers we find a Lady Obelia, a Scintillan noble. She has actually met Erasmus Haarlock, while he was still a happy man. We ask her about heron masks, and she tells us 'he came with a bunch of them', pointing at Lar'ax Melua.
He is standing in a corner, looking lost. Holder-Smith and I approach him. He is not responsive, and is bleeding profusely. We get him to an adjacent room. Holder-Smith examines his blood, it is 'dead'. Potters magic does not work on him either.
Then suddenly 6 heron masks and a demon come pouring through a secret door. Again we fight for our lives. Alpha passes out at the beginning of the fight, and eventually both Potter and I are spent too before we finish them of.
After the fight Holder-Smith examines Lar'ax more closely; his hart has been removed and he has been, well, dead for several hours. Probably his still be able to move is a result of the ritual we saw the remnants of not too many hours ago. Holder-Smith severs his spine, and tells Du'landra that he is dead. She grieves, but we convince her to come along.
10 bells. They shake the entire castle, ending with the sound of 1000 cogs turned in unison. I talk to Old man Vipus. He remebers the previous reveille, it was different from this one. The sounds and the severity of the bells was less. He dislikes the kills of the widower as well. He also tries to comfort Du'landra.
11 bells. Incredibly loud sound. People start looking scared. It ends with a barely audible, high pitched laugther. We see the jackal mask in the crowd, he nods his head at us, and disappears.
We try to recruit some help, and wind up in conversation with some Gunmetal nobles. Nobles/crimelords if one third of the stuff I have heard is true... They should, on the other hand, have some experience with combat. At least in shooting at living things, though probably not immortal assassins or warp-infused megalomaniacal chaos worshippers. Note the or, much less with an and. Not that we have experience with that, least of all with an and.
12 bells, the lights go out, we feel a draft and hear a squishing sound. When the light goes on there is blood and remains on the clock, and a hand in the hands. Du'landras, it turns out. Someone recognized the old blood, and put it where we want it. Poor girl. The clock radiates cold, and it is very difficult to be close to it.
13 bells. A cold wind through the room. The sun disappears. The nobles look at each other. All the 1000 clocks in the amphitheater start ticking in sync with the steel clock. Then they all start on the 13 strikes. Holder-Smith and I stand right by the clock.
THE heron mask, Beloved, starts shouting, calling the Widower. The Jackal mask comes walking through the crowd. But it is not the Jackal mask, but someone wearing his mask, and under that his skin. The Widower. Beloved and Widower stand staring at each other, while heron masks murder indiscriminately among the nobles. We see again, a bright dark; we are standing in the light of the Tyrant Star.
We start breaking the clock face. Dar breaks it, and the clock shatters, shooting cogs in all directions. Holder-Smith takes the stone, and Dar charges him. We later found out that Dar was under the influence of his dagger, but at the time we were very confused. Of course, we are used to not understanding, and so we grapple him to the ground. All the while Holder-Smith is trying to break the stone.
Widower and Beloved fight; Widower strikes at Beloved, for every connection one of Beloveds minions fall, and Beloved blasts away at Widower with some incomparable warp magic. Eventually the Widower is killed, reduced to protean slime and a mask. Beloved grabs the mask, laughs loudly, and leaves.
Holder-Smith fails to break the stone, he tries with all we have, and with Haarlock blood in the mix, but no effect. The Steel Clock was probably the Widowers hart, and breaking it we made it possible to kill him. Beloved seems elated with the outcome, and does not seem to take interest in the stone. Holder-Smith charges of after him.
We hear a demonic voice from the mask, as we close with Beloveds minions. A short but uneffectual fight, and Beloved is gone through a portal. We leave Gabriel Chase, looking for Beloved. Grasping at straws we search out the Spider Bride. But there too havoc has called, she and her handmaidens lay broken about, she states she has been killed by destiny. She says that Beloved has left Xicarp
Letting it all sink in, we come to the conclusion that the Widower underestimated Beloved, and that Beloved is looking for the Haarlock Warrant. The Spider Brides final act is to tell us that Beloved has gained a very powerful oracle in the remains of the Widower. Of course, as we have learnt, oracles are seldom a blessing, so he shall be welcome to him.
torsdag 24. oktober 2013
fredag 4. oktober 2013
Gabriel Chase
After the fascinating visit with the Spider Bride, we set out to get ready for the Grand Conjunction party. Costumes and/or masks are in order, and will certainly not be wearing the dirty Beast House attire. The decently fashionable clothes we bought earlier will suffice, and I pick out some rather well-done Eldar masks (choosing a classical Farseer mask for myself, which I'm quite pleased with). Dar refuses to wear one, given his unfortunate history of enslavement period by an Eldar group, so I pick out a Laer mask for him.We also stop by the local weapon shop, picking up some additional armaments as well as spending a decent clip on blessed ammunition. It doesn't take a farseer (hoho) to see that we will likely come up against yet more foul Warp beings.
The estate itself is rather large, around 3 kilometers in diameter. Quite the throng has gathered on its way to the manse, nobles wearing the most outrageous costumes and their entourages. A palpable sense of excitement, fear and dare I say blood lust pervades the crowd - everyone knows what is coming, and quite a few seem to look forward to it.
At the gate our credentials are checked by the meagre Administratum acolytes present on Xicarph, and we're let through. To our surprise the walls contain a jungle - of the literal kind. The species is a common one present in many systems. In the distance, we spot dome-like construction reminiscent of the type surrounding Xicarph. From my readings I know that Gabriel Haarlock was quite the collector, fond of xenos of all types, many of which are likely contained in those domes. I could probably have spent a good 10 years in this estate, reading through the books and cataloging xeno species...but alas, we only have 13 hours.
After walking for a kilometer or more, we arrive at the manse proper. It is round, roughly 300 meters in diameter, with 3 stories that are layered on top of each other. The craftsmanship is exquisite - nothing but the best marble and gold, silver and other expensive minerals used expansively throughout. While I come from a rich family, the Haarlocks' wealth is, or rather was, at an entirely different level.
The entire ground floor is open in the middle, with an odd display at the center - the so-called theatre of clocks. This is a huge construction, 30 meters in diameter, reaching up to the top floor, with various clock faces displayed all around. We wander around for a bit, eventually coming up to the second floor where we notice something very odd. There's a gallery near the clock extending around the entire structure. Right in front of us there's a pendulum, moving through what seems emptiness. Mr Potter theorizes that the steel clock will appear in this area when the Revel of Darkness will be upon us. The pendulum is certainly reminscent of the description given to us by the Spider Bride.
As we stand there, the clock rings loudly - the first hour has passed, and the estate is now closed. We all feel a bit queasy, but Potter seems particularly struck. I inquire, and it seems the Warp is perilously close to our world...and Potter got a glimpse of some particularly unsavory part of it. As we stand there, we notice yet again one of the Pilgrims in their heron masks in the corner of our eye...but of course, he is gone when we pursue. It seems this ability to be seen then disappear must be a gift given to all of the cult by their dark master.
After walking around some more, we discover a library! Maintained by Gabriel himself, I am sure we can find useful information here. I resolve to research, while the rest of the cadre sets out to scout the rest of the manse. Just as they are about to head out, screams are heard from the neighboring room. Rushing to investigate, we find the body of a noblewoman turned inside out...it seems the Widower is among us already. I notice a rather disturbing picture, portraying "The death of Tanis", with Tanis being a world that the Haarlocks obliterated by planetary bombardment. Potter is able to discern the runes inscribed around the painting's frame: "time, distortion, slaughter, captivity". Lovely and cryptic, in true Haarlock style.
While I read up, the rest head out. After a while, they hear shots and rush in that direction, ever the heroes. A noblewoman (later revealed to be one Lady Chaderon) has been shot by a heron-masked man. Her guards are furious, while the Pilgrim just laughs in a raspy voice. The guards eventually shoot his face off. Lovely. Meanwhile, Alpha notices that an arm...coagulates out of the noblewoman's blood. And just like that, another one of the demons we have faced previously is among them. This time, we are prepared with blessed ammo and some solid hits from Alpha and a flurry of force bolts from Potter finish it off in short order.
After a couple of hours, I find a sheet of paper cleverly inlined in a book. My excitement rises when I see it is written by Erasmus himself, detailing three central locations:
After some wandering, we come upon a small room with three bodies with their entrails removed, a pentagram on the floor and the smell of incense in the air. They have been killed not too many hours ago. Unfortunately neither me nor Potter manage to make heads or tails of it. We find our way down to the basement level, which is off limits to the guests, in hopes of getting into the clock mechanism. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to extend to the basement floor.
We decide we have time to explore the domes and head out. The entire manse is filled with nobles mucking about, but the path to the domes is devoid of any other people. We come upon the middle dome as we exit the jungle. It's locked, but Dar quickly picks the lock. Within the temperature is quite high and the humidity must be 90% or more. Our senses are assaulted by smells and sights - all around us, xeno plant species are to be found. I recognize many (though the xeno biology is not my main field of expertise), but as many seem to be entirely undiscovered species. Like I said, I could spend years here - but I resign myself to pict recording everything.
We make our way through the dome, forced to follow the pathways as the vegetation is much too thick to cut through. In the middle, a huge tree is found, with a sign warning people to stay away. I recognize the species and a chill runs down my spine. It's from Dusk, and is known to be a sentient species that is able to control other beings by piercing them, injecting a chemical that makes the host a mindless puppet. Quite lovely. Dusk sounds utterly fascinating, but I do believe I'll stick to reading about it.
Nearby, there's a study with notes by Gabriel himself. I pict record everything, then make an (even more) interesting discovery: Erasmus has been here, and he's left some sort of code. It's the type where you need a key to interpret it, as it is entirely mumbo jumbo. I also sense that there are parts of the code missing, 2 pieces in fact...again, a farseer is not needed to predict where the other parts will be found.
The rightmost dome has a sign simply saying "Predators" outside. Dar picks the lock and we enter. Yet another jungle landscape opens up before us, this time aroundc 25 meters below, with platforms and rope bridges suspended from the roof. We make our way to the central platform which contains an elevator. Below, there's a moss-grown Imperial bunker. We take the elevator down, with Lazerus staying behind with the elevator raised 5-6 meters above ground level in case we need to make a quick getaway.
We walk through the iron-grated corridor leading towards the bunker when a gigantic dinosaur-like being comes out of the jungle. I recognize it as a Carnosaur, a most fearsome predator. It eyes us intently. We stand perfectly still for a while, before realizing that the beast is about to charge. We rush towards the bunker, the Carnosaur reducing the corridor to little bits of iron trash behind us. Lovely.
Inside the bunker, we find yet more notes by Gabriel, and another piece of Erasmus' puzzle. I am fairly sure the puzzle will be of no use to us right now, but chances are we'll need to figure it out later. Going back, Potter has an excellent way to deal with the fearsome, but very stupid beast: he transforms into a bird of prey and flies out. The carnosaur rushes after him, we run to the elevator, get to safety and meet Potter up on the platform, looking quite pleased with himself.
The last dome contains yet more plant life, but it seems the life support system might be failing - there are a lot of fungi and moss. In the centre there's a lab with more notes and the last piece of the puzzle. There's a servitor bot which is out of function here - Alpha quickly fixes it while I gather the necessary information, and it goes to work fixing the life support system.
We've spent quite a few hours here, and as we make our way back towards the manse, the clock rings again - 8 bells. The time for the grand showndown with the Pilgrims and the Widower is fast approaching...
The estate itself is rather large, around 3 kilometers in diameter. Quite the throng has gathered on its way to the manse, nobles wearing the most outrageous costumes and their entourages. A palpable sense of excitement, fear and dare I say blood lust pervades the crowd - everyone knows what is coming, and quite a few seem to look forward to it.
At the gate our credentials are checked by the meagre Administratum acolytes present on Xicarph, and we're let through. To our surprise the walls contain a jungle - of the literal kind. The species is a common one present in many systems. In the distance, we spot dome-like construction reminiscent of the type surrounding Xicarph. From my readings I know that Gabriel Haarlock was quite the collector, fond of xenos of all types, many of which are likely contained in those domes. I could probably have spent a good 10 years in this estate, reading through the books and cataloging xeno species...but alas, we only have 13 hours.
After walking for a kilometer or more, we arrive at the manse proper. It is round, roughly 300 meters in diameter, with 3 stories that are layered on top of each other. The craftsmanship is exquisite - nothing but the best marble and gold, silver and other expensive minerals used expansively throughout. While I come from a rich family, the Haarlocks' wealth is, or rather was, at an entirely different level.
The entire ground floor is open in the middle, with an odd display at the center - the so-called theatre of clocks. This is a huge construction, 30 meters in diameter, reaching up to the top floor, with various clock faces displayed all around. We wander around for a bit, eventually coming up to the second floor where we notice something very odd. There's a gallery near the clock extending around the entire structure. Right in front of us there's a pendulum, moving through what seems emptiness. Mr Potter theorizes that the steel clock will appear in this area when the Revel of Darkness will be upon us. The pendulum is certainly reminscent of the description given to us by the Spider Bride.
As we stand there, the clock rings loudly - the first hour has passed, and the estate is now closed. We all feel a bit queasy, but Potter seems particularly struck. I inquire, and it seems the Warp is perilously close to our world...and Potter got a glimpse of some particularly unsavory part of it. As we stand there, we notice yet again one of the Pilgrims in their heron masks in the corner of our eye...but of course, he is gone when we pursue. It seems this ability to be seen then disappear must be a gift given to all of the cult by their dark master.
After walking around some more, we discover a library! Maintained by Gabriel himself, I am sure we can find useful information here. I resolve to research, while the rest of the cadre sets out to scout the rest of the manse. Just as they are about to head out, screams are heard from the neighboring room. Rushing to investigate, we find the body of a noblewoman turned inside out...it seems the Widower is among us already. I notice a rather disturbing picture, portraying "The death of Tanis", with Tanis being a world that the Haarlocks obliterated by planetary bombardment. Potter is able to discern the runes inscribed around the painting's frame: "time, distortion, slaughter, captivity". Lovely and cryptic, in true Haarlock style.
While I read up, the rest head out. After a while, they hear shots and rush in that direction, ever the heroes. A noblewoman (later revealed to be one Lady Chaderon) has been shot by a heron-masked man. Her guards are furious, while the Pilgrim just laughs in a raspy voice. The guards eventually shoot his face off. Lovely. Meanwhile, Alpha notices that an arm...coagulates out of the noblewoman's blood. And just like that, another one of the demons we have faced previously is among them. This time, we are prepared with blessed ammo and some solid hits from Alpha and a flurry of force bolts from Potter finish it off in short order.
After a couple of hours, I find a sheet of paper cleverly inlined in a book. My excitement rises when I see it is written by Erasmus himself, detailing three central locations:
- Sinopiha Magna (my little folly...)
- Xicarph
- Solomon (House of Dust and Ashes)
After some wandering, we come upon a small room with three bodies with their entrails removed, a pentagram on the floor and the smell of incense in the air. They have been killed not too many hours ago. Unfortunately neither me nor Potter manage to make heads or tails of it. We find our way down to the basement level, which is off limits to the guests, in hopes of getting into the clock mechanism. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to extend to the basement floor.
We decide we have time to explore the domes and head out. The entire manse is filled with nobles mucking about, but the path to the domes is devoid of any other people. We come upon the middle dome as we exit the jungle. It's locked, but Dar quickly picks the lock. Within the temperature is quite high and the humidity must be 90% or more. Our senses are assaulted by smells and sights - all around us, xeno plant species are to be found. I recognize many (though the xeno biology is not my main field of expertise), but as many seem to be entirely undiscovered species. Like I said, I could spend years here - but I resign myself to pict recording everything.
We make our way through the dome, forced to follow the pathways as the vegetation is much too thick to cut through. In the middle, a huge tree is found, with a sign warning people to stay away. I recognize the species and a chill runs down my spine. It's from Dusk, and is known to be a sentient species that is able to control other beings by piercing them, injecting a chemical that makes the host a mindless puppet. Quite lovely. Dusk sounds utterly fascinating, but I do believe I'll stick to reading about it.
Nearby, there's a study with notes by Gabriel himself. I pict record everything, then make an (even more) interesting discovery: Erasmus has been here, and he's left some sort of code. It's the type where you need a key to interpret it, as it is entirely mumbo jumbo. I also sense that there are parts of the code missing, 2 pieces in fact...again, a farseer is not needed to predict where the other parts will be found.
The rightmost dome has a sign simply saying "Predators" outside. Dar picks the lock and we enter. Yet another jungle landscape opens up before us, this time aroundc 25 meters below, with platforms and rope bridges suspended from the roof. We make our way to the central platform which contains an elevator. Below, there's a moss-grown Imperial bunker. We take the elevator down, with Lazerus staying behind with the elevator raised 5-6 meters above ground level in case we need to make a quick getaway.
We walk through the iron-grated corridor leading towards the bunker when a gigantic dinosaur-like being comes out of the jungle. I recognize it as a Carnosaur, a most fearsome predator. It eyes us intently. We stand perfectly still for a while, before realizing that the beast is about to charge. We rush towards the bunker, the Carnosaur reducing the corridor to little bits of iron trash behind us. Lovely.
Inside the bunker, we find yet more notes by Gabriel, and another piece of Erasmus' puzzle. I am fairly sure the puzzle will be of no use to us right now, but chances are we'll need to figure it out later. Going back, Potter has an excellent way to deal with the fearsome, but very stupid beast: he transforms into a bird of prey and flies out. The carnosaur rushes after him, we run to the elevator, get to safety and meet Potter up on the platform, looking quite pleased with himself.
The last dome contains yet more plant life, but it seems the life support system might be failing - there are a lot of fungi and moss. In the centre there's a lab with more notes and the last piece of the puzzle. There's a servitor bot which is out of function here - Alpha quickly fixes it while I gather the necessary information, and it goes to work fixing the life support system.
We've spent quite a few hours here, and as we make our way back towards the manse, the clock rings again - 8 bells. The time for the grand showndown with the Pilgrims and the Widower is fast approaching...
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