Suihkulahde: Session Four

So it was actually a few weeks between Session Three and Four. During that time I had some time to think... and that can be a dangerous thing for a dude like me. I've always been the dude who will come up with grand and sweeping plans within moments, if left alone for any appreciable amount of time. So you know this session is going to have weird crap in it: my friends left me to my own devices too long. I mean, y''all know I'm gonna go back to Wolfe, and I got some time to look at a lot more Jewish mythology and all sorts of other things. This is recipe for disaster.

Yes, I'm blaming Andy and Lena for this. I'm an adult. I know when someone else is to blame. That's how that works!

Yup!

Anyway, I pitched that Thungal and Fingar would not let Nomi on the boat. Back in the days of the campaign Sabina's Castle Nomi had not just captured Thungal, but had tortured dai, trying to get dai to become a dark elf. Fingar had rescued Thungal from that fate. Ships are cramped places. Not a good place to put all three of them. I also threw at Lena that Nomi had a vision of dail friend, Mikansia, invited dai to the Island, as a proper member of The Council, putting Nomi on even footing with Anneli.

And this is what I got back!

Nomi

B1 I fought for the opportunity to fix the Ring for centuries- now I have the chance to do it and take out Aloysius for what he's done. The invitation doesn't come with the thrill I expected. But I am not letting anything stop me from getting on that boat.

For the record, that is the only Belief I've ever told Lena to make longer. Normally I have to make her cut and cut and cut. She was shocked. I'll never hear the end of it.

B2 I've no idea how to address our complicated history, but I don't want to Anneli further.

B3 Grieving just prevents you from taking action to get things done.

I1 Never attack Anneli.

I2 When in trouble talk my way out.

I3 Always disregard other's personal feelings.

CTs: Educated, Call of the Void, Deceptive, Compulsive Liar, Callous, Charismatic, Bitter, Guarded, Memory's Influence

DTs: Spite, Pregnant

Anneli

B1 The world is ending; the prophecy is our only hope.

B2 We're stuck with Nomi; I will force this situation to work if I have to.

B3 Nomi knows something about these strange events. I will learn everything I can from my sibling.

I1 never show uncertainty.

I2 Always take command.

I3 Always cover for Aloysio

CTs: Call of the Island, Righteous

DTs: Mortal Wound to the Head (Perception Cap lowered), Shaky Hands (Agility), Slightly Clumsy (Speed)

Haunted: Whenever Anneli fails a check dail must roll Steel: failing means that the human prostitute ghost who's haunting dai takes over for a section of time equal to the margin of failure

Commanding Aura

C-Os: Driven (Pilot)

During the appearance of the light pulses from last session, Nomi had a vision of Mikansia, inviting dai to the Island as a full member of the Council; Sydanelma, Mikansia's former sword, was the invitation to the Island.

The next morning Nomi and Anneli found their entrance to the Felicitas blocked by Thungal and Fingar. They told Anneli that Nomi was not welcome on the ship. Anneli was confused, as dai had given the order otherwise. But to Thungal and Fingar it was a question of morality, something higher than lawful command. Nomi had tortured Thungal and had betrayed countless souls. Nomi said that was awhile ago, that dai had changed. Thungal yanked dai shirt off: dail breasts had been mostly hacked off, with horrible scars all over dail torso. Nomi gripped Sydanelma's hilt and declare that dai was invited to The Island, courtesy of that sword. Anneli didn't believe Nomi at first. And Andy really enjoyed playing up Anneli's confusion. However the heck Nomi, former agent of the vile Lone Keep, had gotten invited to The Island was something Anneli couldn't just accept. But Nomi finally got through, and Anneli had to see that it was true. I had Andy make a Steel test, which of course was failed. Thungal and Fingar drew their weapons, ready to kill. A failed Steel test from Anneli, of course, heralded the coming of the ghost that possessed dai.

The prostitute took one look at the armed elves and fled.

We sat down and worked out the Fight! to come. I mean, it concerned several Beliefs. Andy and Lena were a bit rusty on Fight! (who isn't), but after I drafted up my actions I helped them get their strategy together. Andy didn't help with the first Volley, since Anneli would be just getting back to dailself. So they set up that Nomi would block and then strike, with the knowledge that one strike from a grey shade sword could just end the fight right there. Feint, strike, and then a tackle were also scripted. I, of course, had scripted two strikes, back to back. So Thungal and Fingar jumped at Nomi, who blocked them with Sydanelma. I'd scripted Strike, so... yeah.... the question was whether or not Fingar and Thungal's  strikes would break through.

Nope.

Anneli came back to dailself in time to watch Nomi stab Thungal right through the forehead with gray-shaded Sydanelma. Fingar was already gutted. So Anneli sat down and cried. And then knocked Nomi over, demanding to know why they were dead. Aloysio tried to pull Anneli off of, so Anneli broke his nose with her elbow. Andy deliberately left an opening to see if Nomi could get back atop dail sister. And Nomi pulled it off. They yelled at each other a minute: Ugly Truth ("THEY WERE ATTACKING ME") versus Persuasion ("You didn't have to kill them!!"). And tied. I asked them if they wanted to try to break the tie. Lena and Andy declined. So Anneli and Nomi got up, shaken up by what the other said, while still believing they were in the right.

Remus, who had lost many friends to Nomi, lay unconscious nearby. His blade lay on the sand, a few feet away. His friend Brutus stood over him. Anneli said Brutus had better have knocked out Remus for a good reason. "No one should be stabbed in the back. I don't care who it is", said Brutus. Aloysius tried to complain about his broken nose. Anneli told him to shut up and walk it off.

Lena said Nomi would be proud, that they were sisters after all! We all laughed, and I asked if that was said in character. Lena said it was. Look, I don't get to hand out the Humor point all that often. I'll take it when it comes!

I wanted to end the session, so I asked if anyone had anything to else they wanted to do. Andy did. So Anneli asked Nomi what had changed. It hadn't been that long since Anneli had seen Nomi. Where did this ridiculously powerful sword come from? And what else did Nomi know? Dai had wept while the light was pulsing acrost the world. Wept. Nomi did not weep.  Lena refused to play along, however; Anneli had poked at Nomi's issues with showing feelings. Nomi refused to tell Anneli much of anything. I asked Andy if he wanted to push, and he declined.

Anneli and Nomi found themselves atop a mountain, watching as a man, surrounded by many humans, prepared to jump into a well. His little girl Marian, future Countess of Fire, begged her father not to jump. But jump he did. A man from the crowd held Marian as she screamed oaths of vengeance against the world. At ten. (Check out Revenge of the Countess of Fire if you want more context!)

And then they were back, on the Felicitas. Fingar and Thungal were alive. The stars still shone. And they were coming up to the cultist's island, from Session One.

Nomi was with them.