Suihkulahde: Session Six

So we're still in the time loop introduced at the end of session four. Anneli and Nomi had fooled the Redoubt into accepting a new prophecy. In session two Anneli had been assaulted by a mysterious creature and Leviathan, an entity never before seen by the rest of the world. My pitch was that both Anneli and Nomi wound up in the water this time, as Leviathan attempted to corrupt the both of them. So I had both the players draft up Beliefs about regrets that the PCs had so far; they would be the weapons Leviathan would use against them.

Anneli

Beliefs

Giving aid to the corrupt Aloysius was my greatest shame, and I have not redeemed myself.

When I failed to see through Nomi's treachery, I failed Fingar and Thungl.

This human spirit has tormented me enough; I will cut her loose, somehow.

Instincts

Never reveal my intentions.

Always take command.

Always give Nomi a space to speak.

Traits

Call of the Island, Righteous, Mortally Wounded in the Head, Shaky Hands, Slightly Clumsy, Haunted, Commanding Aura, Driven (Pilot)

Nomi

Beliefs

I refuse to helplessly let Constantine die, and lose him all over again; I will not waste any opportunity to find a way to change the course of events

This child meant the continuation of hope not just for his Empire but for Constantine himself; I may never have planned to do this or have any idea what to do, all I know is that I will do anything to protect that hope. 

Grieving may be necessary someday but it doesn’t get things done.

Instincts

Always bend the truth for personal advantage

When in trouble always try to talk my way out first

Always disregard others’ personal feelings

Traits

Educated, Call of the Sea, Spite, Deceptive, Compulsive Liar, Callous, Charismatic, Memory’s Influence, Bitter, Guarded

The trip had gone as before, more or less... until the monster showed up. A naked woman, standing atop a pair of jaws that were impossibly large. Anneli and Nomi were knocked overboard. They were now both in that pitch darkness. They saw the lights below. Andy and Lena wanted to know what their parameters were. Were they in water? And if they were, how on earth were they breathing? I said they were And then the ghost appeared next to them. Anneli asked the ghost why she wouldn't she was still around. But the ghost protested, that Anneli wouldn't let her go. Nomi saw that Anneli was holding a chain, which was attached to the ghost. Nomi tried to point this out to Anneli. Andy rolled Perception for Anneli.... and failed it. Anneli saw a manacle around dail wrist and couldn't be convinced otherwise.

Constantine, Nomi's dead human husband, appeared, telling Anneli that the prostitute wasn't the only person Anneli was responsible for. Nomi demanded to know what that meant. Constantine, blood coming out of his mouth, told Nomi that Anneli had let Aloysius, the man who had killed him and staged the coup, walk free. That they had been friends at one point, even! Nomi tried to swim tackle Anneli. Power versus Power was rolled, which Andy won. So Anneli yanked Nomi as dai charged, pushing dai off to the side. Nomi screamed that Anneli's cowardice had costed Nomi and the Argentum Empire. Nomi described the night Constantine had died. Nomi had been scared of the pregnancy, of being Empress of the Argentum Empire. But Constantine saw this differently. So many of his family had died. Constantine was the youngest of seven, he had never intended to be Emperor. But here they were. And there was this baby. And Constantine couldn't be happier about it. Someone raised an alarm. And then Aloysius ran in and stabbed Constantine, right in front of  Nomi. Anneli shot back that that couldn't be dai's fault, dai was trying to not be like Nomi and dail ilk! Nomi responded said that was hollow nonsense; Anneli chose to see the world in black and white and refused to bend. Anneli asked why Constantine hadn't killed Aloysius himself, and Constantine said he couldn't find Aloysius because Anneli had made sure he was allowed to walk free! 

Now while all that was going on something in the back of my head kept telling me to ask for a roll. But I resisted. Andy and Lena were just tearing into each other and I interjected every once in a while when it made sense. They seemed to be more than happy to just rip into each other and I had only wished I had popcorn. And so I just sat back and listened.

All of a sudden Andy and Lena were asking for a roll. They wanted to move on. Okay, no problem! I told them they weren't really arguing so much as just trying to break the other sibling. If they were orcs I would have had a better idea of a skill, but these were elves! So I suggested opposing Will tests. Andy and Lena agreed.

Andy failed. Badly.

Anneli couldn't hold up to Nomi's and Constantine's verbal onslaught. Sinking down, Anneli found dailself apologizing, over and over. "You. Owe. Me." said Nomi. And Anneli agreed. They were going to save Constantine. He wasn't dead, not in this timeline, not yet. Anneli asked how they were going to do that, and Constantine said to follow him... into the jaws of Leviathan. Anneli lagged behind, trying to convince Nomi to turn back, to find another way to save Constantine. Nomi scoffed, telling Anneli seeing the world in black and white was what got them into this situation in the first place. Anneli was too rigid.

But even Nomi felt wary; dai realized it was impossibly large jaws they were descending into; that was no canyon! But Constantine assured Nomi that Leviathan was darkness itself, and that darkness was everywhere. They would get to where they needed with Leviathan's help. Nomi didn't know what else to do, so down dai went.

Anneli yelled at the prostitute to go down and save Nomi. The prostitute told Anneli dai was holding onto her and therefore she couldn't. Anneli finally saw the chain was held by dai, not the ghost. I had Andy roll another Perception check, as Let it Ride didn't seem to apply here. Yay for successes! Anneli finally saw the chain was held by dai, not the ghost. Anneli tried to release the ghost and found dai had somehow wrapped the chain around dail arm, shortening the lead.

Now, those of you who don't know Andy like I do don't know this, but Andy has this shrug and a head tilt when he decides that enough is enough. Occasionally there's a chuckle. Now, we play over the phone, so I couldn't see the shrug.

But I heard it.

Anneli grabbed the chain and swung the ghost straight into the back of Nomi's head. Lena rolled Steel, with a +5 obstacle to hesitation because it was a freaking spirit.... and failed for eight freaking heartbeats. Lena and I laughed our asses off.

Anneli grabbed Nomi by the scruff of dail neck and began to swim upward, apologizing for what was happening but dai wasn't going to try to save Constantine that way. A hand reached down from above and began to help Anneli pull.

It was an angel.

No, not a cute little cherub. An Old Testament, piss in your pants angel. You better believe Andy failed that Steel roll. Anneli fled.

Nomi came to to find an angel holding dail hand. Yup, Lena failed that Steel roll too! The angel told Nomi that the Emperor of the Restored Argentum Empire forbade Nomi from Trying to make a deal with Leviathan; the Emperor didn't want to lose his mother, too. It took Nomi a minute to understand.. .and then dai's hands went to dail belly. The angel confirmed.

Anneli, who was above them, could hear every word in dail head. Anneli looked down; Nomi's stomach glowed. The angel shone with the same light.

The angel vanished in a blink.

And then they were next to the Felicitas, being told by the crew to grab onto the extended pole before them, sot