Now the characters of the The Price are visiting Rosebriar seeking Hedge. They too must visit the asylum, to rescue their friend. But reality has been rewritten and the keepers of the mirror are no longer present. Some things must be watched. As always a full index of the series can be found here.
Our cast:
- Marco McQueen: A Wizened Oracle who helps run McQueen Automotive with his father. Related to the Zerilli crime family, he works as an informant for the few honest cops in Detroit. His long time girlfriend, Charlie Cobwebs, has been taken to the Edgewood asylum.
- Miroslav "Mir" Callaghan: A Palewraith Darkling and member of the Guild of Shadows. He has uncovered a scheme that sealed away the True Fae from this world, one that is unraveling. He hopes to write the doom away with a magic quill. But first he needs the blood of a time traveler. Like Hedge.
- Nicole "Nikki" Callaghan: The cold Flowering Fairest with the gift of artistry, she has become a world-class art thief. She's repaired her life and wants to keep an eye out for her brother who she suspects might try to change it.
- Rocco McQueen: Levinquick Elemental who seeks to push the boundaries of where he can go both physically and in cyberspace. He recently founded a new guild, one for people like himself. He wants to protect those he cares about.
Shattered Fates
Miraculously we started on time this session despite half of the players forgetting we were planning to play that night.
The motley and Alice quickly tie up the stunned madman they defeated. They can hear the footfalls of the rest of his gang heading upstairs. With no time to lose Rocco stuffs him in a closet and they quietly hurry up to the second floor.
I decided to try something new. Using an idea from GUMSHOE, I had everyone roll Stealth but allowed them to chose one of their own to be the leader. That person would receive a -1 penalty for each member that failed but if they succeeded everyone would go unnoticed.
Nikki as the art thief was chosen to make the crucial roll but had to do so under a -2 penalty due to the tight security. This was less than the original amount I wrote down for the story due to Rocco's downgrading of their computer systems.
Unfortunately Nikki failed her Dexterity + Stealth - 2 (security) +1 Shadows specialty roll.
The group finds a set of stairs to the ground floor, ascending carefully to avoid the many cameras. Several scan the halls using human eyeballs. Then they hear someone shouting.
A man in a white security officer uniform enters at the end of the hall, directing a half dozen orderlies. As the man rants about government surveillance and alien conspiracies, the blank eyed men about him rush the motley.
The "guard" was a player from one of my earlier games. He chose to embrace his insanity in the asylum and became its head of security.
I decided to run the fight with the guards as a Down and Dirty combat. In retrospect I should have made that a PC decision as it would have made some aspects of the outcome less confusing.
Led by Nikki, the Changelings, Mr. Skittles and Alice scramble away. One of the guards manages to grab Rocco as they hit the stairs, knocking him down hard. Rocco winces in pain and wriggles free, swiftly climbing the stairs to catch up with the others as they race to Dr. Edward's office.
Everyone chose to run and rolled Dexterity + Athletics to escape against the orderlies' combat pool of 6. They gained a +1 bonus due to their map of the halls. Everyone succeeded except Rocco who fails by one. He takes 1 Bashing. While Mr. Skittles shows up in the write up, I actually forgot him for the entire session, something Nikki chose not to mention.
Nikki and Mir get to the door first. Pushing it open, they find a small cluttered room with a computer, two desks and the faceless man waiting for them in the dark.
Nikki breathlessly circles the edge of the room to the only other exit, a closet door. As Mir waits for the others to enter, she baits the imposing figure, ignoring his threats and trying to get him to focus his attention on her.
"There is no way out," the Agent says getting up. "Give up and we'll make it as painless as possible."
Nikki distracts the Agent with a Presence + Subterfuge roll, inflicting the Distracted Tilt on him. He has a -3 penalty to his perception as he has to deal with her. Meanwhile Marco searches for clues to where Charlie and Hedge are with a Wits + Investigation roll. He spots a clue. Rocco and Alice choose to hold the door closed. they use a teamwork roll of Strength + Stamina +1 due to a chair used to prop it closed. This round they win against the orderlies.
Miroslav closes the door behind the rest of the motley, pushing the lock closed just before the orderlies arrive. He slides a chair under the door handle as Rocco and Alice brace against it.
While Nikki mocks and occupies the increasingly irate Changeling, Marco scans the room for information on the whereabouts of recent inmates. He notices a stack of patient file folders in the desk's inbox and recognizes Charlie's name. He gets closer hoping Nikki can keep him distracted.
Initiative time as the Agent starts the combat! Nikki goes first with 16, then the Agent at 12, Miroslav at 11, and everyone else later. At the end of round the orderlies will attempt to bash down the door.
Seeing Marco making his move, Nikki gets into the space of the dark suited figure, surreptitiously picking the key card off his belt. Angrily the Agent calls on Smoke to blind her. She feels her vision narrowing but shakes it off to see Marco slip the folders off the desk.
Miroslav commands the faceless Hob to stopping fighting but he arrogantly turns on the Darkling.
Nikki's Larceny roll is unopposed due her target's distraction and her Sleight of Hand Merit. He on his turn calls on Smoke 4, Nikki rolls Resolve + Wyrd vs. his Intelligence + Wyrd and wins.
Then Miroslav uses Spellbound 4, hoping to command the Hob. The Agent beats his Presence + Wyrd roll with his Resolve + Wyrd.
Marco filches the folders with a Dexterity + Larceny vs. the Agent's Wits + Composure -3 (due to the Distracted Tilt).
Unnoticed in the confusion, Marco glances at the papers. Charlie is somewhere on the basement level and a folder for Hedge points to the third floor.
A second crash against the door knocks the chair loose. As orderlies enter the room, Nikki opens the closet door into the Hedge and steps inside.
Alice and Rocco do not do as well on the second Strength + Stamina roll.
As the others rush to the door, the Agent focuses his rage on the presumptuous Miroslav. With a mighty backhand he sends the Darkling flying against the wall. Mir scrambles to catch up with the others and Nikki slams the door closed behind them.
The Agent rolls Strength + Brawl - Mir's Defense dealing 2 bashing damage.
They catch their breath in the thorn lined corridor. Suddenly the door creaks, cracks and collapses in on itself, trapping them in the Hedge. Darkness crowds the narrow space they are in, with spiky vines crawling along the crumbling cinder block. What little light there is filters through cracks in the walls.
Rocco pricks his finger on a thorn and calls upon his magic. He can tell there is no way out but back into Edgewood. As he leads them forward, they hear the screams and wails of the mad and the imprisoned.
Rocco uses Dream 1 and learns a bit about the local Hedge. He rolls Wits + Survival +1 to find his way back into the asylum.
They find a gaping hole along the path where a makeshift ladder has been bolted to the wall. Climbing down, they find themselves in an even darker section of the Hedge, warmed by rusted steam pipes. Sounds of tool work echo down the halls.
They wall through the dim halls, the sounds of screaming growing distant. They hear the roar of an engine starting up and then a series of lights click on above them one by one, illuminating a path branching off the main corridor.
Rocco rolls another Wits + Survival to determine the best way out.
Rocco tells them that either way should get them out. They decide to continue forward and avoid the branch. As they pass by the lit up hall, they see a figure just past the light. He calls out in Marco’s voice, telling them they need his help. "Charlie took the deal!" he calls out as they hurry along.
They find a fire exit shortly afterwards. Pushing through it they find themselves back in the basement. Marco recognizes the numbers on the doors and runs to find Charlie while the others struggle to keep up.
As they race along, Nikki asks if any key card doors are around. I have her roll Wits + Composure.
Nikki curses him as he runs past an obvious security camera. Then she skids to a halt. There is a door with a key swipe, like the one the Agent had, the one tucked away in her pocket.
But there is also another version of Nikki peering out of another doorway. Dressed in a hospital gown and completely normal looking, she whispers that she knows what Miroslav is up to. Nikki tells her she can't make a deal and moves on. Her reflection tells her that he doesn't know a key aspect of the problem, something that will derail everything. Nikki ignores her and heads on.
Meanwhile Marco finds the room where Charlie is being kept. The door opens easily and he hears his girlfriend's voice from inside. But as she emerges from the darkness, he can see that she has become changed.
Spiders crawl across her skin and multiple black eyes stand out across her forehead. As he hesitates she begins to get upset, claiming she was trying to make him happy. "I made a deal so we could have a family."
Marco rolls Wits + Empathy to tell she is still her.
Belatedly he hugs her, telling her that he doesn't need children, just her.
The others catch up as they embrace. Miroslav looks back to see his sister join them. Then she tenses up as she looks into the room.
Everyone rolls Wits + Composure. Nikki and Marco add 2 for Danger Sense. They both succeed.
She sees the faceless man emerge from the darkness behind Charlie. Marco spots him too and carefully moves his girlfriend behind him, backing out slowly into the hallway.
Then the motley realizes there are orderlies coming from all directions.
"Give up," the Agent shouts.
"Follow me," Nikki cries as she races to the locked door. She easily outraces the others, swiping the keycard through the slot and entering a white walled hallway with thorns pressing out of the walls.
Everyone rolls Dexterity + Athletics to escape the orderlies. They all succeed. Nikki rolls an Exceptional Success and gains the Swift Condition which grants a +5 bonus to Initiative.
The Agent manages to beat Miroslav's roll however. Rather than stop him, he slips through the door and invokes Mirror 3 to grow to size 8.
As the motley and Alice hurry through the doorway, the Agent manages to slip in as well. As Rocco slams the door shut, the faceless man begins to grow taller and taller until his head brushes the high ceiling.
Marco turns away from the door and surveys the long white hallway. He recognizes the thorns pressing out of the gleaming walls from his vision. "The mirror is nearby!" he calls out.
Cue epic combat!
Initiative is rolled. The Agent rolls high going at 16, then Marco goes at 14. Nikki uses her Swift Condition to get a 12, tying with Alice and Miroslav. then the guards and other defenders of the mirror go at 11. Everyone else goes after them.
As the giant Agent trades blows with Alice, Marco pulls out his gun and loads the cold iron bullets. He can hear the guards banging on the door behind him.
The Agent rolls an attack but misses. I don't roll for Alice, I just assume she hits for 2 Lethal, one of which is absorbed by the armor of the Agent.
Nikki realizes this place has been twisted by powerful magic, the Hedge is intruding on this part of reality. She hurries down the hall following the vines pressing through the walls.
At the end of the hall she find an ornate mirror hanging from a wall distorted by the massive vines pressing through the white paint. A half dozen figures wrapped in hospital gowns and bandages are clawing their way out the walls to either side of it. Nikki scrambles past them next to the mirror and draws her gun.
Miroslav dodges between the Agent's legs and rushes to catch up to his sister. As he arrives, the Unclean servants of the mirror extract themselves from the walls. Three stumble towards the Callaghans while the others go to aid the faceless giant.
Electricity arcs down from a light into Rocco surrounding him in a protective barrier. Charlie cowers next to Marco while Mr. Skittles does his best to hide.
Or you know, the Storyteller forgets them.
With a meaty fist, the giant grabs Alice. As he pulls her off the ground, Marco fires at his arm. As the bullet burns into his flesh he drops her.
I decide not to roll for the NPC interactions and go with what is most interesting.
Marco chooses to aim for the arm. He rolls Dexterity + Firearms +1 for his match grade ammo -2 for aiming at the arm. He hits by 1 and deals 2 Lethal damage which ignores the Agent's armor. As a side effect he drops Alice.
On the other end of the hallway, Miroslav looks into the mirror. Breaking it will be more a matter of will and sanity. But he also senses that it was broken once. For a moment he sees the cracks hidden beneath its glamour, weak points in its design.
Miroslav invokes his Condition Scent of the Wyrd and gets a Beat. He rolls Intelligence + Occult +2 from the Condition +1 from his Superstitions Specialty with 9 agains due to his Professional Training Merit. Unsurprisingly he gets an Exceptional Success. Rolls to break the mirror are Clarity rolls. I give him a Condition "Knows Its Weak Point" which will give him an autosuccess on a roll to break it.
Then the Unclean stagger toward them. As one wrenches free a cinder block from the wall, another smacks Miroslav with a fist. As he tries to shield his face, Nikki easily dodges the third one's clumsy swings.
One arms itself gaining an improvised weapon that deals 1 Lethal at the cost of a -1 penalty to its roll. The other rolls its Brawl pool minus Mir's Defense. It hits for 2 Bashing. Nikki Dodges for her turn while she waits for Mir. With a 10 dice pool she easily avoids being hit.
The others move to attack Rocco.
As the Unclean begin to surround him, Rocco arcs lightning into the Agent. The scent of burning flesh fills the air as he howls in pain.
Rocco uses Elements (electricity) 3 to deal 4 Bashing to the Agent.
Angrily, the faceless giant smashes his fist into Marco denting him into a wall. Charlie reaches over and blesses Marco as he gets to his feet. Lining up a shot he fires, the bullet tearing a hole in the Hob's throat.
The Agent rolls 5 successes (5 Bashing!) against Marco with his Strength + Brawl + 3 for Willpower. I haven't noted it but the Agent has been spending a lot of Willpower thus far. Marco earns a Beat for taking damage to his last three Health boxes.
Marco then fires back. He rolls Dexterity + Firearms +4 from Luck +3 from Willpower +1 from the equipment bonus -1 from wound penalties. He rolls four successes and deals 5 Lethal. The Agent has taken 8 Lethal and 4 Bashing filling up his Health track. He spends Willpower and remains conscious. If he shrinks back down now, it will kill him.
Another shot rings out, as Nikki splinters the frame. The mirror shimmers but holds together. Miroslav turns to the Hob with the cinder block and tries to command him to stop but he ignores him and smashes it over Nikki's head! The madmen swarm her and pummel her for attacking the source of their power.
Nikki rolls Clarity and gets two successes. Since she is using cold iron bullets as well, she deals 2 damage outright to the mirror. It has 7 Structure.
Elsewhere Alice inflicts 1 Lethal to the Agent. Miroslav tries Spellbound 4 again but fails barely.
Then the Unclean attack. One swings at Mir but misses. The other two strike at Nikki and hit, dealing 2 Lethal and 1 Bashing.
Elsewhere they swarm Rocco as well dealing 4 Bashing over several strikes. They take some Lethal for their troubles due to his armor.
At the other end of the hall, Alice continues to hit the giant with her staff, unaware that Rocco has been swarmed by the agents of the mirror. As they club the Elemental, they grit their teeth at the electricity that sparks back at them.
Rocco pushes past them and charges down the hall, hurling himself at mirror. A spiderweb of cracks is momentarily visible.
Rocco collides with the mirror and rolls Clarity. He gets two successes and deals 1 damage. The mirror is half broken.
Marco fires a third shot into the reeling giant as he feebly swats at him. Blood stains his suit about his arm, throat and gut. The Agent manages to fend off the staff wielding woman at his feet and totter down the hall in search of sanctuary.
The agent attacks Marco again but between his wound penalties and Marco's defense, he misses. Marco hits him again for 2 Lethal. I choose to have Alice miss this time to leave the killing blow to the PCs. The Agent burns his next to last Willpower staying conscious.
Miroslav shouts at the Hob with the cinder block to defend them. He pauses and swings the block at his comrade. As the three tussle, the others chase Rocco down the hall and attack the Changelings.
Nikki dodges out of the way and fires again. The bullet strikes the center. This time the cracks do not vanish. As magic power pours from the between slivers of glass, Rocco hurls himself at the mirror a final time.
Finally Miroslav beat the Resolve + Wyrd of a Hob, commanding him and earning a beat for his Aspiration to command a Hob. The confusion occupies all three of the Hobs while the other 3 ineffectually attack.
Nikiki rolls Clarity again dealing 3 damage and bringing the mirror to edge of shattering. Then Rocco rolls as well and deals enough to destroy it.
A pulse of power blasts down the hallway. Chunks of mirrored glass fly through the air. Everyone feels a rush of magical energy surge through them. For the Hobs and the Agent this is instantly deadly. The Hobs evaporate and the Agent collapses and shrinks into small bland looking man.
Charlie screams in pain as the "deal" burns out of her. She turns ashen but also into her old self. So does the hallway as the thorns pull back into the walls and disappear.
Everyone's Glamour refills. Charlie takes her Wyrd in Aggravated damage (which is 3 at the moment). The Agent takes double his Wyrd in damage, killing him outright.
As Miroslav directs the team to collect the shards, Nikki quietly palms a piece. They then head up to the third floor to retrieve Hedge. There is no resistance and the few people wandering the halls seem confused and disoriented.
The door to Hedge's cell is still locked but Nikki pops it open in a couple seconds. Inside they find the mad time traveler, even older and more insane, babbling about the mirror. From his mutterings they realize that his old motley reconstructed the mirror and used it to kill the Slender Man.
Both Nikki and Miroslav earn a Beat for their common Aspiration to learn the history of the asylum.
Then Hedge notices Alice. He eagerly asks if she has it, the Quill. She becomes crestfallen as she realizes neither of them have the means to redo their deal. Then Miroslav reveals that he knows its location.
Hedge rushes up to him and grabs him by his shirt, demanding the Quill. As Miroslav stalls, the old fae grows angrier and flames begin to lick at his hands as smoke rises from his body.
Hedge has Elements (Fire). He's killed with it before.
"Back off," Nikki says pointing her gun at him.
Hedge utterly ignores her, ranting that he needs his happy ending.
"You don't get one," Rocco says.
Hedge drops Mir and stalks over to the elemental. Flames begin to envelope the mad Darkling. Rocco and Marco try to calm the Hedge down but he soon moves in to harm them and get what he wants by force.
Its at this point I decide the doom from Rocco's destiny Merit is Fiery Darkness.
Initiative again! Nikki, Mir, Marco, and Alice beat Hedge.
Nikki shoots at Hedge with Dexterity + Firearms (he has no Defense) and deals 2 Lethal. The cold iron bullet burns through his elemental armor.
Then he winces in pain as the gunshot echoes in the hospital's corridors. As the smoke wafts from Nikki's gun, Marco points his own gun at the old man and tells him to back off or else.
Marco rolls Presence + Intimidate at -3 penalty to get him to surrender. He succeeds.
Hedge reluctantly backs away and lets the flames die down.
As he does Miroslav realizes that Hedge could never have his "happy ending" because he wrote the story. For the same reason Alice could not become mortal, not in the 18th century at least, or it would create a paradox. But now, she might be able to become mortal, if a deal was brokered.
Miroslav rolls Intelligence + Occult to figure out why the original timeline didn't work out.
Hedge agrees to come with them, holding out hope for his happy ending.
Together they leave the asylum. As they exit the building Nikki and Marco hear the growls and notice the swarm of cats lurking outside. As Marco gets Charlie behind him, Nikki runs to a nearby ambulance and hot-wires it.
Everyone rolls Wits + Composure + 2 for those with Danger Sense. Only Nikki and Marco succeed.
The others look on in horror the cats attack Hedge, biting and clawing him. Several bite at his bleeding bullet wound before scampering away.
Then the spell breaks and the motley beats off the remaining cats. Hedge is hurt but alive. Piling into the ambulance the group drives away. They pick up Ruzena along the way. By the time they arrive back at the hotel they realize that Feral Tom must have been after Hedge's blood. He must have the Quill and Book.
As they throw their things into the cars, Miroslav futilely tries to call someone back in Detroit. Rocco gets a hold of Leo. The creepy Hob tells him the Guild of Shadows is in ruins. Most of them died fighting the cats. The Queen of Shadows is missing. On the plus side, he and Ulf have recruited several new people for the Red Company and the Union has offered their help. Rocco tells him to arrange a meeting and find his mother the Queen.
Marco looks into the future. As he sees the timeline stretch out in front of him, something catches his gaze. The timelines are slowly being erased, elements removed from each one, working their way back into the past. His friends the Callaghans will be wiped from reality, their past unraveled by something that will happen.
Meanwhile Charlie discusses what Feral Tom might use Hedge's blood to write. Alice opinions that he might make a Contract with Iron, gaining immunity to all elements. Then Hedge points out he can't use the blood on the Book of Ages. If he did it would erase the original timeline he wrote, releasing the True Fae.
I've been waiting for this tidbit to come out for 10 sessions.
The group suddenly realizes that Feral Tom wants that. He would become all powerful and rule a restored Arcadia. Worse in the original timeline, Alice was a True Fae. She would never save Aiden as a baby and thus Aiden would never father Mir or Nikki. They would vanish. Marco and Rocco would remain but Hedge would lose all he tried to accomplish. It would be the worst of all worlds.
And the Lord of Cats got them to retrieve all the pieces he needed. They were conned.
Yes the long con has been revealed. Thought that came out pretty well.
Next session we will zoom back to the car trip. For now I sort of wanted to end the session on a climatic note.
The motley drive back as fast as they dare to Detroit, discussing what they will do along the way. Rocco gets word that his mother went missing before the attack and that her fetch is now back in the city, controlling the Detroit Mob.
Belatedly I award Beats. One to everyone for their collective Aspiration "Save Charlie" and one to Rocco for "Get Marco home safe".
By the time they arrive home dawn is nearly here. Leo calls Rocco to tell him the meet is in an hour in Mo-Hedge. Marco stops at his house and rouses his father. He asks if he can have his mom's old engagement ring. Rory McQueen sleepily nods and digs it out of the closet. As the others get ready, Marco proposes to Charlie.
She says yes.
Marco earns a Beat for his Aspiration "Propose to Charlie."
The motley meet the new recruits for the Red Company while they wait for the Machinist, the mysterious leader of the Union. One of the members, a beast named Ulysses, mocks Rocco's height and jokes that maybe he should be in charge.
Ulysses's personality summary: jerk.
Then the Machinist arrives. Under his cloak, a mechanical arms whirs. Then he looks at Marco with glassy eyes. For a moment he think the Machinist is his father. He is much older and stranger, but this is an older Marco, one that took the deal with the mirror. "You did better than last time but we have a lot to discuss."
Experience time! Many Aspiration accomplished this session. Nikki earned 2 Beats for Aspirations plus 1 for resolving a Condition. Miroslav accomplished 3 Aspirations and gained 1 Beat for a Condition. Marco earned 2 Beats for Aspiration plus 1 for being severely hurt. Rocco only earned 2 for his Aspirations.
That averages to 3 Beats. I add a Roleplaying Beat and a Session Beat for 1 Experience. I then add a bonus Experience for destroying the mirror. 2 Experiences for the group.
Next updating Aspirations.
Everyone wants the Quill gone. Most of the group (except Miroslav) adds the Aspiration: Destroy the Quill of Time and the Book of Ages.
Nikki adds Call on the Court of Jewels, hoping she can add more allies.
Miroslav adds Use Alice’s Blood to Write the Book out of Existence, Rally the Guild, and Rally the Dead of the Guild. Ghostly action next session!
Rocco adds Assert Authority and Stop Book from Being Altered. PC conflict incoming!
Marco settles for something simple: Question his other self.
I decided to try something new. Using an idea from GUMSHOE, I had everyone roll Stealth but allowed them to chose one of their own to be the leader. That person would receive a -1 penalty for each member that failed but if they succeeded everyone would go unnoticed.
Nikki as the art thief was chosen to make the crucial roll but had to do so under a -2 penalty due to the tight security. This was less than the original amount I wrote down for the story due to Rocco's downgrading of their computer systems.
Unfortunately Nikki failed her Dexterity + Stealth - 2 (security) +1 Shadows specialty roll.
The group finds a set of stairs to the ground floor, ascending carefully to avoid the many cameras. Several scan the halls using human eyeballs. Then they hear someone shouting.
A man in a white security officer uniform enters at the end of the hall, directing a half dozen orderlies. As the man rants about government surveillance and alien conspiracies, the blank eyed men about him rush the motley.
The "guard" was a player from one of my earlier games. He chose to embrace his insanity in the asylum and became its head of security.
I decided to run the fight with the guards as a Down and Dirty combat. In retrospect I should have made that a PC decision as it would have made some aspects of the outcome less confusing.
Led by Nikki, the Changelings, Mr. Skittles and Alice scramble away. One of the guards manages to grab Rocco as they hit the stairs, knocking him down hard. Rocco winces in pain and wriggles free, swiftly climbing the stairs to catch up with the others as they race to Dr. Edward's office.
Everyone chose to run and rolled Dexterity + Athletics to escape against the orderlies' combat pool of 6. They gained a +1 bonus due to their map of the halls. Everyone succeeded except Rocco who fails by one. He takes 1 Bashing. While Mr. Skittles shows up in the write up, I actually forgot him for the entire session, something Nikki chose not to mention.
Nikki and Mir get to the door first. Pushing it open, they find a small cluttered room with a computer, two desks and the faceless man waiting for them in the dark.
Nikki breathlessly circles the edge of the room to the only other exit, a closet door. As Mir waits for the others to enter, she baits the imposing figure, ignoring his threats and trying to get him to focus his attention on her.
"There is no way out," the Agent says getting up. "Give up and we'll make it as painless as possible."
Nikki distracts the Agent with a Presence + Subterfuge roll, inflicting the Distracted Tilt on him. He has a -3 penalty to his perception as he has to deal with her. Meanwhile Marco searches for clues to where Charlie and Hedge are with a Wits + Investigation roll. He spots a clue. Rocco and Alice choose to hold the door closed. they use a teamwork roll of Strength + Stamina +1 due to a chair used to prop it closed. This round they win against the orderlies.
Miroslav closes the door behind the rest of the motley, pushing the lock closed just before the orderlies arrive. He slides a chair under the door handle as Rocco and Alice brace against it.
While Nikki mocks and occupies the increasingly irate Changeling, Marco scans the room for information on the whereabouts of recent inmates. He notices a stack of patient file folders in the desk's inbox and recognizes Charlie's name. He gets closer hoping Nikki can keep him distracted.
Initiative time as the Agent starts the combat! Nikki goes first with 16, then the Agent at 12, Miroslav at 11, and everyone else later. At the end of round the orderlies will attempt to bash down the door.
Seeing Marco making his move, Nikki gets into the space of the dark suited figure, surreptitiously picking the key card off his belt. Angrily the Agent calls on Smoke to blind her. She feels her vision narrowing but shakes it off to see Marco slip the folders off the desk.
Miroslav commands the faceless Hob to stopping fighting but he arrogantly turns on the Darkling.
Nikki's Larceny roll is unopposed due her target's distraction and her Sleight of Hand Merit. He on his turn calls on Smoke 4, Nikki rolls Resolve + Wyrd vs. his Intelligence + Wyrd and wins.
Then Miroslav uses Spellbound 4, hoping to command the Hob. The Agent beats his Presence + Wyrd roll with his Resolve + Wyrd.
Marco filches the folders with a Dexterity + Larceny vs. the Agent's Wits + Composure -3 (due to the Distracted Tilt).
Unnoticed in the confusion, Marco glances at the papers. Charlie is somewhere on the basement level and a folder for Hedge points to the third floor.
A second crash against the door knocks the chair loose. As orderlies enter the room, Nikki opens the closet door into the Hedge and steps inside.
Alice and Rocco do not do as well on the second Strength + Stamina roll.
As the others rush to the door, the Agent focuses his rage on the presumptuous Miroslav. With a mighty backhand he sends the Darkling flying against the wall. Mir scrambles to catch up with the others and Nikki slams the door closed behind them.
The Agent rolls Strength + Brawl - Mir's Defense dealing 2 bashing damage.
They catch their breath in the thorn lined corridor. Suddenly the door creaks, cracks and collapses in on itself, trapping them in the Hedge. Darkness crowds the narrow space they are in, with spiky vines crawling along the crumbling cinder block. What little light there is filters through cracks in the walls.
Rocco pricks his finger on a thorn and calls upon his magic. He can tell there is no way out but back into Edgewood. As he leads them forward, they hear the screams and wails of the mad and the imprisoned.
Rocco uses Dream 1 and learns a bit about the local Hedge. He rolls Wits + Survival +1 to find his way back into the asylum.
They find a gaping hole along the path where a makeshift ladder has been bolted to the wall. Climbing down, they find themselves in an even darker section of the Hedge, warmed by rusted steam pipes. Sounds of tool work echo down the halls.
They wall through the dim halls, the sounds of screaming growing distant. They hear the roar of an engine starting up and then a series of lights click on above them one by one, illuminating a path branching off the main corridor.
Rocco rolls another Wits + Survival to determine the best way out.
Rocco tells them that either way should get them out. They decide to continue forward and avoid the branch. As they pass by the lit up hall, they see a figure just past the light. He calls out in Marco’s voice, telling them they need his help. "Charlie took the deal!" he calls out as they hurry along.
They find a fire exit shortly afterwards. Pushing through it they find themselves back in the basement. Marco recognizes the numbers on the doors and runs to find Charlie while the others struggle to keep up.
As they race along, Nikki asks if any key card doors are around. I have her roll Wits + Composure.
Nikki curses him as he runs past an obvious security camera. Then she skids to a halt. There is a door with a key swipe, like the one the Agent had, the one tucked away in her pocket.
But there is also another version of Nikki peering out of another doorway. Dressed in a hospital gown and completely normal looking, she whispers that she knows what Miroslav is up to. Nikki tells her she can't make a deal and moves on. Her reflection tells her that he doesn't know a key aspect of the problem, something that will derail everything. Nikki ignores her and heads on.
Meanwhile Marco finds the room where Charlie is being kept. The door opens easily and he hears his girlfriend's voice from inside. But as she emerges from the darkness, he can see that she has become changed.
Spiders crawl across her skin and multiple black eyes stand out across her forehead. As he hesitates she begins to get upset, claiming she was trying to make him happy. "I made a deal so we could have a family."
Marco rolls Wits + Empathy to tell she is still her.
Belatedly he hugs her, telling her that he doesn't need children, just her.
The others catch up as they embrace. Miroslav looks back to see his sister join them. Then she tenses up as she looks into the room.
Everyone rolls Wits + Composure. Nikki and Marco add 2 for Danger Sense. They both succeed.
She sees the faceless man emerge from the darkness behind Charlie. Marco spots him too and carefully moves his girlfriend behind him, backing out slowly into the hallway.
Then the motley realizes there are orderlies coming from all directions.
"Give up," the Agent shouts.
"Follow me," Nikki cries as she races to the locked door. She easily outraces the others, swiping the keycard through the slot and entering a white walled hallway with thorns pressing out of the walls.
Everyone rolls Dexterity + Athletics to escape the orderlies. They all succeed. Nikki rolls an Exceptional Success and gains the Swift Condition which grants a +5 bonus to Initiative.
The Agent manages to beat Miroslav's roll however. Rather than stop him, he slips through the door and invokes Mirror 3 to grow to size 8.
As the motley and Alice hurry through the doorway, the Agent manages to slip in as well. As Rocco slams the door shut, the faceless man begins to grow taller and taller until his head brushes the high ceiling.
Marco turns away from the door and surveys the long white hallway. He recognizes the thorns pressing out of the gleaming walls from his vision. "The mirror is nearby!" he calls out.
Cue epic combat!
Initiative is rolled. The Agent rolls high going at 16, then Marco goes at 14. Nikki uses her Swift Condition to get a 12, tying with Alice and Miroslav. then the guards and other defenders of the mirror go at 11. Everyone else goes after them.
As the giant Agent trades blows with Alice, Marco pulls out his gun and loads the cold iron bullets. He can hear the guards banging on the door behind him.
The Agent rolls an attack but misses. I don't roll for Alice, I just assume she hits for 2 Lethal, one of which is absorbed by the armor of the Agent.
Nikki realizes this place has been twisted by powerful magic, the Hedge is intruding on this part of reality. She hurries down the hall following the vines pressing through the walls.
At the end of the hall she find an ornate mirror hanging from a wall distorted by the massive vines pressing through the white paint. A half dozen figures wrapped in hospital gowns and bandages are clawing their way out the walls to either side of it. Nikki scrambles past them next to the mirror and draws her gun.
Miroslav dodges between the Agent's legs and rushes to catch up to his sister. As he arrives, the Unclean servants of the mirror extract themselves from the walls. Three stumble towards the Callaghans while the others go to aid the faceless giant.
Electricity arcs down from a light into Rocco surrounding him in a protective barrier. Charlie cowers next to Marco while Mr. Skittles does his best to hide.
Or you know, the Storyteller forgets them.
With a meaty fist, the giant grabs Alice. As he pulls her off the ground, Marco fires at his arm. As the bullet burns into his flesh he drops her.
I decide not to roll for the NPC interactions and go with what is most interesting.
Marco chooses to aim for the arm. He rolls Dexterity + Firearms +1 for his match grade ammo -2 for aiming at the arm. He hits by 1 and deals 2 Lethal damage which ignores the Agent's armor. As a side effect he drops Alice.
On the other end of the hallway, Miroslav looks into the mirror. Breaking it will be more a matter of will and sanity. But he also senses that it was broken once. For a moment he sees the cracks hidden beneath its glamour, weak points in its design.
Miroslav invokes his Condition Scent of the Wyrd and gets a Beat. He rolls Intelligence + Occult +2 from the Condition +1 from his Superstitions Specialty with 9 agains due to his Professional Training Merit. Unsurprisingly he gets an Exceptional Success. Rolls to break the mirror are Clarity rolls. I give him a Condition "Knows Its Weak Point" which will give him an autosuccess on a roll to break it.
Then the Unclean stagger toward them. As one wrenches free a cinder block from the wall, another smacks Miroslav with a fist. As he tries to shield his face, Nikki easily dodges the third one's clumsy swings.
One arms itself gaining an improvised weapon that deals 1 Lethal at the cost of a -1 penalty to its roll. The other rolls its Brawl pool minus Mir's Defense. It hits for 2 Bashing. Nikki Dodges for her turn while she waits for Mir. With a 10 dice pool she easily avoids being hit.
The others move to attack Rocco.
As the Unclean begin to surround him, Rocco arcs lightning into the Agent. The scent of burning flesh fills the air as he howls in pain.
Rocco uses Elements (electricity) 3 to deal 4 Bashing to the Agent.
Angrily, the faceless giant smashes his fist into Marco denting him into a wall. Charlie reaches over and blesses Marco as he gets to his feet. Lining up a shot he fires, the bullet tearing a hole in the Hob's throat.
The Agent rolls 5 successes (5 Bashing!) against Marco with his Strength + Brawl + 3 for Willpower. I haven't noted it but the Agent has been spending a lot of Willpower thus far. Marco earns a Beat for taking damage to his last three Health boxes.
Marco then fires back. He rolls Dexterity + Firearms +4 from Luck +3 from Willpower +1 from the equipment bonus -1 from wound penalties. He rolls four successes and deals 5 Lethal. The Agent has taken 8 Lethal and 4 Bashing filling up his Health track. He spends Willpower and remains conscious. If he shrinks back down now, it will kill him.
Another shot rings out, as Nikki splinters the frame. The mirror shimmers but holds together. Miroslav turns to the Hob with the cinder block and tries to command him to stop but he ignores him and smashes it over Nikki's head! The madmen swarm her and pummel her for attacking the source of their power.
Nikki rolls Clarity and gets two successes. Since she is using cold iron bullets as well, she deals 2 damage outright to the mirror. It has 7 Structure.
Elsewhere Alice inflicts 1 Lethal to the Agent. Miroslav tries Spellbound 4 again but fails barely.
Then the Unclean attack. One swings at Mir but misses. The other two strike at Nikki and hit, dealing 2 Lethal and 1 Bashing.
Elsewhere they swarm Rocco as well dealing 4 Bashing over several strikes. They take some Lethal for their troubles due to his armor.
At the other end of the hall, Alice continues to hit the giant with her staff, unaware that Rocco has been swarmed by the agents of the mirror. As they club the Elemental, they grit their teeth at the electricity that sparks back at them.
Rocco pushes past them and charges down the hall, hurling himself at mirror. A spiderweb of cracks is momentarily visible.
Rocco collides with the mirror and rolls Clarity. He gets two successes and deals 1 damage. The mirror is half broken.
Marco fires a third shot into the reeling giant as he feebly swats at him. Blood stains his suit about his arm, throat and gut. The Agent manages to fend off the staff wielding woman at his feet and totter down the hall in search of sanctuary.
The agent attacks Marco again but between his wound penalties and Marco's defense, he misses. Marco hits him again for 2 Lethal. I choose to have Alice miss this time to leave the killing blow to the PCs. The Agent burns his next to last Willpower staying conscious.
Miroslav shouts at the Hob with the cinder block to defend them. He pauses and swings the block at his comrade. As the three tussle, the others chase Rocco down the hall and attack the Changelings.
Nikki dodges out of the way and fires again. The bullet strikes the center. This time the cracks do not vanish. As magic power pours from the between slivers of glass, Rocco hurls himself at the mirror a final time.
Finally Miroslav beat the Resolve + Wyrd of a Hob, commanding him and earning a beat for his Aspiration to command a Hob. The confusion occupies all three of the Hobs while the other 3 ineffectually attack.
Nikiki rolls Clarity again dealing 3 damage and bringing the mirror to edge of shattering. Then Rocco rolls as well and deals enough to destroy it.
A pulse of power blasts down the hallway. Chunks of mirrored glass fly through the air. Everyone feels a rush of magical energy surge through them. For the Hobs and the Agent this is instantly deadly. The Hobs evaporate and the Agent collapses and shrinks into small bland looking man.
Charlie screams in pain as the "deal" burns out of her. She turns ashen but also into her old self. So does the hallway as the thorns pull back into the walls and disappear.
Everyone's Glamour refills. Charlie takes her Wyrd in Aggravated damage (which is 3 at the moment). The Agent takes double his Wyrd in damage, killing him outright.
As Miroslav directs the team to collect the shards, Nikki quietly palms a piece. They then head up to the third floor to retrieve Hedge. There is no resistance and the few people wandering the halls seem confused and disoriented.
The door to Hedge's cell is still locked but Nikki pops it open in a couple seconds. Inside they find the mad time traveler, even older and more insane, babbling about the mirror. From his mutterings they realize that his old motley reconstructed the mirror and used it to kill the Slender Man.
Both Nikki and Miroslav earn a Beat for their common Aspiration to learn the history of the asylum.
Then Hedge notices Alice. He eagerly asks if she has it, the Quill. She becomes crestfallen as she realizes neither of them have the means to redo their deal. Then Miroslav reveals that he knows its location.
Hedge rushes up to him and grabs him by his shirt, demanding the Quill. As Miroslav stalls, the old fae grows angrier and flames begin to lick at his hands as smoke rises from his body.
Hedge has Elements (Fire). He's killed with it before.
"Back off," Nikki says pointing her gun at him.
Hedge utterly ignores her, ranting that he needs his happy ending.
"You don't get one," Rocco says.
Hedge drops Mir and stalks over to the elemental. Flames begin to envelope the mad Darkling. Rocco and Marco try to calm the Hedge down but he soon moves in to harm them and get what he wants by force.
Its at this point I decide the doom from Rocco's destiny Merit is Fiery Darkness.
Initiative again! Nikki, Mir, Marco, and Alice beat Hedge.
Nikki shoots at Hedge with Dexterity + Firearms (he has no Defense) and deals 2 Lethal. The cold iron bullet burns through his elemental armor.
Then he winces in pain as the gunshot echoes in the hospital's corridors. As the smoke wafts from Nikki's gun, Marco points his own gun at the old man and tells him to back off or else.
Marco rolls Presence + Intimidate at -3 penalty to get him to surrender. He succeeds.
Hedge reluctantly backs away and lets the flames die down.
As he does Miroslav realizes that Hedge could never have his "happy ending" because he wrote the story. For the same reason Alice could not become mortal, not in the 18th century at least, or it would create a paradox. But now, she might be able to become mortal, if a deal was brokered.
Miroslav rolls Intelligence + Occult to figure out why the original timeline didn't work out.
Hedge agrees to come with them, holding out hope for his happy ending.
Together they leave the asylum. As they exit the building Nikki and Marco hear the growls and notice the swarm of cats lurking outside. As Marco gets Charlie behind him, Nikki runs to a nearby ambulance and hot-wires it.
Everyone rolls Wits + Composure + 2 for those with Danger Sense. Only Nikki and Marco succeed.
The others look on in horror the cats attack Hedge, biting and clawing him. Several bite at his bleeding bullet wound before scampering away.
Then the spell breaks and the motley beats off the remaining cats. Hedge is hurt but alive. Piling into the ambulance the group drives away. They pick up Ruzena along the way. By the time they arrive back at the hotel they realize that Feral Tom must have been after Hedge's blood. He must have the Quill and Book.
As they throw their things into the cars, Miroslav futilely tries to call someone back in Detroit. Rocco gets a hold of Leo. The creepy Hob tells him the Guild of Shadows is in ruins. Most of them died fighting the cats. The Queen of Shadows is missing. On the plus side, he and Ulf have recruited several new people for the Red Company and the Union has offered their help. Rocco tells him to arrange a meeting and find his mother the Queen.
Marco looks into the future. As he sees the timeline stretch out in front of him, something catches his gaze. The timelines are slowly being erased, elements removed from each one, working their way back into the past. His friends the Callaghans will be wiped from reality, their past unraveled by something that will happen.
Meanwhile Charlie discusses what Feral Tom might use Hedge's blood to write. Alice opinions that he might make a Contract with Iron, gaining immunity to all elements. Then Hedge points out he can't use the blood on the Book of Ages. If he did it would erase the original timeline he wrote, releasing the True Fae.
I've been waiting for this tidbit to come out for 10 sessions.
The group suddenly realizes that Feral Tom wants that. He would become all powerful and rule a restored Arcadia. Worse in the original timeline, Alice was a True Fae. She would never save Aiden as a baby and thus Aiden would never father Mir or Nikki. They would vanish. Marco and Rocco would remain but Hedge would lose all he tried to accomplish. It would be the worst of all worlds.
And the Lord of Cats got them to retrieve all the pieces he needed. They were conned.
Yes the long con has been revealed. Thought that came out pretty well.
Next session we will zoom back to the car trip. For now I sort of wanted to end the session on a climatic note.
The motley drive back as fast as they dare to Detroit, discussing what they will do along the way. Rocco gets word that his mother went missing before the attack and that her fetch is now back in the city, controlling the Detroit Mob.
Belatedly I award Beats. One to everyone for their collective Aspiration "Save Charlie" and one to Rocco for "Get Marco home safe".
By the time they arrive home dawn is nearly here. Leo calls Rocco to tell him the meet is in an hour in Mo-Hedge. Marco stops at his house and rouses his father. He asks if he can have his mom's old engagement ring. Rory McQueen sleepily nods and digs it out of the closet. As the others get ready, Marco proposes to Charlie.
She says yes.
Marco earns a Beat for his Aspiration "Propose to Charlie."
The motley meet the new recruits for the Red Company while they wait for the Machinist, the mysterious leader of the Union. One of the members, a beast named Ulysses, mocks Rocco's height and jokes that maybe he should be in charge.
Ulysses's personality summary: jerk.
Then the Machinist arrives. Under his cloak, a mechanical arms whirs. Then he looks at Marco with glassy eyes. For a moment he think the Machinist is his father. He is much older and stranger, but this is an older Marco, one that took the deal with the mirror. "You did better than last time but we have a lot to discuss."
Experience time! Many Aspiration accomplished this session. Nikki earned 2 Beats for Aspirations plus 1 for resolving a Condition. Miroslav accomplished 3 Aspirations and gained 1 Beat for a Condition. Marco earned 2 Beats for Aspiration plus 1 for being severely hurt. Rocco only earned 2 for his Aspirations.
That averages to 3 Beats. I add a Roleplaying Beat and a Session Beat for 1 Experience. I then add a bonus Experience for destroying the mirror. 2 Experiences for the group.
Next updating Aspirations.
Everyone wants the Quill gone. Most of the group (except Miroslav) adds the Aspiration: Destroy the Quill of Time and the Book of Ages.
Nikki adds Call on the Court of Jewels, hoping she can add more allies.
Miroslav adds Use Alice’s Blood to Write the Book out of Existence, Rally the Guild, and Rally the Dead of the Guild. Ghostly action next session!
Rocco adds Assert Authority and Stop Book from Being Altered. PC conflict incoming!
Marco settles for something simple: Question his other self.
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