Nov 4, 2023 12:06 pm
It is! Loose one die, gain a mark (you have the list?) and be hypnotised by the creature! On top of that, it’s goal i not quite that one so there’s still a bit of the puzzle missing 👌
OOC thread
load previous
Nov 4, 2023 12:34 pm
I think we said that if I lose more dice, it'll be a problem because I won't be able to make supernatural effort rolls anymore, so I'll lose my last asset instead. Let's say Claire's glasses crack from their staring contest.
Also, for my next curse mark, I'll go with ethereal body parts as the girl begins to fade away.
Also, for my next curse mark, I'll go with ethereal body parts as the girl begins to fade away.
Nov 4, 2023 4:58 pm
oof, well, it was nice kind of knowing you. I suppose the tombstone can say '? Rookwood'
Nov 4, 2023 5:08 pm
Well, she did reject her family name, so I think it would just be "? X" 😄
And technically, she's not dead yet. You guys just need to stop this ritual.
And technically, she's not dead yet. You guys just need to stop this ritual.
Nov 4, 2023 5:16 pm
crazybirdman says:
oof, well, it was nice kind of knowing you. I suppose the tombstone can say '? Rookwood'Nov 4, 2023 5:16 pm
crazybirdman says:
oof, well, it was nice kind of knowing you. I suppose the tombstone can say '? Rookwood'Nov 4, 2023 5:20 pm
CESN says:
crazybirdman says:
oof, well, it was nice kind of knowing you. I suppose the tombstone can say '? Rookwood'Nov 4, 2023 11:55 pm
bowlofspinach says:
And technically, she's not dead yet. You guys just need to stop this ritual.Nov 6, 2023 4:06 pm
crazybirdman says:
bowlofspinach says:
And technically, she's not dead yet. You guys just need to stop this ritual.(also, "The Mjöllnir! Dusk has it. The Strigoi will weaken" )
Nov 7, 2023 10:55 am
I was hoping the NPCs would die to make it clear how bad and deadly the situation is... and maybe fill the gaps in the lore (as Roderick died before reveling the hidden library he knew about). I hope they are not taking the spotlight away from the PCs
Nov 8, 2023 11:14 am
It double posted. I deleted the second one, but both results were the same
Looks like Claire gets to wake from the trance, not be possessed and her curse doesn't overtake her.
Pretty good outcome.
[ +- ] proof
Pretty good outcome.
Nov 10, 2023 3:04 pm
SavageBob says:
So, maybe just a post from each of us on what our characters get up to?Nov 10, 2023 3:15 pm
One thing I might need to know for my epilogue: What was the terrible thing Claire's vision predicted if she left her family? Was that just the ritual (which was actually barely an inconvenience in the end) or something else beyond that?
Nov 10, 2023 4:10 pm
bowlofspinach says:
One thing I might need to know for my epilogue: What was the terrible thing Claire's vision predicted if she left her family? Was that just the ritual (which was actually barely an inconvenience in the end) or something else beyond that?I guess you mean this one?
[ +- ] Gut feeling
so... you have a very strange gut feeling about this one. You don't know what it is, maybe some spell from the "witches", guidance from a higher power or just memories from a previous life... Whatever it is you have a strong feeling that going with Elias is a death sentence... for you. With the women you will be free... but a price must be paid...
That's the moment when you sense a shadow moving outside the manor. Something old, vile, rotten... The smell of roses fills the room and the memory of the woman in your room flashes back before your eyes. This time she is staring straight at you, angrily... You feel someone grabbing your arm and you turn to find the creature from the graveyard. The hairs on your skin rise as a wave of cold runs down your spine. "Run" it begs you in its distorted voice.
When you "return" to yourself, you see Elias, Nathan and the women, waiting for your reaction. The black cat is now standing by the door behind the three women...
That's the moment when you sense a shadow moving outside the manor. Something old, vile, rotten... The smell of roses fills the room and the memory of the woman in your room flashes back before your eyes. This time she is staring straight at you, angrily... You feel someone grabbing your arm and you turn to find the creature from the graveyard. The hairs on your skin rise as a wave of cold runs down your spine. "Run" it begs you in its distorted voice.
When you "return" to yourself, you see Elias, Nathan and the women, waiting for your reaction. The black cat is now standing by the door behind the three women...
[ +- ] Ritual
Alexander feels the embrace of the abyss again. The recent memories of the darkness in the grave. Maybe he should have not been so accepting of the void. He knows now that, sooner of later, it will consume him into nothingness. As he struggles, he notices a strange rune, like a darker tone of blackness in the endless void. It is there. The presence. That rune. Something ancient and evil.
Beyond the rune, there's a room, a room where Alexander sees Roderick and a woman, a young woman who looks just like Claire.
The old man turning into stone as the woman lays down on the cold stone of an altar. Ghosts, ghouls and all sort of foul creatures surround them, whispering maddening words beyond Alexander's comprehension. A robbed figure approaches the altar and caresses the woman's face. She shouts in pain as blood pours from her eyes. The figure stabs her in the heart and waits motionless until the room is silent. Then, it grabs the dead woman and starts to move around, showing the sacrifice to all the supernatural abominations as if... as if they were dancing...
The woman's head raises in a sudden movement, her empty eyes staring back at Alexander. Her mouth moves, but it makes no sound. Roderick's petrification finally ends and the woman stands on her own, moves closer to watch the old man. "It is time, brother. We finally meet again". She turns to Alexander, smiling as blood drops from her teeth, from her animal like fangs... "Take me to her."
Somehow, you know she means ... Claire... her doppelgänger...
Beyond the rune, there's a room, a room where Alexander sees Roderick and a woman, a young woman who looks just like Claire.
The old man turning into stone as the woman lays down on the cold stone of an altar. Ghosts, ghouls and all sort of foul creatures surround them, whispering maddening words beyond Alexander's comprehension. A robbed figure approaches the altar and caresses the woman's face. She shouts in pain as blood pours from her eyes. The figure stabs her in the heart and waits motionless until the room is silent. Then, it grabs the dead woman and starts to move around, showing the sacrifice to all the supernatural abominations as if... as if they were dancing...
The woman's head raises in a sudden movement, her empty eyes staring back at Alexander. Her mouth moves, but it makes no sound. Roderick's petrification finally ends and the woman stands on her own, moves closer to watch the old man. "It is time, brother. We finally meet again". She turns to Alexander, smiling as blood drops from her teeth, from her animal like fangs... "Take me to her."
Somehow, you know she means ... Claire... her doppelgänger...
Not going with him means the Pact was broken. That is the price to pay (and the open end for follow up generations). In exchange for enough power to free herself from those who forced married and killed her lover (her family basically), Lady Greyrose promised the Lord of Ashes she and her descendants would care for the dead, secretly growing his the ancient god's influence. If used properly, the family's curses (or blessings?) are manifestation of the power over darkness and death. However, that knowledge disappeared with your parents' "missing generation". Technically, Roderick knew about the curse, but not the ritual.
Breaking the pact means the dead are uncared for, so zombie apocalypse incoming (the weird vampire was a fake final boss originally).
The epilogue probably should include the PCs reaction to the rise of the undead. Will you run for a safety place? Try to fix the pact once you realized what happened? Feel responsible for this mess and lead the fight against the dead (like those two poor lost farmers)? How do you feel about what you did? Would you still do it again, change anything? Will you (alex probably) drown in regrets?
With Claire joining them it might be worth knowing the lore from the original book:
[ +- ] witches
The vörð nafjarðar -- guardians of the grave-fjord -- are Scandinavian necromancers that police the barrier between the mortal world and the spirit world. They call themselves "völva" but others call them "witches". Regardless of their gender or age, they appear keen, feminine, and in their 40s, and carry some form of cane or walking stick. They use their sticks to beat down the restless dead as well as any living people who interfere. They can also alter a person’s memory by striking them with their sticks (albeit with more magical subtlety than the usual method of skull bashing). They are also quite skilled at manipulation and seduction (advanced practitioners are magically adept at it). Sometimes they can be allies of the Rookwoods who want to help put undead to rest or remove curses. Sometimes they just want to snuff out the blighted line of Rookwood.
Nov 10, 2023 6:37 pm
So what was up with the bust Alexander found? And something about the library we never figured out?
load next