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TOPIC: Horror on the Orient Express - All Rotations

Horror on the Orient Express - All Rotations 2 years 1 month ago #5812

  • MellyMel
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Cartwright the Magnificent may be somewhat delayed. For tonight, he rides, the Hugh express!
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Horror on the Orient Express - All Rotations 2 years 1 month ago #5813

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Friday 15th April 1204 continued……


The Disappeared
We leave the cistern intent on returning to Count Baldwin at the Blachernae Palace. Reynaud navigates the way. Nobody has followed us. We encounter a band of angry Frankish knights and their retainers. They’re hunting Greeks whom they blame for the sudden disappearances of some of our kinsmen. The disappeared had been carried away by devils some of the band believed. Only one man had been found; he was skinned alive. The band was convinced this was the work of a Greek sorcerer.


Count Baldwin
It is dusk when we report to our Liege Lord at Blachernae. We impart our tale of the priest Agostinos, and of the Cult of the Unburdened Flesh and their leader, Ramardi. We admit we don’t know how deep the cult has infiltrated the hierarchy of our Venetian allies. We regale Baldwin of our heroic deeds to slay the beast in the cistern and of the sad demise of Bledich. We’re pleased to present our Lord with the package we recovered from the Church of St. Mocius, which we have denied to the Venetian heretics.

Our Lord thanks us for the work done in his service. He offers us a safe place to sleep for the night and calls for healers to attend us. Andre graciously refuses the aid of the healers. The red rash he continues to conceal has reached his shoulder.


Saturday 16th April 1204

The Pestice
After morning prayers and breakfast we reconvene with Baldwin. We wish to take the ritual package to Brother Merovic, the Count’s occultist, to be appraised. Our Lord approves. From the balcony of the tower chamber he points us in the direction of the leper ship, the Pestice, anchored in the waters of the Golden Horn.

We take a boat and row out to the Pestice. As we climb aboard, Gilles loses his footing and plunges into the waters. He sinks like a stone in his chainmail. Andre dives in to rescue him. Finally on deck, Lepers, not used to visitors, greet us with interest. We are shown below decks to the private quarters of Brother Merovic. His dimly lit cabin is a trove of books, papers and paraphernalia. Merovic wears black robes and a hood is drawn over his head, concealing much of his face. What skin and features we can see in the dimness, show the terrible signs of his affliction.


Merovic the Leper
Brother David introduces us and gives the purpose of our intrusion. We show Merovic the package we took from the church. We explain that we know only that the Venetian Cult seeks the package, for it contains a ritual which would allow them to locate something called the Devil’s Similare.

Merovic asks us if we wish for him to open the package. We suddenly become apprehensive, but then agree the package should be opened. Before unwrapping it, Merovic tells us that the Devil's Similare is the property of a man named Sedefkar, a Seljuk Turk who has resided in Constantinople for a decade or more. Sedefkar poses a greater threat than any man alive. He worships a cruel deity named the Skinless One. Merovic urges us to slay Sedefkar and bring his ritual tools to Count Baldwin.


The Sedefkar Simulacrum
The Devil’s Similare is also known as the Sedefkar Simulacrum. It is in the form of a ceramic suit of armour. Its wearer may assume the form of another as long as he possesses the form’s skin. The Simulacrum is constructed of several pieces. In the right light, the weak points of the Simulacrum can be seen. Striking a weak point at an oblique angle, in the correct manner, can break the Simulacrum, reducing it to its individual pieces.


Skin
Inside the ritual package are three folio pages inscribed in Greek, Latin and Arabic, each littered with occult symbolism and images of skinned humans. There is also a lozenge-shaped clay case sealed in wax. Andre volunteers to remove the wax and open the case. A circular cut of skin, with an essence of its own, leaps from the case and tries to smother Andre’s face. He forces if back into the case and hands the case to Merovic.

Merovic needs another cut of skin, equal in size to the piece in the case. Andre volunteers, but Merovic refuses him. The skin cannot come from one afflicted as Andre is. There is a short silence before Gilles steps forward. Gilles readies himself before the leper, with the deftness of a physician, removes a piece of skin from Gilles’ back.


The Ritual
Merovic, Eloise and David between them recite the incantations from the folio pages. The two pieces of skin are held together, they immediately knit into one and are placed into a bowl of water. The chanting continues and we watch as the water in the bowl swirls and an image forms within of a Red Tower and we see its location in the city. Then the image changes and a grizzled face with a sinister countenance materialises and stares out at us before fading away.


The Madness of Reynaud
Prior to parting company, Merovic offers us healing. We are warned that this does not come without risk. We are in dire need, so we accept, though the risk remained unexplained to us. Merovic prepares potions and scrolls, and then begins a new ritual. As he chants, we are bathed in a red light that enters our bodies and we experience a cacophony of screams inside our heads. When finished we feel invigorated, although Andre’s hopes of recovering from the affliction of his flesh are dashed and Reynaud succumbs to a bout of madness.

Reynaud draws his sword and attacks Andre. Andre dodges and raises his shield knocking the berserk Reynaud prone. David and Gilles try and hold him down but Reynaud throws them both backwards. However, before Reynaud can regain his footing Andre crashes his shield into Reynaud’s face. The blow brings Reynaud to his senses. He has no memory of the last few moments and is left to wonder why he has a sore and bloody nose.
"Gentlemen, we're in the stickiest situation since Sticky the stick insect got stuck on a sticky bun" - Capt. E. Blackadder.
Last Edit: 2 years 1 month ago by Garuda.
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Horror on the Orient Express - All Rotations 2 years 1 month ago #5814

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Another enjoyable read Garuda, tick a skill of your choice
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Horror on the Orient Express - All Rotations 2 years 1 month ago #5820

  • MellyMel
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Apologies all. Can't make it tonight
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Horror on the Orient Express - All Rotations 2 years 1 month ago #5823

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Awesome game Scott, really enjoyed it. Nice to know i can loose characters in any error!
looking forward to returning to a safer 1923 :)
Red Wine should always be opened and allowed to breathe....

if it doesn't apply mouth to bottle resuscitation.
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Horror on the Orient Express - All Rotations 2 years 1 month ago #5827

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Saturday 16th April 1204 ctd…..


The Devils’ Arses
We depart the Pestice and return to the quayside. As we alight from the boat we hear an inhuman screeching. Rushing to the nearby gate, we peer inside the city walls to witness an abominable scene. Here, there are three obscene creatures composed of sinew, bone and viscera; skin devils with leathery wings at their backs and lower portions of hoofed, goat-like legs. The most repulsive feature is their trailing bowels that hang behind them, excreting acidic ooze. They emit a terrifying screech and bound towards us with awkward inhuman movements; their bowels trail behind. “Saints protect us!”, exclaimed Brother David.

The fight is prolong and sickening. The creatures lash at us with their flailing entrails and bite deep into our flesh, but we survive the encounter.



Retiring to Blachernae
Our armour is ruined and our shields rendered useless from our battle with the devils. We return to Blachernae to re-equip and avail ourselves of the services of Baldwin’s healers. We rest only a short while. Time is of the essence. We head out into the city again in search of the Red Tower.

Between Blachernae and the Red Tower lies the Venetian headquarters at the Church of Christ Pantocrater. To avoid possible entanglements we circumvent the portion of the city that has fallen under Venetian control.


The Red Tower
The tower is a tall octagonal structure of red-hued brick. At dusk we encounter Franks loyal to Boniface, who’ve laid a watch upon the tower. Their commander, Jean, informs us that crusaders have been going missing and the source of the disappearances has been traced to whatever evil resides within the tower. Crusaders earlier found a dog eating discarded human skin. This was enough to discourage them from entering and searching the tower. Jean is waiting for orders from Boniface himself. We, however, waste no time in waiting and approach the tower ourselves.


Sir Gautmaris
Closer to the tower, barring our passage, a Frankish knight, Sir Gautmaris, with a retinue of retainers stops us. He’s in no mood for niceties. First he accuses us of treachery and then orders his men to arrest us. Martinus knows Gautmaris and is convinced the knight is acting entirely out of character. We all think the same thing – has Sedefkar used the evil properties of the Devil’s Similare to assume the guise of Gautmaris?

We are forced to fight and defeat the men-at-arms that set about us, but Guatmaris escapes into the tower and bars the entrance from within.


Up the Bloody Tower
We smash through the door and ascend the stairs of the tower through floors of ever-increasing horror*. Floors of blood, flies, nauseating smells with heaped corpses and body parts. Floors of sickening torture, depravity and carnage; skinned bodies and stitched-together abominations - effronteries to humanity. Floors of patterns and writings in human blood and entrails, and parcels of butchered flesh, so fresh they still writhe, and human groaning is still audible. A skin devil is eating the legs of one screaming victim waiting his turn for the butchery.

*Multiple SAN rolls and multiple failures during our ascent, result in psychotic episodes for Andre, Reynaud and Martinus.


The Alter-Wheel
At the uppermost floor, we find an open space with a sickening alter for its centrepiece. The alter is an upright circle of skin, with stitched-together human faces ringed around its centre – the faces stare outward and scream. Behind the stretched skin of the alter-wheel is a blue-green light of indeterminable origin and purpose.


Sedefkar
Our adversary wields a stone dagger edged with a purple glow. He is unafraid. In the glow of the blue-green light, it is Martinus who first notices a join in Sedefkar’s armour. He strikes true and the left arm of the armour comes loose. A ferocious melee ensues, an unrelenting assault trying to penetrate the wondrous armour or break it apart at the joints. All the while, Sedefakar chants unintelligible words beneath his breath. Martinus, valiant brother to us all, is cut down by the wicked blade of Sedefkar. He cannot survive his wounds. Crying out to his loved ones, Martinus dies.

Finally, under a crushing blow from the mace of Brother David, Sedefkar reels back. His armour breaks apart and the pieces scatter. Sedefkar withers before our eyes, deteriorating into a heap of oozing flesh – we hear his last defiant utterance – a curse upon us all.

We burn the tower to put its victims to rest and return to our Liege with the stone dagger and the pieces of Sedefkar’s armour. Baldwin expresses his pleasure and rewards us handsomely with gold marks.


Sunday 17th April 1204
In the morning, the violence in the city has notably abated. The influence of Sedefakr no longer holds the city in evil’s grip. Under instruction from Baldwin, Brother David takes the recovered pieces of armour to the leper ship for Merovic to examine. The pieces are left with Merovic.


Monday 18th April 1204
Baldwin is furious. The leper ship, Pestice, has slipped anchor and sailed away before first light. Merovic has taken the Simulacrum. Our lord urges us to follow. Merovic will no doubt head eastward and it is in this direction we must hasten. We depart with all urgency to take up the chase. Should our quarry disappear Baldwin provides us with one important clue to remain on his trail – in the east Merovic is known by another name - Fenalik.


Epilogue
The surviving members of Baldwin’s mission founded the Order of the Noble Shield. A secret order dedicated to knightly ideals and to thwarting the cults of supernatural evil. History does not record whether they ever found Merovic the Absconder.

The stone dagger of Sedefkar was sent by Baldwin to a contact he met in Zara. In this, Baldwin’s motives remain a mystery.
"Gentlemen, we're in the stickiest situation since Sticky the stick insect got stuck on a sticky bun" - Capt. E. Blackadder.
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MellyMel - Thu 28 Mar - 16:30

i fancy mothership if there is space (get it?) - no actually i really do

Sarge - Thu 28 Mar - 15:00

Galleons players. Sant is running a Mothership RPG one shot tonight as Coriolis is off, come join the fun!

mikeawmids - Thu 28 Mar - 14:37

Perhaps Charlie Rumble will reach Cook Island after all....

Temrane - Thu 28 Mar - 13:07

galleons folks, no game tonight, work calls unfortunately! back next week

MellyMel - Thu 21 Mar - 15:38

i believe some new user(s) are awaiting authorisation. if so please recreate request as i've just deleted the russian bot swarm and your request might be spotted this time.

Inept - Thu 29 Feb - 17:07

Apologies decent guys... Hell has obviously inflicted itself on my van... It's broke. Won't be there tonight.

rhodsey - Tue 27 Feb - 09:09

I can't accomodate two sorry but I'm happy if they want to come and observe for a bit at least then see if there's a game while they are here.

mikeawmids - Mon 26 Feb - 17:36

Two people have contacted club through Facebook page to join a game. Can any of the R2 DMs accomodate two more new players?

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