TOPIC: Wolfenstrahd: Afrika Corpse Discussion

WOLFENSTRAHD: Afrika Corpse / Session 6

Following the desecration of Anubis' shrine, the once sacred lake is now a bubbling mass of boiling blood. Neither Lucian nor Zaghoul break the surface, presumably drowned when the shrine sank back into the depths. The temple guardians stand inert, surrounded by the mangled bodies of the sorcerer's minions. Vakar is nearby, knuckles bloody from beating on the already very dead corpse of his traitorous kinsman Khajit, whom he defeated in a super cool battle that occurred completely off-screen.

Suddenly, the dead cultists rise and begin shambling north in a grotesque, silent conga line. Where's everyone going? Bingo? (there were a lot of video game quotes this week) Curious, the team follow at a safe distance. More zombies join the gruesome parade. A crocodile is retching on the bank of the Nile. The team watch in disgust as the partially digested corpse of Hercule Poirot crawls out of the reptile's gullet and joins the march. Doctor Schulman discovers the corrupted Ankh enables him to issue rudimentary commands to a number of undead equal to his Smarts die, though the majority are being compelled by a will greater than his own.

Ominous storm clouds gather to the north. The undead are heading toward Cairo, but circumvent the city to congregate around the Great Pyramid of Giza, like flies swarming to the world's pointiest turd. The Brits have fortified the city outskirts. Captain Ballard escorts the exceptional gentleman to the palace. Sir Reginald and Princess Fawzia are still at one another's throats, whilst King Farouk wobbles anxiously atop his throne.

The Governor insists the Ankh be handed over to him to utilize in the war effort. The team contest this position via a heated Social Conflict. The gentlemen convince King Farouk to keep the Ankh in Egypt, as they'll probably need it to end the zombie apocalypse.

Sir Reginald is infuriated, but further argument is forgotten when a bolt of lightning strikes the Great Pyramid, blasting a hole in the side of the monolithic triangle. Vakar peers through his sniper scope and witnesses a mummified figure wearing a golden mask emerge from the pyramid and take control of the zombie army. At his command, the undead swarm into Cairo!



King Farouk panics. Vakar slaps some sense into the cowardly monarch. Sir Reginald orders the British troops to abandon the city. Bennett appeals to Captain Ballard's sense of patriotic duty. Keep Calm & Carry On, wot? Ballard relieves Sir Reginald of his command and puts the British troops at the team's disposal.

The outer walls of the city are in a state of disrepair and defensively untenable. The slums are quickly overrun with undead, imperiling the thousands of civilians trapped in their homes. Quartermain sets half the Brits to siphoning fuel for more petrol bombs, the rest man the walls of the inner city. Once the civilians are clear, the Brits are to bombard the slums with mortar fire to slow the enemy advance.

The team head into the slums to rescue as many people as they can. Quartermain sees some British deserters looting an off license. He shoos them away, then loots the place himself. The Thirsty Camel Club is ablaze! Flaming zombies stagger out of the burning building. Bennett decapitates the zombies before the fire spreads. Doctor S spots a scrawny child stranded atop the roof of a hovel, surrounded by the undead. The child is fending off zombies with a brick of Nazi gold. It is Abu the pickpocket! Doctor S casts Damage Field with the electrical trapping to fry the undead (after his drug-induced vision, Doctor S has unlocked latent psionic powers via the Arcane Background edge). Abu offers the team a 5% discount on their next black market purchase. Vakar encounters a helpless family cornered by a pack of vicious street dogs. Sensing his pungent feline musk, the hounds abandon their prey to chase the cat man. He loses them in the winding alleys, giving the family opportunity to escape.

The team reach the market place (where they previously fought Zaghoul's cult). A half dozen zombies wander aimlesly among the abandoned stalls. When the team enter, they find their exit cut off by a squad of skeletal spearmen. A chariot pulled by undead camels rolls into view, more elite skeletons riding in the carriage. These aren't your garden variety undead, they move with the unison and purpose of trained soldiers.

Vakar turns invisible and moves to stand in the path of the chariot.

LAURA: "Are you sure you want to move th -"

DM: "Shush!"

Vakar is trampled by the chariot. The driver didn't even see him.

SKELETON: (checking side mirror) "Did we hit something?"

OTHER SKELETON: "Just drive!!"

Quartermain lobs a petrol bomb into the carriage, setting the zombie camels ablaze! He retreats down a narrow alleyway pursued by the flaming chariot, which immediately gets stuck. A hulking muscle zombie bursts through a wall like the goddamned Kool Aid Man!



Doctor S transforms into Kane to engage this new threat. Kane clotheslines four skeletons and points to Zombie Hulk.

KANE: "You're next!"

Zombie Hulk explodes, leaving a gore-splattered crater in the centre of the market! Even Kane looks surprised. The Brits have chosen this moment to start shelling the slums. The team finish off the remaining enemies whilst avoiding friendly fire.

The Seer of the Slums appears and leads the team to the ruined mosque, which is now enclosed by a protective golden barrier. Dozens of civilians have take refuge inside the building. The Seer drops his human guise and reveals himself to be Horus, the falcon-headed god of kingship, healing & protection! He explains how Zaghoul's final desecration of the Ankh has broken the law of death, hence all the zombies up in here. Worse still, Pharaoh Khufu has risen from his tomb within the Great Pyramid and taken control of the undead host. He intends to create a new kingdom where the dead rule over the living. Horus cannot reccomend this. Khufu was bad enough as a mortal king, his ascension to undead tyrant likely won't improve his disposition any.

Khufu cannot be stopped until the Ankh is restored, which can only be done by the god who created it. The team must enter a death-like trance and project their spirits into the Duat (Egyptian afterlife) to petition Anubis himself. Horus has prepared stone sarcophagi to serve as their vessls to the Duat, and a concentrated dose of the blue lotus flower to stop their hearts. With some trepidation, the exceptional gentlemen climb into their coffins, floating in embalming fluid like a sensory deprivation pod as the heavy stone lids seal them into inky, absolute blackness.

TBC

WOLFENSTRAHD: Afrika Corpse / Session 7



Having inhaled a near-fatal dose of the blue lotus flower, the company of exceptional gentlemen are able to project their spirits into the Duat, while their physical bodies remain in the ruined mosque under Horus' care. They emerge from their sarcophagi to find themslves transpaced to a twilit desert of blue/black sand. Bizarrely, the two halves of Doctor Schulman's psyche have manifested separately, so Doctor S (played by Rich this week) and Kane (played by Ellie) are operating independently of one another.

DOCTOR S: "Wie faszinierend...." ("How fascinating.... ")

KANE: "NO SCHULMAN!! ONLY KANE!! RAAAGH!!"

There are no constellations or landmarks by which to navigate the barren dunes. A single shooting star passes overhead. Doctor S believes this is Ra (god of the sun), who traverses the Duat every night aboard his solar barque in order for the sun to rise the following dawn. The team set out after the speeding god. They begin to see other shadowy/insubstantial figures trudging across the desert, souls of the departed making their final pilgrimage to the Hall of Ma'at, where Anubis awaits.

After some time, they reach a monolithic stone gateway leading into a labyrinth of iron walls. The team enter the maze. Acrid mist swirls around their ankles, clouding their senses with a dizzying fug. Bennett hears Princess Fawzia calling to him from deeper within the labyrinth, but realises it is an illusion to lure him away from his teammates. The other gentlemen are beset by their own unique visions. Quartermain sees the elusive unicorn he has been hunting since week 3 (a rhinoceros with a sparking rainbow horn) gamboling through the maze. Vakar hears the cries of the family he lost in Khajit's betrayal of the rakshashan village. The team resolutely ignore the illusions and focus on finding a way out of the iron labyrinth.

Bennett encounters the shade of a departed child lost in the maze and offers to guide them to the exit. Quartermain realises this selfless act will look good when they are up before Anubis and starts gathering more ghost children like the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

Eventually, they reach the second gate, leading from the labyrinth to a boiling lake of fire. The third gate is visible on an island in the centre of the lake, accessible via a chain of smaller stepping stones. Warily, the team begin the perilous crossing. Suddenly, the head of a gargantuan snake erupts from the magma and turns its reptilian gaze upon the party.



It is Apep aka Apophis (god of chaos, darkness & fire)! Recalling that Apep and Ra are mortal enemies, the team claim to be opponents of the sun god, which piques the serpent's interest.

APEP: "How would you kill a god?"

DOCTOR S: (producing the head of Medusa from his bag) "With this!"

There is a flash of green light. Apep is stunned. The team push toward the third gate. Apep exhales a plume of blinding smog, plunging Bennett, Quartermain & Vakar into pitch darkness (-6 to any rolls requiring sight - like jumping to the next stone). Further complicating matters, several lava golems clamber onto the larger platforms. Quartermain makes the leap, zigs around the clumsy constructs and rushes for the gate. One of the golems vomits magma over Vakar inflicting two wounds. Doctor S can't make the big jumps on his own, so Kane tosses him across. Doctor S casts Blast on Apep, the dice explode to inflict 30+ damage! One of the serpent's fangs is knocked out (functions as magical dagger, STR+d4+2 dmg, 1/6 chance of setting target on fire). Enraged, Apep lunges for Doctor S, jaws agape to swallow him whole! Kane shoves the doc aside and is snapped up in his place. Trapped in the serpent's fiery maw, Kane grabs Apep's forked tongue and rips it out at the root (functions as magical whip, STR+d4+2, Parry -1, reach +2, on Raise target may be grappled instead of rolling bonus damage, 1/6 chance of setting target on fire)! Apep spits Kane out and retreats beneath the lava, cursing incoherently. With the guardian vanquished, the gentlemen reach the third gate.

They arrive outside the Hall of Ma'at. A sphinx guards the entrance, and the team must answer her riddles to pass, but any wrong answers will result in the permanent loss of attribute points. Doctor S wagers an Agility die on the first riddle.

SPHINX: "Who makes it has no need of it. Who buys it has no use for it. Who uses it can neither see nor feel it. What am I?"

DOCTOR S: "A coffin." [Correct]

SPHINX: I have one eye, but cannot see. What am I?"

KANE: "A NEEDLE!! RAAAGH!!!" [Correct]

SPHINX: "What can be touched, but cannot be seen?"

VAKAR: (after some deliberation) "The wind." [Incorrect]

The correct answer was 'Someone's Heart'. Vakar loses a die in Smarts, dropping from d6 to d4. Kane tries to reassure him he can still live a fulfilling and meaningful life with a severely retarded intellect. Vakar is not reassured.

The doors to the Hall of Ma'at swing open. The team pass rows of desks where ibis-headed scribes sit, quills scribbling industriously across rolls of parchment. Anubis presides over a courtroom dominated by an elaborate set of golden scales. Before the jackal-headed god will hear the team's petition, their hearts must first be measured. Anyone found to be of poor character will be ripped apart by Ammit, the Devourer of Souls.



The lawyer for the prosecution is a crocodile-headed man in sleek black robes. He presents a list of all the bad/selfish acts the gentlemen have comitted over the last 6 game sessions, including (but not limited to); murder, arson, petty theft, loitering, grave robbing, the desecration of a sacred lake, more theft and the petrification of a small business owner via the head of Medusa.

DOCTOR S: "You mean this head?"

Another flash of green light. The crocodile-headed man is turned to stone.

DOCTOR S: "The prosecution rests."

The exceptional gentlemen plead their innocence, citing the civilians they saved during the undead attack on Cairo, Nazis = evil (so it doesn't really matter what you do to them), and that it was Zaghoul who desecrated the sacred lake in Luxor - they were trying to stop him!

After both sides have made their case, the golden scales are perfectly balanced. Anubis is nonplussed, this has never happened before! Ammit is getting restless. The team call Horus as a character witness. Horus speaks in the team's favour, but Anubis is unmoved. Do these mortals really have the testicular fortitude to challenge Pharaoh Khufu?

The courtroom doors burst open and Ra enters.

RA: "Anubis, my dawg! I just watched these exceptional dudes take Apep to ghetto university! That took some big chahooblies! When you tore out his tongue and used it like a whip? That shit was straight poppin, bro!"

Kane and Ra high five.

Anubis finally relents and agrees to restore the Ankh. Ra offers the team a ride back to Cairo (and their bodies) aboard his solar barque. Before leaving the Hall of Ma'at, Vakar enquires with the ibis-headed scribes regarding his dead parents. He is assured they both passed Anubis' judgement and went on to the Field of Reeds. Vakar hopes to join them there someday - but not today. Today he has an undead Pharaoh to usurp and a country to save!

TBC

Hello all you exceptional gentlemen (and Laura).

Unfortunately I will not be at club tonight. Been off work last to days with sickness, hoped I would be OK for tonight, but I am not up to it. Deffo want to run final session at some point and wrap up this story. Everything is good to go, but I feel like shit and don't want to sit there and be gross for three/four hours.