October 2011
After Crystal Con came to an abrupt end, the Bourbon Street Irregulars quickly mobilized to address what was no doubt a thinly veiled Fomor trap, the 9 pm Ferry to Algiers Point. After arriving at the dock and boarding the ferry, the Irregulars spread out to look for threats. Officer Landry flashed her badge to gain access to the bridge and upper deck. There she (and Molly) discovered that the regular captain had been knocked unconscious and stuffed in a trunk. She confronted the older man steering the ship, but before she gained any information he began spasming in pain hand fell to the ground unconscious. In the process, he dropped his veil revealing himself to be a Fomor servitor. Jeanie quickly took the helm of the vessel, but suddenly a colossal squid seized the vessel and began dragging it down the Mississippi towards the sea.
Moments later, chaos broke across the vessel. Several passengers dropped their veils revealing themselves as Fomor and Fomor Servitors. Empty, one of the higher ranking servitors shattered a sea cucumber containing a green gas. In the gas those with magical abilities started to glow. The jellyfish would then target those with magical abilities, knocking them unconscious with their stinging tentacles. The Fomor and Servitors begin gunning down everyone else. The giant squid used a few of its extra tentacles to grab passengers to munch on along the way.
A few highlights from the battle that ensued:
The squid grabbed Rikard where he narrowly escaped before becoming squid food.
Calvin attempted to crush one of the jellyfish—but he only slowed it down. Then Greer took a flare gun from the bridge and chased away both Jelly Fish. Calvin threw another servitor through a window into the sea.
Sunny used her magic to cause a Charlie Horse in one of the Fomor, resulting in an extremely painful inability to move.
Jeanie tried to steer the ship away from the squid but was largely unsuccessful. She then “dropped anchor” on one of the squid’s tentacles, and then proceeded to rescue Dylan Flynn from the Kracken by lobbing an electric bike at it.
Sunny helped Hunt find a way past the Fomor Sorcerer’s Shield, going down through the engine room, and opening the hatch at his feet. There Hunt used a crystal from Crystal con to fill the dome with a scintillating rainbow and a magical blast of daylight. This incinerated the servitor and badly wounded the sorcerer. Calvin then pushed him through the floor.
Normal tactics being useless against the Kraken, Rikard dove off the ship into the maw of the beast. He began pounding it from the inside, eventually doing enough damage that it released the ship and began to retreat down the river.
Then Susannah literally came out of nowhere, diving off the ship toward the Kraken, using Solomon’s Guar to slice a passageway into the beast’s belly, freeing Rikard.
Jeanie brought the ship home. The ship was met just outside New Orleans by the Coast Guard—who assisted with attending to the wounded and disposing of/concealing anything too otherworldly.
The Irregulars return to their lives for a welcome relief, regularly convening at Lafitte’s Bar and Blacksmith Shop to catch up. In the months that followed they each had their own adventures, furthering their personal stories. I’ll try to summarize a few of those events here [feel free to add more!]
Calvin
Calvin has learned in the aftermath of the New Orleans Bank Robbery, Johnny Sunset, still recovering from the shanking he received from Hugh, sought his revenge on the Irregulars by ambushing Santi (Calvin’s father) and a few of his lackeys. He has reanimated Santi as a zombie and had him deliver the message to Calvin himself. “Calvin, you half-breed brat—Your father is now out of my way, you and your ‘Irregular’ friends are next!”
Jeanie
Jeanie demolished the false wall in her apartment to discover a strange door, leading directly into the exterior brick wall of the bar, a two-hundred-year-old map of New Orleans and it’s environs—cracked and yellow, but still legible, and an old flint-lock pistol in perfect condition. The door has the Wizard Marking of Joseph Luna, the local warden—and apparently, an acquaintance of Jean Lafitte.
Picking up the pistol filled her with a strange confidence and sense of authority, and an aura of power almost tangible to those supernatural enough to sense it.
Within minutes of leaving the bar while carrying that pistol, Jeanie was approached by a buxom blonde carrying a chihuahua. The chihuahua introduced himself as Vermalkin, an outcast fae cat that was once a trusted companion of non-other than Jean Lafitte himself. He explained that her ancestor Jean Lafitte was an extremely influential mortal, so much so that he almost became the first mortal signatory of the Seelie Accords. Unfortunately, in 1812 he double-crossed Absinthe, a fairy queen, and someone who had previously agreed to sponsor his signing. Instead, she cursed him and his bloodline for 200 years. (It was at this point Vermalkin also became exiled from the fairy court.) Interestingly, those 200 years is almost up—so Vermalkin has been on the lookout for the ancestors of Jean Laffite. He has been veiling himself over the past few weeks keeping an eye on Jeanie Lafitte.
Rikard
Rikard has spent much of the past two months working closely with Kara and Hilda to further the development of the Monoc Plaza Tower. With the assistance of the Startevlves (who have been promised several floors of the Tower for their own purposes), the progress is moving quickly.
Rickard has been promoted again to the Chief of Security. Although Donar delegates the selection of many officers within his satellite organizations to local authorities, he insists on hand-picking his Cheifs of Security personally.
As Chief of Security, Rikard’s team had the responsibility of securing the Fomor Weapon, as well as holding the Fomor Servitor who had been steering the ferry. Of course, that servitor has been in a coma for the past two months. Alive, stable, but completely unconscious.
Sunny
Ever since the Crystal Con, Sunny’s business “Age of Aquarius” has been booming. This is largely due to the free, aggressive advertising she has received from Megalithic Rock Star, Granite Harlow.
Sunny has continued to study Sparrow’s bowling-ball sized sphere of Amethyst that she obtained from the now-deceased Diviner. Through her study, she has unlocked several potent powers that the sphere possesses.
Hunt
Hunt has continued to investigate the origin and power of the ancient knife he obtained from the vampire at Crystal Con. This knife, the Shūnya Chakū, is of ancient Indian origin. It has a dark history of being passed down between generations of vetalas for hundreds of years. The knife is more a tool than a weapon, allowing the bearer to readily sense and cut the fabric between worlds. How such a tool ended up in the hands of a relatively young, inexperienced black court vampire in the middle of the United States remains a mystery.
Hunt has continued to explore leads regarding corruption in the white court and the murder of Greer’s parents.
Additionally, Hunt has been able to file a formal report at the behest of the white council on Gaius Proctor’s “Victory After Mortality Parachurch”. Although many on the while council are extremely leery of White Court Vampires—Gaius (as well as his sister Felicity) seem to be somewhat more palatable than most. Still, he ensured that they both know that the White Council is watching. He has also learned that they have at least two other siblings in the New Orleans area—but has not yet been able to pinpoint their whereabouts or activities.
Greer
Greer’s boss, Earl Nottyham seems to be determined to make Greer’s life difficult, moving her from probation to full-suspension on account of the testimony of a security guard at the Bank of New Orleans. After a rather bogus investigation, Greer was finally exonerated and returned to duty due to testimonies of her fellow officers.
Greer, now coming to terms with the supernatural world has become good friends with Viatrix and Betty Mullins, both fellow officers. They have teamed up to investigate their boss Earl, who has become increasingly erratic and irritable.
Greer’s relationship with Molly has continued to develop. She has discovered more of Molly’s capability—her supernatural senses, quick response to danger, and ferocious disposition being most frequently called upon.
Finally, Greer has been assigned to investigate the Louisiana Axeman Copycat murder. It has been two months with no leads, and the case is growing cold. Other officers have been reassigned, and she is now working the case essentially alone. Of course, this feels a bit like a set up for failure….
Susannah
As she was packing up to leave her office for the day, Savannah was approached by an elderly man in a leather jacket. He was followed by her receptionist who apologized—-“I’m sorry, Councilor James, but he was very persuasive. "
The man introduced himself as Bernie, and made her an offer. “Savannah, I come not as a messenger of God, but as an old man with a problem. Your family has protected Solomon’s Guard for generations. One of your ancestors was once a good friend of mine. He and I had a little argument over the crusades. He felt like ancient relics should be entrusted by God into the hands of mortal—I always felt like we sometimes needed to take the initiative and reclaim relics as needed. He valued a good defense. I figured the best defense is a good offense. But that was a long time ago. My Templar Knights and I are facing a problem. The knights are composed of criminals, vagabonds, lowlifes, drifters, ruffians. They’ve come to the light, and serve the High purpose with zeal, but sometimes we need someone who understands how the world works. Someone who can navigate the subtleties of organizations and represent our interests in ways that an ex-con might not. My knights have more than their fair share of run-ins with the law. Your expertise there would be… a God-send.”
Bernie walked to the window of Savannah’s office and pointed into the parking lot. There was a filthy bearded man wiping blood off a huge machete with a dirty towel while sitting on a mud-encrusted motorcycle that must at least 60 years old. Next to him, a brand new (2011), sparklingly clean, Indian Chief Dark Horse.
Bernie leaned over to Savannah, and said with a smile, “One of the perks of the job.”
“Think it over. Talk to your family. Tell them I said Hi. Remember, I’m not asking you to leave your family legacy behind—but I’m inviting you to join ours as well. Also, as I said before, I am here to ask a favor—not communicate the will of the Bossman. The choice is yours. If you are interested, come find Gideon and I at Runcie’s Gan’n’Auto’n’Boat on All Saint’s Day.”
Hugh
Hugh could spend hours listening to the Patriarch of the Cour Des Marais talk about the way the world works. Something about all the Fae Folk engrained in them a deep respect for their elders. When the Patriarch invited Hugh to help him collect Crayfish, he jumped at the opportunity.
Today, he seemed surprisingly quiet. After what felt like an eternity of silence, he looked up at Hugh and said “How long’s it been Hugh, since you’ve been wit us? Goin’ on more than a few mortal years I reckon. I’m glad you’ve had this opportunity to join our family. Sometimes I regret how you joined us. How we took you from your other family. I didn’t want it to happen that way. Family is important.”
You know we share the Marsh here in the Bonnieyonder. You know Carl and some of his family. We have the Keplies and the Nuggles here too—a proud tribe, that one. At least they were.”
The Patriarch paused as if to push back the water that was gathering in his eyes.
“There’s been a fire in our Marsh, Hugh. A magical fire. It lit up the water itself. Somehow the fire crossed over from your realm into ours. It devastated the Kelpie Breeding Waters. It killed dozens of them. Wounded many others. Those that survived are looking for a new home.”
The Patriarch clenched his fists. “I want you to find the source of this fire and punish them Hugh. This was an assault on our homeland, and it cannot be left unanswered.”
One of the Patriarch’s daughters (Hugh has been wise enough NOT to learn her name) whistled to her father from outside the glowing, humble huts, nestled in the marsh grass a hundred yards away. “I want you to meet someone, Hugh”
Inside the hut was a tall horse with slick black fur and an eerie intelligence in its eyes. It seemed to be sizing up Hugh. “This young Nuggle was in the fires. Yesterday he was on the brink of death—or at least, s’what we thought. Seems he shares your ability to recover from just ‘bout any injury. He’s eager to exact some revenge on whoever/whatever killed his family. I thought you two would make a good pair. He’s agreed to let you name him, and be his Rider.”
The Patriarch lowered his voice—“Here’s the thing about Nuggles. He might appear when you whistle for him, but remember, he ain’t your horse. You’re his Rider. You might not understand him, at least not a first—but he is listening to everything you say. Make sure you don’t ever underestimate a Nuggle. The Nuggle chooses when you are allowed to ride. He chooses when you are allowed to dismount. Nuggles choose if they want to gallop over the water, or swim under it. When they dive, they choose if their Rider shares in their air bubble, or drowns.”
“In other words—Don’t piss him off.”
The horse looked directly into Hugh’s eyes with a mischievous glint, stomped his foot and nodded in agreement.
December 2011
A few days before Christmas, the Irregulars were relaxing in the upstairs apartment of Lafitte’s Tavern, watching the news about an unusual tropical storm forming in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico—when Rikard received a call from some of his staff in the Monoc Plaza Tower. Despite the high security the device had been placed in, the Fomor Weapon had lifted itself about a foot into air, and slowly started to spin.
“Boss, that’s not all. The Fomor Servitor in the holding cell… he’s awake.”
Note: At this point, you are at a “Major Refresh”. You have one additional refresh, and one additional skill point (Your total should now be 37). Additionally, I’d like everyone to update at least one of your seven aspects. Hopefully, there have been events over the past three adventures that have captured your imagination. Imagine how you would like your character’s story to evolve, and take a step in that direction in one or more aspects. Don’t feel bad “retiring” an aspect—those things can still be “true”, but they just aren’t directly relevant to your character’s story at the moment. Some aspects can be quite temporary. For example, Vermalkin would have had the aspect “Hunting for the descendants of Jean Lafitte”, now that he has found one, his story (and his aspects) move on to the next interesting chapter. From a purely practical sense—if you have not tagged an aspect over the course of three adventures, it might be time to look at an update for that reason alone.
As a reminder, I know that a few people are considering picking up “Items of Power”. When you have an item of power, you need to explicitly call it out in one of your aspects. (Don’t think of this as a draw-back—this is a huge advantage. It allows you to invoke that aspect anytime you are using that item, or even make declarations of additional things that your item can do.)]
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