— Sean —
"The night is dark and the day is bright. Both are full of terrors. You may be some of them. Eventually… One day, you might be powerful, unbound, enough to wield the spark of creation on your tongue and fingertips, unchecked by all but reality itself.
"But for now, you are seven searching souls, cast into a side of the world you've never known, Awakened to things better left unknown. Listen closely. Question frequently. Hoard every scrap of knowledge that you can. You will need all the help you can get to survive past the looking glass.
"Welcome to the World of Darkness. You are all Mages. Welcome… to your Ascension."
I spoke to the table. The Dead End was empty except for those I could most confidently call mine. The Dead End crew. Our little extended, found family. Me, Didi, and Alice (of course). Harley and Ivy. Ophis, Simmy, and Hecate. And then Grundy, because the poor guy was starved for stimulation and fulfillment compared to Croc and Freeze, who were content to just be in peace.
Nothing against the Dead End's customers, usual regulars, or noteworthy guests, of course. But tonight was for us. It was Team-Building-and-Bonding night in the Dead End. And for the activity, I chose to make a game out of one of my past lives. It seemed like a fun idea to give the Dead End crew a taste of Magehood in a World of Darkness.
I quickly whipped up a TTRPG system to fit that life. Much of it was… borrowed, I'd freely admit. Peek through the infinite possibilities of existence, and many things could be found. TTRPG versions and systems of just about every world were among them. D&D was obviously the most famous and widespread on a multiversal level. The DC-verse even had a version of it that I'd come across in research.
While that was amusing, considering I had lived in the world of that system, I had to look a bit farther afield for a system to apply to the World of Darkness. The one I'd found fit my memories, though. It could be dark and heavy. It could be out there and ridiculous. At its core, it just felt real — the perfect mix of grounded and unbelievable to reflect the extremes and mundanities of true reality… Life.
Like most dice games, just about anything could happen at the whims of chance and the GM (Storyteller). Combat was dangerous, and death was an ever-present threat. 2-6 people with shotguns somewhere you didn't expect them could fuck up just about anything from the lowest levels to the highest. But more than some pure-combat wargame, the system focused on everything: the characters and relationships, the drama, the mysteries, the wackiness, the livingstories…
Best of all, it seemed preferable for new players to go into the game and their campaign without a complete picture in mind. The questions and journey of discovery were important and maintained by this system. It was a very real strategy to have the players discover the secrets of the world alongside their characters. Which was just perfect for the World of Darkness my players had only heard about through my stories.
I, of course, took up the game's GM position, acting as the night's Storyteller. I'd spent quite a bit of time preparing for tonight and for further sessions down the road. Part of that preparation was working with my players as they created their characters.
By some miracle of coincidence, coordination, or conspiracy, the Dead End had (individually and collectively) decided to play what was essentially a self-insert game. The characters my players created reflected themselves rather well. Not perfectly, but to a humorous degree. I let it slide, thinking it'd be more interesting that way. Not to mention easier for a first game together.
Didi's character was a (soon-to-be-former) nun named 'Maria'. A helper. A witness. A woman who'd seen the worst life had to offer and still held out hope for humanity. She was most focused on Social Attributes and Knowledge Abilities, with high base Charisma and Appearance scores and preexisting skills in Medicine, Culture, Linguistics, and Problem-solving.
Alice's character heavily embodied the self-insert philosophy. She was a runaway rich kid whom Alice dubbed: 'Alice the Damnation'… In a way, the title was appropriate, though. Alice had taken the 'Medium' trait that allowed her to see and commune with spirits. That, of course, also played into her character's backstory in interesting ways…
Harley and Ivy chose to run a shared character at Harley's eager insistence. It was an interesting idea, with their character having honest-to-Didi split personalities that they each controlled. It offered their character — 'Baby/Rose' — the opportunity for internal drama and required them to work together. I allowed it.
Grundy naturally found himself creating a streetwise and well-traveled wanderer named 'Asmodeus'. He was a lonely character without anywhere to call home. I'll admit it tugged at my heartstrings. I had a feeling Grundy would eventually be working through some old traumas with his character. I just hoped I could help.
Hecate's character was… slightly strange. She couldn't play her goddess self for obvious reasons. She decided that the next best thing was a character who thought she was a goddess anyway. Hecate's 'Morgan' took on the name/title/delusion 'THE Morrígan' with the emergence of her magic. And well… we'd just have to wait and see how that played out for her.
Ophis made a NEET. There was no other way to put it. She made a NEET who just wanted to be left alone to sleep named 'Ophy'. It was only with a bit of prodding from me that she added some more depth to Ophy. In the end, Ophy became a Sleep Walker and Oracle as well. That combination had the potential to be… interesting, to say the least.
And finally, Simmy made herself in human form. A young, mute college student named 'Simmy' who was just brimming with curiosity about the world. Natural and supernatural… She wanted every question answered, and after Awakening from a hidden dusty tome, she discovered that there were many more questions to ask than she'd ever anticipated.
I took each player's character and their backstories into account while developing the story I'd tell; to them, through them, and with them. The first session here would be something small and manageable to get everyone together and get the ball rolling. Later on, I had ideas for grand heists, malicious hunters, and schemes in the dark.
But to begin with, the characters would be thrust into a relatively self-contained mystery in the World of Darkness, one I may or may not have encountered in passing. I was looking forward to seeing how they reacted.
"Oh, we're so ready, Gothboy-Storyteller~!" Harley excitedly grinned.
Didi smiled more softly, but with the same excitement, "Come now, Sean. Take us on this adventure."
"[Query: Where?] [Query: Who?] [Query: What?]" Simmy chimed out rapid-fire questions.
"We'll get there, we'll get there," I chuckled and soothed. "Have patience. First, I need to set the scene and address each of your characters individually. And please, don't be afraid to roleplay. It'll only add to the experience."
"As far as tonight is concerned, I AM Alice the Damnation," Alice said, serious as can be.
Simmy tilted her head, "[Simmy (EB) = Simmy (Hu-Mage)…?]"
"That's the spirit of the game," I nodded.
"I do not think… immersion will be… a problem," Grundy slowly and thoughtfully ground out.
"Not with the characters we've made," Ivy agreed.
"I resent that," Hecate sniffed. "THE Morrígan is nothing like me."
"Don't you mount that mantle rather often when divine business takes you to the Emerald Isle?" Didi asked, amused and teasing.
Hecate firmly turned her head. "… I don't see how that's relevant."
"I am… content with my Ophy…" Ophis said softly.
"And I'm glad you are," I smiled back. "Shall we start with you, Ophy?"
She gave an adorable little nod, "Un."
"Very well, it's about 11 in the morning," I began. "And you, Ophy, as I understand it, would much rather be sleeping."
"Un," The nod she gave that statement was single-handedly resolute enough to serve as a universal constant.
"Unfortunately," I continued. "Your apartment is plagued by truly cruel and wicked forces. Construction projects on the street below. Stomping neighbors above. Loud and constant music from next door. As a result, you haven't been sleeping well-…"
"I eat them," Ophis cut me off.
"… Impossible action. Try something else."
"I kill them."
"You don't," I denied, amusement already settling in my bones. Dead End Game Night was a great idea. "You've already been driven out of your bedroom in search of better sleep, after all. I'll let you swear a vendetta against all who ruin your sleep with accursedly loud noises, though."
"That," Ophis nodded. "I do that. I swear. And… look around for a place to sleep, I guess…"
Indulgently, I told her, "Mark it down on your character sheet so you remember it. But for now, you wander until you find a bus stop, just as the bus in question pulls up."
"I get on," Ophis said. "I sleep."
"Darling, please don't sleep on a public bus," Didi cautioned.
"She's certainly in character," Harley snorted.
Ophis pouted slightly, "Fine. I sit and wait and don't sleep."
"The bus proceeds along its regular route. Some enter. Some leave. It seems a perfectly normal bus at first glance. Ophis, can you give me a Perception/Arcane Awareness check?"
"… How?" She asked.
"Well, on your character sheet, your Perception has three dots and your Arcane Awareness has 2. Each dot is one dice, so you'll roll five. This check is a Difficulty 8. Rolls higher than that are considered successes, and rolls lower are considered failures," I explained.
Ophis nodded, collected her dice, and rolled. "… 8, 9, 1, 10, 10."
I paused. I really shouldn't have expected anything less from Ophis, but I'd made the difficulty rather high on purpose. This check wasn't supposed to matter all that much other than giving an initial taste of the game's mechanics. So, of course, she'd gone and blown it out of the water with two successes and two critical successes. Thank Didi for the one botch…
"[Good roll!]" Simmy chimed.
"Very good," I agreed. "The '1' you rolled means I'll discard your lowest success rolled, but that still leaves you with a 9 and two 10s. I'd say you passed the check with flying colors."
Ophis cocked her head slightly, "What does that mean?"
"It means…" I paused for dramatic effect. "On the bus, you notice something very, very strange. As if you were still dreaming. You spy a small group of commuting businessmen. They're all staring out the window without seeing anything. Dead, dead eyes, you think.
"When they get off the bus, you watch all four of them uncannily enter the same alley. The bus pulls forward just in time for you to watch them disappear into an impossible, blue-rimmed, person-sized oval, floating in thin air. On the other side, you see a completely sterile space of pure, uncanny white. A man in black with black shades awaits the dead-eyed businessmen. You can feel his hidden eyes meet yours through the portal."
"I wave," Ophis said.
"… You wave," I sighed. "The man in black doesn't wave back. Just watches. Just memorizes. The portal closes a moment later. No one else on the bus noticed anything."
Ophis frowned slightly, and I could picture her character pulling the exact same expression, "… Rude."
"Yeah, 'rude'…" Alice sighed. "We've got Men in Black to worry about?"
I shot her a wink, but nothing more. It wouldn't do to spoil anything. To Ophis, I continued her journey.
"The bus continues on as if you haven't just witnessed the impossible in passing-…"
"That was impossible?" Ophis asked, genuinely curious and slightly confused.
"Yes, Ophis," I answered indulgently. "Strange portals in random alleyways are somewhat out of the norm. Your Ophy has never seen anything like it. Not awake, at least…"
"Oh…"
"Gotta admit, Gothboy-Storyteller," Harley giggled. "Our perceptions and expectations of 'normal' are kinda skewed."
"I'm coming to realize that," Still, I pushed on. "Nevertheless, Ophy, you stay on the bus until it comes to a stop somewhere you vaguely recognize. A vast, square, and brutal building awaits you should you decide to get off here. The Gateway Mall. Suddenly, you remember that malls can have mattress stores."
Ophis perked up like a shot from a gun, "I get off the bus."
"So you do," I nodded. "The Gateway is as large as you are small. Almost completely bare concrete walls stretch either way until you can't see the corners. You can't quite remember a mall being here, but then, you don't get out much, do you?"
Ophis nodded, but Hecate drawled dryly, "Well, that's not suspicious at all."
"Big, brutal, barely memorable building… Ophy, I would suggest-…" Ivy began to warn.
"Irrelevant," Ophis cut her off. "Ophy goes where the mattresses live."
"She's… made her choice," Grundy said.
"And in respect to that, I'm going to make this rather easy," I chuckled. "Ophis, give me a Perception/Intuition roll, please? Difficulty 4."
"4, 7, 5, 4, 4, 9." Ophis listed off her roll.
I nodded, "All successes. You find your desired haven. It's featured rather prominently in the mall. Upon entering, you see beds and mattresses as far as your eyes can see."
"Heaven…" Ophis muttered in humorously earnest awe. "Can I roll Perception and Intuition again to find the best one?"
"Sure," I indulged her. "Difficulty 6."
"3, 9, 9, 7, 8, 10," Ophis preened.
"You immediately find a mattress that's just right for you," I narrated. "It's soft with support, wide enough to roll around on, and untouched where it's tucked away in a corner of the store. I assume you're going to fall asleep right then and there?"
Ophis nodded firmly, "Automatic success."
Chuckling, I agreed, "I'll allow it. But remember… You have the Sleep Walker trait. There's really no telling what your unconscious mind will get up to…"
"This is a risk Ophy is willing to take," Ophis softly declared.
Satisfied with Ophis's resting point, I turned to another player, "Alice, you're already inside the Gateline Mall."
Alice pulled a pained expression, "I'm already there? I don't get a choice? Or even the illusion of one?"
I smirked and shook my head, "Alice the Damnation is a teenager, on a late Thursday morning, without any obligations to school or the like. You're at the mall."
"Wonderful…" Alice grumbled.
"And hold up, wasn't it called something slightly different than 'Gateline' just a few moments ago?" Harley asked.
"Was it~? Anyways~…" I played innocent as only a Storyteller could be before moving right along without giving any concrete answers, "Alice, where would your 'Alice' be hanging out in the mall? Foodcourt? Discount Hot Topic? A game store of some kind?"
"Preferably anywhere else…" She muttered. "Crap. Bookstore. Is there a bookstore?"
"There may just be," I confirmed. "It's a medium-sized place called 'Jenny's and Royal'. Half of it seems to be given over to some franchise, and the other half seems to be a more… personal project. In the front, you find best sellers and prize winners. As you venture deeper, however, you stop readily recognizing the titles on display."
Alice quietly took in my description for a moment, "… Can I roll for Perception? Intuition? Occult? Anything I can aim at the mall as a whole to try and figure out what the fuck is going on here?"
"Hmm~…" I hummed, then grinned. "Impossible action."
"Impossible because there's nothing to notice or because I couldn't notice anything no matter how hard I try…?" Alice asked warily.
"Yes."
"… That's a bust, then," Alice yielded to my mystery for now, but she didn't seem happy about it. "Alice would like to look around in the back of the bookstore. All those titles she doesn't readily recognize. Can I roll Perception/Occult here?"
"You wander the bookshelves toward the back of the store. They're packed tightly there, but still kept clean and tidy. You don't see a soul other than yourself. No one else is brave enough to venture deeper," I narrated before nodding. "Now, roll for Perception/Occult."
"That's 3 dice…" Alice thought aloud to herself, wincing as her rolls came in. "… 1, 8, 1."
"You don't notice a damn thing," I laughed. "Why would you? They're just books. In an otherwise well-lit and busy shopping mall. In fact, as you're searching so keenly for… something, you end up knocking quite a few books to the ground. Then, you hear someone approach the mess you've made."
"Shit, shit, Alice tries to clean up the books before she gets into some kind of trouble," Alice narrated her character's actions.
"You get a few books back into place, but not all. A young woman in her late twenties finds you like that. She wears a long, fashionable purple dress with purple-colored contacts in her eyes to match. Her hair is cut in a short bob, and her expression is one of concern," I said.
'Hello…?' The woman half-greets, half-asks. 'Are you okay? I heard a bit of noise back here.'
'I'm fine! Shit-! Sorry, I'm fine!' Alice replies. 'I'll clean all of this up, don't worry!'
'Oh, it's just a bit of a mess,' The woman waves. 'You don't have to. It's my job, after all. I'm Jenny. The, uh… half-owner…? All of this back here is mine, at least.'
Alice politely laughs along with Jenny, 'Congrats? Again, sorry, I was just looking for… something. I don't really know what. Whatever caught my interest, I guess?'
Jenny examines her more closely, humming to herself, 'Yes… something to catch the interest of a girl like you… I think I may have a few things in the back if you're still interested.'
Alice stares for a moment, 'Uh… yeah…? I mean, I don't have anything better to be doing at the moment.'
'Then, come along, child,' Jenny beckons and almost seems to glide away.
"I-… Alice follows," Alice said. "Can I-… Can I… listen…? For something that can't quite be heard?"
I genuinely grinned at that, "You want to open your ears to any spirits that may or may not be lingering around Jenny and the back of her bookstore~?"
Alice nodded, "Yeah, Alice is a Medium. Might as well put it to good use."
"And since you are…" I paused. "Simply listening or looking for spirits is an automatic success."
I continued, "Your third eye and your fourth ear creep open. Just a crack. Just enough for a peek, a whisper. So as you follow Jenny into the back, a few choice books speak words straight from their pages."
'Damned and doomed…' A simple paperback whispers with dread.
'-The summoning ritual is a multi-stage endurance test of mind, will, and soul-…' A hefty leather tome purrs.
'Once you start, you cannot stop. Once you see, you cannot look away. Once you hear, you cannot muffle the voices…' An old, unmarked hardcover rasps.
'Nice, uh… Nice place you have back here,' Alice says.
Jenny laughs, 'It serves me well. Keeps the boredom away. The steady flow of capitalism can just be so, so dull~…'
"Alice is going to keep her senses open, but try to ignore everything that isn't jumping out at her," Alice declared.
"And you're mostly successful," I said with a nod. "You're well used to the whispers, aren't you, Alice? They drove you from the safe life you once knew, didn't they? They're constantly floating around you, whether you wish to listen or not…
"Jenny leads you into the back room. It's less than an office, but more than a reading nook. A few pages of genuine parchment lie on a desk to the side, alongside ink and a feathered quill. And a glass-doored bookshelf waits for Jenny to open it."
'Hmm,' Jenny hums. 'You're rather new to all of this, aren't you, child?'
'New…? New to what, exactly?' Alice asks.
Jenny doesn't directly answer, simply nodding to herself, 'I think I have just the thing. A primer. An introduction. The foundation of past experiences for a future peer, perhaps? Yes, Barnabus's writings shall do you some good, pretentious and dramatic man that he was. Do be sure to mind his prejudices. It was a different time, yes?'
'Uh… yes…?' Alice doesn't quite know what to say to that.
"Jenny opens her locked bookshelf and retrieves a small book. It's a slim and personal, leatherbound thing. A journal. Here, the whispers of Spirit do jump out at you. But it's already too late. Jenny hands you the journal," I narrated.
"In your mind's eye, the black leather binding melts until it stains the pages ink-black. A spark of given life clings to the words recorded within," I continued. "A chill runs down your spine as you realize something. Once, someone loved this journal. Once, it was their pride, their joy, their constant companion, and their life's work. Now… It's yours."
"Fuck…" Alice was already so immersed in the game that she didn't seem to realize she was still speaking in character.
"Oh, we just love a haunted journal," Ivy dryly remarked.
"A boon… A danger…" Grundy droned.
"We'll just have to wait and see," Didi smiled at the obvious fun Alice was having.
"It's as good a place as any for a burgeoning mage to begin, though not without its risks, of course," Hecate commented.
"Do you dare open it?" I asked Alice as the Storyteller. "Do you dare go even farther? Read it? Study it? Perhaps even take notes in the margins of cursive script and spirit that lingers?"
"Alice-… I dare," Alice nodded. "I'll find a secluded corner of the mall and start reading."
"I expected nothing less," I nodded. "This will be an extended action, and I'll need two checks from you to start, and then one more when we come back to you. Intelligence/Occult and Wits/Intuition, please. Difficulty 7 for the first and 8 for the second."
"5, 8, 5, 6 for the first," Alice winced slightly.
"One success, at least," I reassured her.
"And 8, 8, 9, 5, 1, 2, 2 for the second."
"Three successes, with the botch discounting one. Still, two successes."
"H-How'd I do?" Alice asked nervously.
"Not great, not terrible," I said honestly. "But you'll have to wait to find out any of the specifics. Simmy, I think you'll be up next, though."
"[Excitement!]" Simmy chimed like the crystalline chimes of a grandmother's front porch.
"Very good," I chuckled. "Your 'Simmy' is a student at the local university, isn't she? How did she come to stumble upon the darker side of the world?"
"[Exposition!]" Simmy chimed again.
"Yes… Yes, I can see it now…" I began. "A few too many late-night study sessions… A certain call from the back of the library…
"You grew curious. Nosy, even. One night, you dared to set aside your schoolwork and venture deeper. Past the well-traveled stacks and study spaces. Past intimidatingly heavy encyclopedias and fat reference books. Past volumes upon volumes of biographies that no one had picked up for years.
"The dust lingered more and more around you, hanging like minute fairies in the air where you disturbed it. Still, you continued. The university's library shouldn't have been so deep, so extensive, so unexplored.
"Printed and machined books turned handwritten, handbound. Then they turned to tomes and even scrolls. Priceless relics that had no place in the world you knew, the world you walked every day. The library's silence was Law, one you abided by both choice and nature. But still, you couldn't help but feel like you weren't alone in this impossible space.
"Eventually, you came upon a nook, ancient and hidden. A labyrinth of shelves extended in all directions, but there was a desk there… and signs of life. Research materials were strewn across the desk's surface. On one piece of parchment, the ink hadn't even completely dried. The one responsible could return at any time, and yet… you couldn't stop yourself from taking a peek.
"You learned the impossible there. Just a tiny sliver of it, laid out academically and systemically in a way you could recognize. You found it wasn't much different than studying for your harder classes.
"Only, instead of physics, it was metaphysics. Instead of geometry, it was impossible fractals and sacred numbers. Instead of physical anatomy, it was the anatomy of the soul. Instead of the agreed-upon lies of history, it was truth."
"You stayed there for an hour, a minute, a day, and a second," I narrated. "But no matter the time you didn't feel pass, all too soon, you heard someone approaching. You panicked slightly, didn't you? Made yourself scarce and backtracked as best you could until you emerged into the light of day you knew, a whole night having passed you by. But your only regret… was that you didn't take one of the sacred pieces of impossible knowledge for yourself."
"[… Awe!][Query: Is this what imagination is like?]" Simmy asked, her wings fluttering ecstatically.
"That it is, darling," Ivy chuckled. "You're a part of this story now."
"[Request: Learn more!]" Simmy dinged.
"Yes… That is the purpose and motivation behind your Awakening, isn't it?" I asked Simmy (the character). "That is the quest you've given yourself. The world is larger than you ever knew. And you want to learn every little mystery it has to offer…"
"[Affirmative.]" Simmy nodded resolutely.
"But first-!" I said suddenly and rather jarringly. "You find yourself hungry and in the neighborhood. Would you like to stop by the Questgate Mall's food court for a bite to eat?"
"Another new name for it…" Alice grumbled.
"[Mystery?]" Simmy asked.
"You'll just have to explore for yourself and see," I teased with practically twinkling eyes.
Simmy barely even had to process her answer after that, "[Affirmative.][Simmy enters the Questgate Mall.]"
"We should just be calling it 'The Mall', at this point," Didi joked.
Harley cocked her head, "You haven't been? I've been calling it 'The Mall' since that first generic-ass name."
I turned to the next player, "Hecate. Your 'Morgan' works in the Archgate Mall, doesn't she?"
"I suppose she must…" Hecate let out a little sigh before fiercely declaring. "But no longer! And no longer will she go by such a pedestrian name, ill-fitting for a goddess! She is THE Morrígan!"
"So you're quitting your retail job in one of the mall's clothing stores?" I clarified.
"Indeed, with magic at her fingertips, THE Morrígan has no need for such petty mortal concerns as 'money' or 'rent'!"
"We'll see how that works out for you," I chuckled. "But for now, help me picture the scene of your new beginning. Did you quit loudly and proudly in public or quietly in the back room? Did you cut all ties and likely give yourself a terrible reference for future jobs? Did things get violent at all?"
"Loudly, proudly, and publicly," Hecate sniffed. "With only a little bit of violence."
I smirked, "Let's see then… Your boss is named 'Josh'. An odious, painfully skinny man who lets what little power he has as a single-store manager go straight to his head."
"Josh…" Hecate growled, already completely in character.
"But what was the final straw?" I wondered aloud. "Did he purposefully and deceitfully tell you that you hadn't clocked in properly after already working a full shift? Did he favor your simple-minded and easily controlled coworkers over you? Did he make untoward advances? Or was it simply all the little things, all… too… much…?"
'It doesn't matter anymore! I QUIT!' Morgan shouted, her voice heard clear across the store and even into the mall's main thoroughfare.
'Y-You can't just quit," Josh the Weasel sputtered. 'I-I-… I won't let you! There are systems in place for a reason, Morgan! Write your two-week notice, if necessary, but for now, get back to your post before I write you up and dock your pay for the day!'
'NO…' Morgan snarled.
"I'd like to roll for magic," Hecate said. "Forces is my primary sphere, and the one I think would fit best here."
"That wretch of a man certainly deserves it," Ivy snorted.
"For magic, you only roll your Arete score," I explained. "And that is…?"
"3," Hecate answered. "I took as much magic as I could, of course."
"As you do," I nodded in understanding. "Now, this sounds like it'll be the most vulgar of magicks. It'll go against what the people of the world think is possible. But since this is your first attempt and your emotions are heightened, I'll let it be a Difficulty 5 roll. You will, however, accumulate a point or two of Paradox upon success.
"And for future reference, the world — or 'Consensus' as it's properly called — actively doesn't like vulgar and blatant magic. It's best to make your magic at least seem possible or explainable to those who might witness it."
"I shall keep that in mind," Hecate allowed. "But THE Morrígan will not."
"Oh, that's just beautifully in character~…" I chuckled. "Go ahead and roll for a magical effect. Forces, you said?"
"I did," Hecate nodded before preening as her results came in. "10, 3, 7."
"Two successes, with one being a 10," I recounted. "The world crumbles before your raised emotions and willpower. What do you envision happening here?"
"I want Josh…" Hecate growled the name. "To suffer. Not die, perhaps, but make his next few months of pitiful existence painful. THE Morrígan envisions twisting, boiling blood and a force of crushing weight like Josh's poor excuse for management."
"It's a sudden thing," I narrated. "But Josh collapses like a puppet with its strings cut. He slams onto the store floor with a sickening crack as cheap linoleum fails to support his new weight. Gravity and pressure make him unable to even writhe. His lungs lock up, unable to utter a sound. For just a moment, blood rushes from his every orifice. Then… there is only silence."
Harley let out a low whistle, "Daaammmnnn, Morgan…"
"You're far from the only one to witness the impossible development," I continued. "The scene you were making beforehand wasn't subtle. Your former coworkers and a few customers were watching from the sidelines. As far as they can tell, you never touched him. But that doesn't change the man crushed at your feet."
'Oh, God!' Someone shouts.
'Someone call 911!' Another yells.
'Don't touch him, don't touch him! You'll only make things worse!' A third frantically instructs.
"Josh makes a tiny noise up at you, barely a gurgle," I said. "Somehow, you know that you were the cause. So… what now?"
"THE Morrígan does exactly what she's been claiming she would," Hecate dismissively declared. "She quits. She doesn't wait for anyone to try and stop her, simply leaving with her head held high. There was no crime, in her mind. Nothing that could come back to her. Just the justice of an enraged goddess."
"Roll for Manipulation/Stealth," I requested.
"6, 8, 8, 10, 9, 2," Hecate proudly replied.
"Yes, you certainly get away from the scene, get away from your prison," I narrated. "That was always your intention. You slip away, utterly unnoticed in the chaos. The store's cameras don't even catch a glimpse. And miraculously, Josh's body lies in their blind spots as well. Only inherently fallible eyewitnesses can tell the tale. How do you feel about everything that just happened as you disappear into the rest of the mall?"
"Good~…" Hecate grinned. "Vindicated. Her suffering has been avenged. And she knows she was responsible, even if the world does not. For once in her life, she is powerful. Perhaps that taste goes to her head. A seed is planted in her snapped mind. The seed of a goddess. The seed of THE Morrígan…"
I nodded, "And we'll come back to you to see how that seed grows. Harley? Ivy? Your shared character is up next."
"Goody, goody~!" Harley cheered.
"I think we've already had our 'Awakening' event," Ivy pointed out.
"You have," I confirmed. "You wouldn't be two in the skin of one without it. Please, tell the table how such a startlingly rare development came about."
"Rose was — is — a private investigator," Ivy said. "Sane. Normal. Effective. But already at least somewhat aware of the darker side of the world through her chosen career. She'd certainly seen things she couldn't explain…"
"'Rose'… is the original?" Grundy asked.
"They're both the original!" Harley fiercely claimed. "Just different expressions of her!"
"But yes," Ivy still answered as well. "'Rose' is her birth name. 'Baby' came later."
"[Query: How?]" Simmy earnestly and curiously asked.
"That was your first bit of magic, wasn't it?" I clarified. "The first working of your Awakening… You took your stressed and fractured mind and forged it anew in two. Baby joined Rose to cope with what you've seen, your most recent case…"
"Yeppers~!" Harley exclaimed. "Terrible thing, that. She was hired for a missing persons case. A pair of twins, gone without a trace..."
Ivy picked up from there, "She tracked them to an abandoned asylum on the edge of town."
Didi's lips twitched. "Fitting."
"There were ghosts all up in that place, she's sure," Harley said. "Cruel spirits, oh, woe!"
Ivy rolled her eyes. "Yes, cruel spirits. And two of them were the twins she was looking for. She pleaded for them to pass on in peace. But it seems that before they did, they left their mark on her."
"Mind magic did the rest," Harley explained. "True split personalities — DID — and not just in a sociocognitive sense. No social construct, no learned behavior, just two genuine, unique, coexisting personalities in one brain."
"And how has this unique Awakening affected Rose and Baby?" I asked.
"She's coping," Ivy claimed. "Fortunately, Rose and Baby seem to get along well. She's still able to perform at normalcy and sanity. She settled her last case in tragedy, to be sure, but the only thing she can do is keep pushing forward. As such, she's taken on a new case already."
Harley shrugged, "A pair of girls still gotta eat. Still gotta pay rent. Still gotta live, ya know?"
"Quite," I grinned. "Your new case isn't one of missing people, but of missing property. Things have been going missing in the Gatepart Mall for as long as anyone can remember. No clues, no evidence, no sign of how it could've happened other than the sudden absences.
"Someone hired you onto the missing trails, but you don't know who. They gave no name. The number they called from was a burner when you checked. And you couldn't even tell if they were a concerned citizen or a business owner. All you know is that something fishy — perhaps even impossible… — is going on in the Mall."
"Baby and Rose are on the case!" Harley declared.
"There's gotta be a reason all of the names for the mall have 'gate' in them…" Alice muttered.
"Can we say we've been interviewing the witnesses already?" Ivy asked.
I nodded, "Sure. It'll be an extended action, though, taking up the rest of your turn. Just give me a check for Wits/Investigation. Difficulty 6."
Harley rolled and whooped, "9, 8, 9, 4, 9!"
"Yeah, you smashed that one," I freely admitted. "Once you started interviewing people in the mall, word spread quickly. Then, victims of the mysterious thefts came out of the woodwork."
'It was the damnedest thing…' A mother said. 'I looked away for just a moment, and when I looked back, the stroller was missing, but my baby was resting comfortably on the bench next to me. She was even swaddled up and sleeping blissfully, not a hair out of place!'
'-And then, my cane was simply gone between one step and the next,' A lively older man claimed. 'Never heard of a pickpocket that slick…'
'Someone keeps takin' my damn cigarettes,' A testy and heavyset mallcop grumbled. 'Can't set a pack of 'em down nowhere, not even for a second. When I catch the meddlesome kids responsible, I'mma give 'em the whooping their daddy's should be.'
'Strangely enough,' A cooperative store manager said. 'The stock in the back is always untouched, but anything you leave lying around in the breakroom seems to be fair game.'
'I think they've taken a few of the mall's cameras, to be honest,' A mall administrator mused aloud. 'And those are obviously bolted in place. Taking them out early would make future thefts easier, though, I suppose.'
'Oh, they love the Warpick 20k miniatures,' A game store employee noted with some amusement. 'Methinks our thieves have to be nerds like me. Don't tell my boss, but I'd do the same if I could get away with it. Along with more than a few paints… Highway robbery, dude. Highway robbery.'
"Hmm, indiscriminate thefts, then," Ivy considered aloud. "I can't see any sort of pattern."
"Not in the choice, but there's a pattern in the method," Harley noted. "All of it sounds pretty impossible to my ears. There's no 'Selina, Goddess of Thieves' here to be snatching shit right out from under people's noses."
"Suspicious, suspicious, indeed~…" I teased. "But as I said, that'll be your turn. Grundy, my man, you're up next."
"I am… prepared…" Grundy said slowly, but there was an undercurrent of excitement and enjoyment to his usual grinding monotone.
"I'll bet you are, big man," I chuckled. "Like Alice and Hecate, your 'Asmodeus' is going to start already in the Gatespace Mall. But unlike them, you're… tucked away somewhere you won't easily be found. Your drifting takes you many places, doesn't it? And unfortunately, you can't always find space to rest your head. Here, however, you've managed to stow away in the back halls of the mall. It isn't much. But it is warm and private and there are even facilities for you to use if you're sneaky enough."
"This… is fine…" Grundy nodded. "Asmodeus… does not need… much. He's already seen… enough…"
"What've you seen?" I asked. "What terrible or blessed things keep such an experienced man up at night?"
"Nightwalkers… and beasts that rage in the moonlight…" Grundy began, showing that he remembered my stories from the World of Darkness. "Impossible happenings… that leave Asmodeus wary… of the world."
"And you have good reason to be wary," I agreed. "It's kept you alive for so long. It… and a little bit of help from fortune itself when you've needed it most.
"Asmodeus… will never turn his back… on luck…" Grundy said. "It is his magic… He's only now… coming to know it… as such…"
"What changed?"
"Mage… He met a true mage…"
"And how did that turn out for you?"
"Well… and not… The mage controlled entropy… decay… unbecoming… as easily as breathing. Saw that Asmodeus… was like him. Asmodeus was then… formally introduced… to magic."
"Yet you're on your own now," I noted. "No mentor in sight."
"He left Gru-… Asmodeus… As everyone does…" Grundy said, his voice coming soft and slow. "This is fine… He endures."
"Know that we'll never leave you behind, Grundy," Didi cut in to say. "Never."
"Grundy… knows…" He gave a simple nod that still managed to convey his overwhelming gratitude.
"Well, as alone as you may be, Asmodeus," I said, picking the narration back up. "You're at least confident in your current safety. It's more than you could've said for some points in your drifting life. Here in the back of the mall, you're warm and dry, and no one's come to run you out just yet. How would you like to begin your day?"
"Asmodeus will… look to clean himself… without attracting undue attention…" Grundy decided.
"A wise decision," I nodded. "Life adrift is no easy thing. You've learned to take every opportunity you can get to keep yourself feeling 'human'. Cleanliness is a big part of that. You stand from your claimed alcove in the back halls of the mall and begin trying to make your way to a bathroom of some kind, preferably a private one where a seven-foot-tall man can bathe in peace.
"Grundy, I'd like you to roll a Perception/Intuition check for me. Difficulty 6."
"Uh… oh…" Grundy murmured, but complied. "… 1, 2, 6, 10…"
"The hallways in the back of the mall seem to twist and turn to your senses, running impossibly longer than they should," I narrated. "Every wall looks the same. Every corner seems familiar, as if you'd already passed it thrice. It's not quite quiet, but the buzz of air conditioning only adds to the eerie atmosphere.
"Not a single soul walks those halls other than you. There should be… something. The sound of distant footsteps. Chatter drifting through the walls. Anything that might be construed as a sign of life. But there's only an ever-present buzz that you're beginning to feel in your bones…
"Eventually, by some miracle, you do find your way. Just not where you originally intended to go… There's a single dead end in the back halls. Here, you see your first sign that humanity didn't suddenly go extinct while you slept.
"There's a perimeter of… scientific equipment, as far as you can tell. Sensors, cameras, and meters of some kind, all pointing outward from a single door at the end of the hallway.
"And behind the secured perimeter stands a man. He doesn't look like any mallcop you've ever known. No, he looks professional, clad in black with inky shades taking the place of his eyes. He's painfully nondescript and intimidating, like he would've been more at home guarding the president than some door impossibly deep in a mall's back halls. And with nowhere for you to hide, he's already noticed you…"
'You shouldn't be here,' The professional simply says.
'I don't want… any trouble…' Asmodeus replies.
The professional's shade-covered eyes pierce Asmodeus to his core, 'No. You shouldn't be here. You can't be.'
He speaks into a communication device in his ear, 'Sir? We've got a wanderer… Yes, Sir. Sensors say he's real? Not another figment? Yes, Sir, right away.'
"Asmodeus… would like to make himself… scarce, right about now…" Grundy said.
"Will you resist physically or try to talk your way out?" I asked.
"… Physical resistance… unfortunately," Grundy rumbled.
I nodded, "The professional leaves his post by the door and begins to approach you. Behind him, the door creeps open. You see eerie, sterile whiteness, dotted with even more scientific equipment. Computers, mostly. Supercomputers, even. The kind you might expect to see in some sci-fi/horror movie alongside studying scientists before everything goes so wrong…"
'I'm gonna have to ask you to come with me, man,' The professional says. 'Don't do anything stupid now.'
"Asmodeus… does something stupid," Grundy deadpanned.
I smirked, "Roll for initiative, then. 1d10 and the result is added to your combined Dexterity/Wits score. You need to beat a 6+3 to 'move' first."
"… 9. Plus 3 as well… 12," Grundy reported.
"Just as the professional is drawing something from a holster on his hip — not a gun, but a taser? Perhaps something… more… — You successfully strike first," I narrated. "Roll me a Strength/Brawl check, will you? Difficulty 8."
Grundy nodded stoically as his roll came in, "… 3, 10, 7, 2, 4, 6."
"One success, but it's a 10, at least," Alice commented.
"Lashing out as the professional comes close, you snag his arm in your hand and prevent him from fully drawing whatever weapon he might wield," I said. "He struggles against you, but your strength holds fast. Realizing he won't get anywhere on that front, he punches you with his other hand."
'Don't be stupid!' He shouts.
"Roll to soak damage, please," I requested. "The dice pool is equal to the dots you have in Stamina. Difficulty 6."
"3 and 10…"
"The professional's fist slams into your chin. Your head doesn't even rock. You don't even flinch," I narrated. "Big and intimidating as he is, you've still got half a foot on the professional and a good 30 pounds of muscle, to boot. Now, will you strike back or try and grapple him down?"
"Grapple…" Grundy quickly decided.
"Another Strength/Brawl check, then," I said. "Difficulty 7. The professional is already slightly shaken by you just shrugging off his punch."
"… 10, 8, 6, 6, 9, 5. I… wrestle him… to the ground… Go for a sleeper… hold…"
"The professional struggles like a wounded animal in a deathgrip, but he can't overpower you. In mere moments, you have him on the ground, your hold unshakable. He tries to throw his head back into your nose, but you get your arms around his neck first. You squeeze…"
"1…! 2…! 3…!" Harley helpfully counted like a wrestling ref. "He's outta there!"
"He is," I nodded. "His body slowly goes limp in your grip. He won't be getting up any time soon. But another professional is already hurrying out towards you. This one has plenty of time to draw his weapon, and you see it's a stun baton of some description, visibly and impossibly sparking with electricity like no taser you've ever seen. Will you stand your ground?"
"Asmodeus is… wise…" Grundy slowly shook his head. "Asmodeus will… run…"
"Nigerundayo~!" Harley cheered.
"I think that'll be two checks, then," I said. "Dexterity/Athletics for the first, to see if you get away. Difficulty 7. And then Perception/Alertness, to see if you're followed. Difficulty 6."
"8, 6, 8, 4… and 3, 1, 8, 1, 8…" Grundy reported.
"You manage to get to your feet and bolt," I said. "But as you run through the impossible labyrinth of back hallways, you can still hear the second professional hot on your heels. Even as you pull away, he follows… They — whoever they are — won't let you get away easily. Even when you burst into the mall's public spaces… You know you aren't safe."
"But that cliffhanger is where we'll leave your 'Asmodeus' for now," I chuckled.
"Asmodeus… has decided… he hates scientists… and 'professionals'…" Grundy slowly declared.
"Especially when their spooky asses are in the spooky-ass back halls of a spooky-ass mall…" Alice muttered.
"[Mystery Mall: status still unknown…]" Simmy mused aloud.
Finally, I turned to my Death, "Now, Didi, last but never least, your 'Maria' has had an interesting week, hasn't she?"
"Oh, joy, my turn!" Didi eagerly clapped. "She has, indeed. A few nights ago, she sat with a man as he died. And while that isn't too unusual for her, everything that's come after has been."
I nodded at her agreed-upon backstory, "You were there for him in his final moments, and now, something's changed. Life's just a little bit more, isn't it? You can't help but notice the contrast. Light and dark, life and death. Both sides are just that much more vibrant, but… is there even a distinct boundary between them to begin with?"
"Maria isn't so sure anymore," Didi replied. "It's a complicated thing, and she's spent all of her time recently pondering it. Not that it's stopped her from helping people in need, of course."
"Of course," I agreed. "Maria is a gentle, selfless, and charitable soul. Nothing will change that. But now, she has questions about the world she's never thought of before.
"The dying man; he spoke of Traditions, of Orders, of organizations you've never perceived. He welcomed his death, his passing from one life to the next. He saw something in you, something to be Awakened… And at his end, he slit his own wrists and poured his remaining lifeblood into a cup he entrusted to you. Even now, days later, you haven't been able to bring yourself to throw it out, have you?"
"It seems… significant, in a way Maria can't comprehend," Didi reflected. "She's been almost standing vigil over it, even after the body it came from had already been cremated."
"It's just a simple paper cup," I described. "But somehow, the vessel hasn't gone soggy. Somehow, the blood hasn't gone stale or coagulated at all. It even seems to pulse with Life as if still flowing through a beating heart. And where you should smell iron and death, the scent of the freely given blood has only brought love and despair, dance and rest, respect and loathing to mind throughout your vigil — Life."
"It's a curious thing," Didi mused. "Maria's sisters in faith would call it unnatural. Unholy, even. But she can't bring herself to feel the same. In fact, she even feels the strangest urge to drink-…"
"Alright, before you run away with things," I interrupted with a chuckle. "There's a knock at your door. It's one of your sisters in faith, an older woman named Lynn."
'Hello, Maria, how are you holding up?' Lynn greets with a kind smile and a question.
Maria successfully hides the subject of her vigil, smiling back, 'I'm as well as I can be, I think. Apologies for being so distant recently. I can resume my usual duties at any time-…'
'No, no,' Lynn shakes her head. 'You're selfless to a fault, Maria. Some of the other sisters and I have been talking. We think it would be best if you take some time for yourself, considering how shaken you've seemed. We will cover your charities and duties, of course, but I must earnestly suggest that you take some time to find and steady yourself.'
'Well…' Maria considers the suggestion. 'If you insist… I suppose even we need breaks every now and again.'
"After Lynn leaves, Maria is going to indulge her strange urge," Didi said firmly, eyes twinkling in interest at her questionable course. "Call it a-… what was the word you used, Sean…? Seeking?"
"Yeah, a Seeking," I nodded. "It's rather bold for a newly Awakened mage to dive right into one, but I'll allow it. You give in to your urge. You drink the Lifeblood."
"This will not end poorly at all," Ivy deadpanned.
"[Vampire…?]" Simmy curiously asked.
"Surprisingly, no," I freely answered. "Blood may be their main domain, but mages can utilize and revere it, too."
"Didi," I turned back to the game. "I'm going to need you to give me three checks: Intelligence/Cosmology at Difficulty 7, Intelligence/Enigmas at Difficulty 6, and Perception/Arcane Awareness at Difficulty 7."
Didi nodded and rolled as required.
"7, 6, 2, 3."
"2, 2, 8, 7, 3."
"And… 7, 8, 3, 6, 10."
"Very good, very good," I nodded before setting the stage for Didi's Seeking. "It doesn't taste like blood should as it trickles down your throat. It's sweet and savory, bitter and salty, refreshing and unsatisfying all at once. But most of all, it tastes alive. Warmth spreads outward from your very soul, and every aspect of the world, every aspect of Life comes into sharp focus.
"There is no sudden enlightenment. There is no vision of a grand design. All you know is Life, in all its little stories and details. Just past your door, you start to hear a retreating heartbeat. Immediately, you recognize it as Lynn's. All of her condensed into a steady, pumping beat.
"Your awareness spreads farther, and you hear the same from the rest of your sisters in faith. You hear those they're tending to as well, some injured, some simply hungry and lost. Farther and farther, more and more heartbeats reach your ears. Yet each is unique. You have no trouble telling them apart.
"A salaryman going out for lunch, lamenting over the deadlines he isn't likely to meet. A class of schoolchildren on a field trip, so brimming with youthful excitement and wonder. A taxi driver, going through a painful divorce. A group of teenagers, skipping school for an early weekend. Even a wretched addict, itching for their next fix of blood, so unlike the kind you drank.
"In the distance, one heartbeat reaches your ears. It's stronger and deeper than the others as it seems to echo through this world and the next. It beats a story of twisting back hall and bustling main thoroughfares, and so many distinct heartbeats within. Six of them speak the loudest to your Seeking ears: one dreaming, one studying, one exploring, one growing, one investigating, and one fleeing…"
A grin spread wide across Didi's face. "I'd like to go toward that heartbeat, please."
"So you do," I couldn't help but grin with her. "Leaving the safety of your room, your existence, and trekking across the city to the Heartgate Mall. As you arrive, as you step through its doors, the whole world seems to pulse and beat. And every heartbeat beyond its walls suddenly falls silent to your Seeking ears…"
[To be continued…]
IIIII
[AN (written for my Patreons, but kept the same here for posterity and convenience): Alright, this chapter took longer than I expected. Not only was it heftier in word count than I anticipated, it also required quite a bit of prep work before I could even start writing. Even if the game didn't need to be actually 'played', I still had to create seven whole character sheets (even if they were mostly SI characters for the Dead End crew) + think up this starting campaign ('Chronicle' by World of Darkness terms) + essentially DM and play this whole thing in writing the chapter lol.
So this is only about half of what I had in mind for the first Dead End Game Night. I'm going to be starting on the second half first thing tomorrow morning. Essentially, we're getting a double-feature for Dead End chapters this week. Part 2 will hopefully come quicker than this first one.
There's also likely to be more Game Night chapters in the future (thankfully, my prep work for this chapter can carry over to them). Probably not all in a row, but session-focused chapters here and there between the usual stories and shenanigans. I think Game Nights fit the Dead End really well.
And in other news, I'm also really liking this arrangement/format for the story, treating it more episodic than continuous and all. That change has probably saved my motivation for the Dead End. Every two weeks or so, I can take a break from my main story focus (Still 'Ser Ciaphas' for now, and probably a return to KYBERPUNK after that) and write some silly bar stories and slice-of-OP-life content. It's almost restorative. I hope you're all enjoying the variety as well :]