The game started this evening with my dad walking by the room and saying, “Good luck to Teddy as he faces the forces of darkness,” which was overheard in the chat, causing everyone to laugh and ask if that was our son.
“No!” we said. “It’s my dad/father in law!”
“Oh!” they said. “Would he like to play?” ::laughs::
One of our players has had to drop out, so we’ve got a new character, Caliope Baxter, a disgraced socialite who now studies parapsychology and whose presence Lord Summerset, the classist bastard that he is, raked over the coals to make sure her credentials were suitable. After determining that she passed his muster…
Summerset: Dylan? Teddy? How do you feel?
Dylan: I’m fine with her.
Teddy: I feel fine, thank you!
Summerset, as we all break down into giggles: No, Teddy, no, I’m asking your opini… you know what, great, Teddy is on board.
We managed to get to a character, Zahra, whom we’ve been needing to talk to for a very long time. She is, of course, the cousin of the kid Evelyn the socialite beat the shit out of last session. Summerset is trying to talk around everything while our new party member, Caliope, is listening carefully to see what she’s gotten herself into.
Teddy, helping to clarify that because Summerset is being too circumspect with Zahra: We are in search of a great evil which we fear will destroy the world, so we must destroy it first!
Zahra: but my cousin?
Summerset: we did not harm your cousin
Teddy: Of course not! We were only going to bring him to a farm upstate!
The rest of the party: 😱
Summerset: …SO WE ALSO HEAR YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A SHIP WE ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN
Zahra: Did the ship leave with its cargo?
Summerset: I was not on the ship, so of course I can’t say whether it had its cargo or not.
Teddy: What are you talking about, Summerset? We bought everything from that ship and put it in a warehouse!
The rest of the party: 😱
Summerset, through his teeth: When we leave here, Teddy, let me explain the meaning of ‘misdirection’ to you.
Teddy: Okay!
Poor mistrustful Zahra asked what she had to do to get her cousin back. Teddy was horrified that there might be any conditions on his return, and went to get him. While he was gone, Zahra hypnotized Summerset, while Caliope watched with interest. Upon the return of her cousin, Zahra was willing to play ball, and told us she knew when and where the murders we’re investigating were expected to happen next, and that she would appreciate it if we would kill the guy arranging them.
Everybody agrees, including Teddy, who somebody asked him if he understood what they were going to do, said, “Yes, we’re going to destroy a great evil in the world. By murdering (the decidedly evil) Edward Gavigan (who has tried kidnapping Evelyn, and who fully kidnapped Alice when she went missing but they don’t know that part).”
So okay then. Clear on that. O.O
They went back to Summerset’s very nice house where he and Teddy had spent a very pleasant evening the night before while everyone else was beating up the cousin, and Caliope dehypnotized Summerset. Teddy was very disappointed that he didn’t get to see Summerset’s friend the ghost.
Summerset: are you outing my mental illness in front of a stranger!?!?
Me: Teddy doesn’t know it’s a mental illness! He just thinks Summerset has a friend who’s a ghost! He’s very supportive of the relationship!
Summerset, annoyed and yet somehow charmed: ::mumble::
Just as we’re about to go to sleep, a telegram arrives from Summerset’s wife, Rose, who informs us that “Ms Townsend (aka Beloved Alice) has begun to speak again, and has left Scotland for London; expect her in the morning. Love and kisses to Bingo (her pet name for Summerset), Rose.”
Teddy spends the night in paroxysms of delight, and the morning basically in the window with his tail wagging, barking at the postman.
Indeed, the postman–or at least, a kid with a letter–arrives in the early afternoon with a letter for Summerset, which Teddy delivers to Summerset in a state of great agitation because BELOVED ALICE HAS NOT YET ARRIVED!
Summerset, OOC: does the handwriting look like it’s from a smug prick?
GM: it’s neat and tidy
Summerset, OOC: so yes. does it smell of smug prick?
GM: it smells of sandalwood and expensive tobacco
Summerset, OOC: You’re only repeating what I’m saying back to me.
The letter, of course, says that Edward Gavigan has kidnapped Alice and if they want to see her alive again, they should come to the following address… “at midnight. For drama.”
Summerset, OOC: Does it REALLY SAY ‘for drama?’
GM: yes
Summerset, OOC: that smug prick
Summerset, back in character: Teddy! (thinking furiously) I need you…to go to the kitchen…and ask Cook to make some lunch for Alice, because she’ll probably be hungry when she gets here.
Teddy: Okay!
Summerset, as soon as Teddy’s gone: okay i didn’t want to say it in front of Teddy but Gavigan has Alice and wants us to meet at midnight and I don’t know how to keep Teddy from haring off to the police if he learns Alice is danger again
Caliope: I realize that my acquaintance with your friend is only brief, but it does seem counterintuitive to let him in on this, so…we could…lie to him?
Summerset: GENIUS!
Caliope: thank you, i’m a professional
Summerset, calling Zahra: just, you know, out of, like, curiosity, would it be ok if we killed Edward Gavigan ahead of your schedule?
Zahra: No.
Summerset: shit. okay. we’ll try not to kill him, then.
So shortly before midnight Our Heroes went to rescue Alice. As they approach the address, Summerset takes a deep breath and turns to Teddy.
Summerset: Teddy, I need you to listen to me. Edward Gavigan has kidnapped Alice. We’re here to rescue her, but–Teddy! TEDDY! I need you to PAY ATTENTION. We’ll rescue her, Teddy, but we can’t kill Edward Gavigan right now, because if we do, a lot of other people will die. Teddy? TEDDY? Teddy, stay! Teddy, no! No! Teddy, STAY.
Teddy, vibrating with the need to hare off and kill Edward Gavigan: ::rolls a crit success on a stability check:: I will not kill Edward Gavigan. YET.
Summerset, relaxing: Good boy. Good Teddy.
Invisible tentacled moist Cthulhuoid monster: ::seizes Caliope with its tentacles in her nose and ears and mouth::
Except actually she did a great save and did not get seized. Dylan spent some preparedness to have a molotov cocktail and threw that, which the monster did not like at all. Teddy shot it with heavy weaponry for a crit success and it didn’t care at all, which was VERY OFFENSIVE to Teddy. Summerset, despite having been told this thing was the size of a couple of trucks, attempted to wrestle it, which did nothing but set his own arm on fire. Fortunately it was the already-magically-withered arm, so it didn’t…hurt him? o.O
Caliope grabbed a hunk of wood and set it on fire using Summerset’s arm. The monster attacked Dylan with a crit success, but he narrowly avoided it, and that was where we left things for the evening.
Although the GM did mention that Edward Gavigan isn’t even actually there, so we’re probably all going to die for NOTHING, but what else could we do? :)
LOL! You know this would make a wonderful book, right??!!??
LOLOL! That had not occurred to me, no!
My group hasn’t been playing much of late (GM is dealing with death in the family, sadly), so these updates are giving me a fine gaming fix in the interim!
Oh, I’m very sorry for your GM’s loss, but I’m glad these are a highlight for you!