Alan was back this week so we had a full house. Charity accepted the mission the Serpent gave her which unfortunately meant he had very little to do this week. Things were not the same for the rest of them.
With Alfred barely able to walk, and Allagahn still feeling the effects of the ambush during the 13H in to Unicorn Grove the party opt for some R&R.
Most of the day passes fairly quietly with Cordelia and Sorcha spending most of their time in the kitchen of the Carter's residence.
By late afternoon Alfred is feeling a little better and decides to go an visit the Unicorn in the stable. He has just about concluded his conversation when the Unicorn informs him he's unliekly to make it. When he queries what, the Unicorn states back to the bunk house. His reasoning becomes clear a minute later when an Abyss Gate opens in the Courtyard and begins to disgourge demons.Whilst some head for the stables others head for the house, the closest building to the portal. They are met by Cordelia, backed by Sorcha heading the other way. They fight their way into the courtyard.
The demons in the stables summon abyss energy balls and throw them at the Unicorn. They have no effect on the Unicorn but their deflection causes serious damage to the barn. Afronted by their behaviour the Unicorn kills two of them whilst Alfred cowers behind him. Four more demons enter the barn.
In the courtyard things are not going too well. Cordelia and Sorcha have now exited the farm house having killed three demons. They are directly facing two more whilst two others have taken up flanking positions and have summoned energy balls. Cordelia kills her demon and sensing the approach of the ball blinks across the courtyard.
Unfortunately Sorcha is not so lucky and takes the full force of a ball sending her primal and skyward.
Meanwhile, Allagahn having seen the numbers of demons arriving has decided that a flanking course of action is required and has removed the window in the wall of the bunk house and climbed out. He is unaware of the events unfolding in the Courtyard.
Back in the stables the Unicorn has killed another two demons, but the two from the original group have summoned new energy balls and thrown them. This time their deflection has dire consequences, and one heads straight at Alfred. He doesn't quite get out the way and it tears through his left shoulder, sending him primal and skyward as well.
Allagahn witnesses the departure of something through the barn roof as he rounds the corner. By the time he reaches the barn, half of which has completely collapsed, its all but over. The Unicorn stands in the rubble unscathed, whilst Cordelia finishes off the remaining demon in the courtyard. She's more than a little angry with Allagahn's lack of assistance, especially as they now have two primal shape shifters to find.
As she goes to get her pack, retrieving Alfred's bag on the way, Allagahn speaks to the Unicorn, who informs his of Cordelia's anger. He makes a point of stating that she wasn't hiding that reaction or what she thinks of him.
Whilst Cordelia takes the Unicorn in search of Sorcha, Allagahn goes in search of Alfred. He uses a scrying lens to track Alfreds trail, but having never dealt with a primal shifter before doesn't take sufficient care and drives him deeper into shadow and deeper into the underground cave system he's hiding in.
Eventually Allagahn is forced to alter the shadow they are in to prohibit Shadowwalking. He can then get the scrying lens close without Alfred being able to flee. After a great deal of effort he manages to force a psychic link and retrieve Alfred's true self. unfortuntely the effort renders him unconscious.
He wakes briefly sometime later, settles himself into a more secluded position and returns to sleep. Alfred has in the meanwhile struggled through several tens of yards of narrow tunnels and is now in a slightly larger cave. None of his shapeshifting abilities work and it is a further hour before he can clear his mind enough to cast any spells and extract himself from his homemade prison.
When he teleports onto the surface, his sudden appearance startles Allagahn awake. Allagahn gives him some blankets, then goes in search of food, returning with a, now, headless goat. Alfred manages to light a fire and they cook and eat the goat. They both then sleep for several hours.
Unsure of what to do next Allagahn pattern searches for Cordelia locating her in the rough direction towards Amber but away from Deidre's Tower. He then searches for Sorcha and finds her in the direction of the Tower. Realising that the 13H is about to close upon them they head for somewhere less exposed and more defensible.
The arrival of the 13H this time is most unusual. The first gongs are heard but the world doesn't freeze or turn grey. It all shimmers and the chimes run through to 13 without stopping. As the last chime strikes the shimmering ceases.
About 20 minutes later Allagahn receives what he recognises as a Trump call and accepts it. It's Cordelia. She brings Alfred and him through to a changed Elysium shadow. Where the tower once stood at the edge of a vast grey plain boarding the Abyss, it now stands high on a bluff. In rings below it stands a great, but empty fortified city. The city walls end about a mile away in a vast canyon, severn miles across and three miles deep. A road is barely visible on the other side decending to the canyon floor.
Cordelia now contacts Charity, who is returning with an army that the Serpent sent her to fetch. After a brief conversation she sends Allagahn through to her. She also informs her that Sorcha is pregnant.
| Back | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM Session Logs Index | The Keep of the Thirteenth Hour |