SCUP Playtest Session 2:
We started with Duke Calder holding court. The Duke was uninterested in most of the proceedings, trusting it to Councillor Abes, his Master of Laws.
One supplicant was Sir “Iron” Bandha, captain of the Lower Watch. He wanted more men and better equipment to defend the Lower City and find the killers who attacked one of his patrols. Duke Calder refused his request (“I will consult with my treasurer.”). Dame Yessta offered the assistance of the Wall Watch, to which Bandha gave her a look of scorn.
The Duke gave Yessta a task: go to the city of Torrent, and escort Terrence Torrent to Stormwrack. Terrence Torrent is an old man, younger brother to the even older Lord Torrent, and a luminary of the Arcanum Phlegum.
The Duke dismissed his court, except his wards, Sasha and Helena. (The Old One stayed, because he/she/it’s the Old One). The Duke inquired about his son, and then broke the news to Sasha and Helena: they are to be wed: Sasha to Terrence Torrent, and Helena to Tobias Entworth.
Sasha went to check in on Fione, the Duke’s heir, and found that he was still dying, and not like to last the night. Since he was running a sharp fever, she sent for a tub of water. Helena tried to Read Sasha, so the guards came back with the tub at exactly the wrong time and saw how badly Fione was- it’s no longer a secret that he is dying.
The Duke and the Old One were summoned, and much gnashing of teeth was had by the Duke but he agreed that his son needed to be saved by “any means necessary.” Sasha sent the Old One to get a Sacrifice for her Blood for Blood move. (I gave her a custom move that would let her tend to an NPC)
The Old One went to his catacombs and used Dreams Of Unknown Kadath to gaze into the Unspeakable Power and determine what must be done to see Fione become King of the Realm. He saw that Fione must live to marry Princess Lyne, and to do that, he saw Sasha at an altar of blood, surrounded by corpses… and then he saw himself at the same altar, the corpses of Sasha and Helena dead by his hand.
The Old One determined that Sasha’s ritual needed a worthy sacrifice, so he set out a needlessly complex plan, that involved using his mastery of illusions to appear as Squire Tobias. But he botched the roll…
Making preparations for their journey, Yessta is with Squire Tobias, congratulating him on his nuptials, when all the color leeches out of him, rendering him black and white and grey. “Where did all the colors go,” asks the Squire. Yessta decides the boy should stay behind and sleep it off.
Meanwhile a giant torrent of color comes bursting out of the Old One’s summoning circle, corroding everything it touches. The Old One Rends Reality to escape, ending up in the King’s Castle.
Meanwhile, Helena decides the Old One has taken too long, and goes to fetch a prisoner from the dungeons to be the sacrifice. She tells the Duke, and he’s not at all happy about it, but gives her leave to proceed.
Sacrifice ready, Sasha prepares a mystic surgery, transferring blood and organs from the prisoner to Fione. She makes her roll… and fails. The procedure looks like a success!
Helena is helping Sasha clean up the awful mess, and checks on Fionne. He is warm, but there’s no pulse. She slaps him… and he wakes up. And he’s hungry. It’s obvious to Sasha that he’s not quite dead, but not really alive either.
Helena leaves to dispose of the body. Sasha panicks and leaves, locking Fione in her infirmary.
The Old One shows up at the King’s Castle and soon learns that Princess Rhala is missing, and the King is sending out scouting parties. Princess Lyne’s quarters are under heavy guard. The Old One corners a serving girl and gives her a secret message to send to the princess… and fails the Manipulate roll. A squad of guards shows up soon to arrest him. The Old One uses Tear Reality to escape… to the Infirmary.
Sasha comes clean to the Duke that something terrible has happened, (still covered in blood and gore during the conversation) and only her intended, Terrence Torrent will know how to solve it. She cleans up and goes to Dame Yessta, asking to leave tonight.
Yessta knows the roads are not safe even during the best of times, so she decides to have a small militia go ahead with Lady Sasha, with the rest of her militia come up as planned.
A failed Act Under Duress to make good time at night leads them (almost) into an ambush by highway men. Yessta’s tactical instincts let her get a good read on the situation, and she dispatches her men well, dispersing the highwaymen. One of her men is injured, and she sends him to a farmhouse to rest. The rest of the group presses on.
The Old One finds Fione, trying to eat whatever he can that’s left of the sacrifice. He’s so hungry. The Old One casts an Illusion on Fione so he looks like his old self (not cut open and gangrenous and covered in blood and gore), and lets him into the Pantry. Helena sees most of this and is determined that it is wrong.
The Old One wants to find Yessta to have her keep an eye on Fione, but she’s not around, so he finds the Castellan, Ser Jace. Ser Jace informs the Old One that this is all the fault of the Old One for bringing sorcery into this household, and if he gets any proof of the Old One’s involvement he’ll have his head.