Season Eleven

https://wikiawoo.queer.me.uk/index.php?title=Season_Eleven&action=edit Summary of Events. Also Todo List

2023-10-23

Everyone is at the Pack House, Ariane has just called Diamond Annie, gotten mocked, but hired an infiltrator to the New Catholic Church.

Lydia suggests talking to Bell, Jules and Ariane to go along, Holly and Carlie to take it easy. Bell is sat around looking miserable, who says she can't hear from one of her daughters, specifically the one they've taken over, Jules tells her its an Umbral church thats been cooperating with Wyrm creatures (Vampires) and has some kind of bubble, we peer and can see the faint flickering of the forcefield. Bell says she's suddenly just cut off, she hears from most of the bells most Sundays and her quiet daughters less frequently, did say something about people coming around to restore and play her every Sunday. She says its happened several times in the past and normally she can see the fire that occurs and its never good when she loses one to fire. Bell says she's never really heard of the Umbral church, she knows there are those out there that claim to belong to a church but knows very little about them. Jules asks if there's anything else we can do in the meantime and Bell just asks her to find out. She offers to play for us to recharge our essence and we reassure her we just like hearing her - and get a melancholy tune. Lydia asks her what our pack is for and told we're for protecting Southwark as we are the Southwark Belles from The Wyrm and things that would destroy, we should "create and thrive, do art, grow strong!". Lydia asks why art? And is told it provides meaning that sways hearts, and hearts shape the Umbra, and that shapes her, and she shapes the Umbra and hearts back - its the only really meaningful thing. What would happen to you if Southwark wasn't here? I'd die. Apparently it'd be bad for her, her daughters and her sisters.

On the way back Lydia asks Jules what she thinks we should do, is told protect the Umbra from the Wyrm and make things safe. Lydia: Do you think you're doing that? Do you think you could do better? Do you think we could do better? Talk of maybe and depends if people are willing to give up their lives, Lydia says she doesn't have any distractions and thinks other people should give up their lives and that careers, partners, art, etc will all be gone in a few years. Lydia asks "do you think you'll have a career in 10 years when the planets burning." Ariane attempts to explain that being a lawyer will help her shape the collapse of the government and its important for Jules to make art to keep inspiring people because fighting for peoples hopes and dreams keeps them from falling to the Wyrm. Lydia argues for a need for a strategic vision to essentially hunt down the billionaires running the world and deal with them and Ariane suggests it would be "werewolf justice" and Jules says we can't just hunt people down and kill them. Ariane suggests Lydia talk to Steven Thompson who she writes off as a useless compromiser.

Lydia calls out Jules as a weak leader with no plan and vision and lays down a challenge - Jules then goes to punch Lydia (and misses!) who then fails to shift up the first time and manages the second time, Jules snarls "How dare you say I have no vision!" and throws a punch thats evaded. Ariane observes! Lydia hits Jules harder than she expects so Jules switches up to Glabro then punches Lydia. Lydia wrestles Jules to the floor, getting the upper hand! Jules fails to escape and Lydia growls "Yield!" at her which gets the response "Bite me!" then shifts Lupus to evade out of the hold! Lydia says "Jules I'm not trying to kill you!" and goes to kick her, Jules dives in and shifts up to Glabro inside her guard and punches her hard. She gets a good hold on Jules to pin her and Jules tries to break out by sheer force of strength and fails, Lydia growls "Fucking quit already I'm not trying to hurt you!" and goes to choke her out. Ariane spots a huge dog-wolf spirit watching, 6-7 foot tall at the shoulder while sitting, keeps half an eye on it and half on the fight. Jules flips up to crinos form and breaks the hold! Then goes to claw Lydia who dodges, then shifts up to crinos, Jules manages to get a solid hit in (5 points of lethal) and the large wolf spirit howls, Jules roars yield and Lydia rolls over and shows throat.

Ariane attempts to hold up Jules arm as a victor and Lydia tells her that she's been putting her neck out and breaking herself for Lydia and there isn't a grand plan there's just her attempting to make sure everyone gets to live their lives and if its not good enough for her she can fuck off. She goes to leave and the huge wolf comes padding over and tells her "Nice speech" in first tongue. Greets Lydia as "God Botherer" (see Season Seven) and says it was here to witness history which Ariane greets it and greets it as friend wolf, says she was because Jules defended her history. The wolf talks about Jules ancestors, a great line of ahroun behind her applauding her punching a nurse. She has a Tells her her name is "Red Talon" or "Call of Blood" and Jules recognises that this thing is probably the patreon of the Red Talons tribe and clocks that Lydia's talking points line up with their philosophy and it says its been watching Lydia a while because she had interesting ideas last they met and her ideas have bloomed like flowers in the spring. Lydia says there isn't a better tribe for her because she was born human, it says it is willing to bend the rules for her and extract a price and she would be the only one in London, the only one south of Birmingham, she says she may end up in Birmingham after her course and it says there's always some humans who need culling and her beautiful flower will bloom into great fruit at some point. She says there's some humans who are nearly there and it says there's some non-humans who need culling, she clarifies she has tried to explain it to some humans and she says no they're mostly Wyrm tainted not doing it for the Wyld itself, it wants her to kill some things that look like humans to get her hand in. It asks Ariane to pass on her regards to her mother and she assures her she will, it asks Jules to look into her background one day.

Jules stalks away, The Red Talon fades out, Lydia has a few claw marks. Ariane offers her an arm to lean on and asks if shes talked to it much but is told just the one time at the pond at her house and that the Children of Gaia retreat wasn't a place it hung out. Ariane suggests that the Red Talons aren't an effective path as its been tried. Lydia says what we've been doing at the minute isn't enough. Jules goes to blow off steam and Lydia and Ariane get back to the Pack House.

Ariane drops Lydia on the sofa and goes to make her a big cup of tea and fetch her first aid kid. Carlie and Holly look on and she tells them it was Jules and she lost because she wasn't trying to kill her. Ariane says it was an accepted challenge, and Holly shouts about how there's an invasion going on, Ariane fills them in on the fight and how Red Talon was there, both Carlie and Holly have heard of it, Ariane attempts to defend this as something to respect cautiously from a distance, Carlie wants to know why its hanging around and paying attention, Lydia tells her about the first time she met it and Carlie says it clearly saw the anger in her. Carlie goes to leave for a walk and is clearly angry. Holly packs up her journal notes (had been working out the route - they're probably coming via Templar which comes direct to earth) while Ariane fills her in on the meeting with Bell. Talk of how they got back, the object they gave us was destroyed, Ariane asks Sunny to talk to the Stargazers about if they brought things back, Holly moots that the geas was brought back but then diffused. Get Lydia to check in with Celeste who says she was in The Umbral Church last night (so not coming in through there), Ariane talks about ways to Templar and Holly's notes say that it connects to The Temple Church in England and various knights of different religions, faiths, philosophy, and background come to test their mettle against each other, putting their faith, beliefs, and lives on the line, its in central London (guarded by Dragons on the perimeters and the territory of Samantha Wallingford's vampire sect).

2023-10-30

written by Gareth, age 28

• Holly agrees to accompany Sunny to her sponsorship meeting with Sarah Hawkins of Tate & Lyle at a local "upmarket" cafe
• Sunny begins to plan making that massive batch of charity cookies for the True Londoner taximen
• The sponsorship meeting: upon first meeting Hawkins, Sunny definitely (and Holly somewhat) pick up that Hawkins is kinfolk
  • Hawkins is very enthusiastic about cakes and other confectioneries
  • Sunny and Hawkins agree to a branding deal: Hawkins' company will supply Sunny with ingredients for the big bake and some cash for her troubles in exchange for some shots of the products in Sunny's videos and some "suggested lines" and materials to promote
  • Hawkins is also trying to make connections to Sunny directly about casually bringing up her "uncle Laurent" (who tells strange stories about remarkable far off places) disappearing - in a way where she's definitely trying to provoke some kind of reaction out of the two of them
    • Laurent is currently back on another adventure with his very good Stargazer friend into the deep umbra to track down "the source of COVID" (again)
  • Sunny also talks the cafe owner to give her the recipe for the key lime pie that everyone had at the meeting
• On the way home, Sunny and Holly chat about various things - where all the Stargazers seem to be, the importance of having hobbies (while directly bringing up Lydia), what to do about the Eternal Church in London, that it's probably a bad idea to try to gather all the Garou into one place to talk about said Church, and that they should go to Robert Laffrey's wake at The Guild (which Holly is already working at and Sunny thinks about bringing key lime pie to)
• Sunny phones Ariane's mother (Janice Primrose-Morton), gets Mr. Robinson the butler - Janice is busy, so Sunny asks him about Stargazers - not much luck, but Alice the maid chats with Sunny about her videos and wants her to make a wedding cake for her (and Penny Primrose??)
• Jules goes on a trip in the near Umbra to take a look at the bubble
  • Has a stealthy investigation nearby
    • The church itself is exactly the same in both umbra and real
    • Big shimmery bubble, slightly distorting what's inside it; no array; couple of spirit guards (Order of Red?) with swords
    • Jules tries messing around with the bubble as a wolf, which causes some sort of flash inside the church itself for a moment then settles back down
    • Jules spends some amount of time messing around with the barrier trying to find a soft spot to potentially break through one way or another
    • Cannot sense the Wyrm beyond the barrier - the barrier seems to block it
  • Jules then decides to turn to a more direct approach - she approaches the front door as a human where there are a couple of the church's monks with swords standing guard
  • Another guard with a different sword eventually comes through the barrier (parting it with their hands) and has a tense chat with Jules
    • The guard offers the "warhounds" (his way to describe wolves) of London to join The Eternal Church
    • As he disappears back behind the barrier, Jules hears the subtle sound of an arcana array activating - she then parkours her way around to find three glowing lights (like fireflies) nearby, the lights appear to try to gently pull Jules through the Gauntlet - she resists, but looks through herself to see…
    • Some of "London's finest" (21st Tactical Reconnaissance Regiment) in a stakeout overlooking the church trying to put out a fire on an array - Jules beats a retreat
• Carlie will be focusing on tracking down the vampire that showed up at the church using Sergeant Limehouse's video tape collection
• Ariane was mostly catching up on homework during this (Tabitha was on holiday)

2023-11-13

Carlie has been going through Robert Laffrey's livejournal looking for hints as to who the missing Vampire may be, finds a possible name of Daniel Webster who's a paralegal to a local east London solicitors (PBK Solicitors), just a small place (injury law, local conveyancing, etc), asks Ariane who knows nothing about them (ooc: an absolute botch so Ariane bluffs that if they were real she'd have heard of them) the pair of them go digging online, Ariane gets suspicious because they don't seem to have filed anything with any magistrates so they could be doing 100% contract law/conveyancing but its unlikely, there's no trace. They talk about doing a gentle survey of the place for how occupied it is but Carlie talks about prepping a break in.

Holly is taking a little time off to recharge in the kitchen, going through The Styles Journal checking into The Temple Church entry is relatively slim, there's a full page pencil drawing of a Greco-Roman building with funky marble columns, he went through on his way to The Eternal Empire and came via here, says it was something else but then it was taken over by The Eternal Church and they turned it into training/barracks for the Order of Red.

• Sunny is making 3 pies with slight variations to work on recipes.
• Ariane goes to visit the Southwark Abandoned Tube Station to look for hints into their time in Hong Kong.
• Lydia visits the local army recruitment office.

Carlie goes to investigate The PBK Solicitors office is between Abdul Kebab and Curry shop (22:00 - 3:00 every night) and Singhs corner store (open all day, possibly 24h). She heads round the back to check out the back yards, nothing interesting, lots of concrete, the 24h corner store has a camera out the back, maybe working. Steps up to a blue door at the back of PBK. She gloves up, activates the invisibility fetish, and hops the fence to pop the lock. Looks at it and suspects its a holding company dead drop, there's nothing here but postal mail boxes for more than 150 businesses and a bored looking clerk in there. She hops back over the fence and heads to the cafe across the road (delicious Arabic style coffee), she settles herself in for a long overnight watch.

Lydia arranges to pop along to the Wednesday evening (tomorrow night) try out session for recruitment, she mentions her parents were involved in 21st Tactical and hence she'd appreciate getting involved.

Ariane's poking around the underground station trying to work out if there links between the Pack who went to Hong Kong with Robert Laffrey and the previous pack. Spends a lot of time trying to determine if there's evidence of the previous-previous pack, finds a notebook (mostly damaged with directions) to a warehouse in Southwark near the Alpha Games warehouse. She heads back to the pack house to recruit people for a look around.

Sunny meanwhile is engaged in delicious cooking on a long endurance based cooking spree, she flags a little over time, but Ariane and Lydia return to cookies and Keylime Pie, we enjoy them and fill out survey forms, afterwards we decant to go look at the warehouse.

It's a warehouse/custom house kind of thing along where the docks used to be, mostly the docks have been turned into housing but theres a few boarded up/metal grids over doors and windows, the padlock looks worn, all the gridwork is rusty. We get Sunny to do a sniff around, gets the aroma of humming warm plasticy electronics, Holly has a peer into the Umbra and the building is an exact replica on the other side, which is odd. She fills us in on how there's been enough omph for the spirit to remember the current, there's talk of Sunny going in for a scout around, we look for observers, there's one guy high on coke. We agree to sent Holly and Sunny through to see if they can break the lock there. Holly shifts to glabro and smashes the door off, in the physical the padlock falls off and door swings open. Ariane thanks invisible Holly and they both head inside. Inside is a large cement floored warehouse, empty, with 3 lights running 2.5 stories up, they come on as we open the door and a knackered old fan starts then "Good evening Mr. Ells" in a computerised voice then a question about "6,047 days since you last returned Mr. Ells is everything ok?" (16.5 years) Ariane claims she was on holiday. Edges closer, there's a 90s beige era computer and CRT which loses its smoke. Lydia keeps looking around the room, sterile empty, no windows, notices the wiring is from the 80s. Ariane tries to ask the computer what we did 6047 days ago, it asks if we want it to play Mr. Ells favourite album, it then plays the X-Files theme tune.

in the Penumbra the lamps come on and the inside is a space shuttle with the flag of the soviet union and cyrellic writing, they peer around and Holly peers into the physical and can see it playing an audio file, has a big button marked "decloak" on it, works out that Ariane and Holly can't see whats going on, they chat about this and Holly pops back into the physical world.

Sunny comes back and tells us about the spaceship/decloak button, we let her hop back before we hit it, it takes a few clicks before the large while space shuttle fades into existence, Ariane explains its must be the craft that can go anywhere and then the Gauntlet breaks down and Holly and and Sunny appear, Holly says its like 2 frames of glass stacked on on top of each other. The Monitor is back working playing the Spice Girls. We talk about finding a manual or something and maybe google-translating them. We have two ways in, cockpit and main cargo area, the doors are around 12 feet up, Lydia shifts to Crinos and lifts Ariane up to get in the doors, she manages to scrabble the latch open and it opens downwards and almost smacks her but she gets in. There is a yellow post it pointing to a button marked "Jimmy this one", she talks about pushing it and peers through a port hole - the cockpit has a lot of space race type tech, bulky chairs, lots of computers, everything labelled in cyrellic and lots of yellow post it notes and stickers with english words on them and post its with "Jimmy 1", "Jimmy 2", "Jimmy 3", then "Jimmy this one but only after 4 goes ping", Ariane finds a rope ladder and tosses it out the door, looks like it was built for it.

Ariane pushes the button and the lights come on to the Airlock, theres some clunks and the inner door becomes loose. We carefully go inside and start taking pictures, all the lights and systems start to come on, decide to not push anything. Find a leather jacket draped over a chair, several 90s era coke cans by a chair, and there's a copy of Anne McCaffrey's Pern, there's also a large wooden case welded in front of one of the other chairs - inside is a gold inlaid basket hild rapier, feels like a glaive, Ariane picks it up and can feel the amount of spirit bound into it, beautifully weighted, can feel its a weapon for killing people with artistry and practically singing. Ariane doesn't want her sword to get jealous so hands it over to Lydia, who's eyes light up. We find a big thick Russian manual with a few extra pages written in English detailing how to control the craft, Ariane spends time hunting for the shutdown procedure - it should automatically shutdown once the button is pushed in the airlock. Meanwhile everyone else: Sunny keeping watching as a wolf in the warehouse, the music is now Take That. Holly asks Sunny if she can see the screen, says there's a "CLOAK" button back on the monitor. Holly then goes into the back cargo section, Scandinavian hotel vibes, wood floor, leather sofas, bar, some small bed/sleeping areas at the back including a dog bed, looks retrofitted. She invites Ariane and Lydia back there to check it out. There's even a TV and video selection. There's food but its ancient snacks mostly and mostly gone off. Talk about cloaking it with a witness to see what happens but Lydia points out it'll be air tight. We leave a receipt from Ariane's pocket and recloak it, and Ariane and Lydia bounce back to the real to see the shuttle shimmering away and the gauntlet reappearing. Holly and Sunny muse about what this means for science and talk about finding Stargazer theorist, Ariane manages to convince the computer to stop playing music and gets on guard while looking up the location of nearby hardware stores, we get some bin bags to wrap the sword up, a new padlock for the door and bolt the place back up.

Later that evening Holly and Ariane notice that some of the symbols from the Styles Map correspond to manual stuff about how to set a location/destination for it. Ariane texts pictures to Carlie with "WE FOUND A GOD DAMN SPACESHIP CARLIE"

Carlie meanwhile has been chilling, drinking coffee, chatting politics with various old men, then spots a guy who she vaguely recognises coming up to the door to pick up his business mail.

2023-11-20

And so, with Carlie watching the postal drop box and the possible arrival of Daniel Webster, she opts to not do violence but instead trail the guy, she texts the pack to let them know its happening, she then uses a mix of city running and invisibility to watching him going into the BRC (Business Registration Centre), he emerges with envelopes and just pockets them. She trails him to an underground station, doesn't risk following him, tries to take a photo but it has a weird corruption issue. She texts Jules to ask if any of her "mage friends" has worked out how to de-fuzz a Vampire photo.

Meanwhile: Jules has been avoiding the house a little since the fight with Lydia, she's been walking the boundaries and marking things up. She's popping in and out of the Umbra doing this and as she pops out she finds group chat has pictures of a spaceship and Carlie's question, she replies not that she knows of (magic is super broad)

Everyone meets back up at the Pack House and Ariane identifies the ship as must be the go-anywhere space plane, Carlie advocates for getting rid of it, Ariane advocates for keeping it. Jules tells us about the ward on the Southwark Church, they can open it from the inside and walk across, so its not like a regular arcane array (which are normally on/off) also tells us that someone (probably 21st Tactical? But similar) has been watching the church. Ariane talks about throwing stuff at the church to see if we can get something through the barrier so we can as a last resort firebomb the place. Lydia tells us she joined the TA "as a hobby" and they don't know she's a werewolf. There's a little grumbling but everyones broadly ok.

Jules declares the spaceship is fine to just leave for a bit because its not going anywhere. Then check's in with Carlie about the Vampire and ideas for tailing him, Ariane suggests a standard tail and hand off, Carlie says she doesn't want to be following him on her own. Ariane suggests mailing him a tracking device, Lydia suggests putting it in a cake. Eventually decision is made for Jules to try and track the Vampire Daniel Webster.

Jules talks about how we're low on ideas about the Eternal Church. Holly moots - "How does London feel about them?" (not Parliament, not the True Londoners, but Spirit of London, because they've set up a ward around an old church, she's not sure London would take kindly. Ariane moots that PBK Solicitors may just be a money laundering/front for a Vampire that's basically given up on law practice. So decision: Jules on the photo and tracking, Holly putting together a team to talk to the Spirit of London.

Liz responds: Ditital picture? Can't really be done, use old style film. So there's a plan for Carlie to get a camera, she cracks a joke about how "the next time I'm tailing someone in the subway I'll bring my daguerreotype!"

So Jules breaks out the gift, writing the name on her hand, she gets a vague direction of him to the west, so we gear up to go breaking broadly into team underground (Jules, Ariane) and team overground (Carlie, Holly, Lydia, Sunny) in Carlie's car. In time we get the sense he's Westish and somewhere on the Elizabeth line, we head towards West Ealing (it's pricey, but not ludicrous, good cars, a number of religious institutions). Jules presses on following her nose, eventually comes to a drive called Sherwood Court. She lets everyone know the location, its a lot of upmarket flats around here. Jules and Ariane moot ducking into the Umbra to wait for the others and Jules cautiously sniffs on and locates him at 49 Dean Court, basement level (google maps). A very unremarkable red brick 1990s - 2010s, building looks occupied, unexciting. Everyone catches up and there's a plan to go into the Umbra with Carlie being asked "I know you can go invisible, do you think you can break into someones house?" and gets a flat stare.

The team Umbras! It's west end slums instead of the modern flats. We find a back yard with an old toilet outhouse where we think it is. We peer through, it looks like it was decorated around 2007-2010ish, not really upgraded since, we find a basement down but its an old style victorian in the Umbra, there's no mirrors, we prod Holly as the seeing eye horse/what do you elf eyes see and she gives us a side eye before she looks. It's got an immersion heater, looks like a storage area rather than a living environment - except there's a bed with a sleeping figure in it, absolutely no windows. It is at night. We talk about if this is the right guy or not, Holly checks more and he's definitely asleep. We talk about if he's the Renfield or if he's somehow spoofing the location to avoid the tracking gift. Jules sniffs and yeah there is Wyrm scent there, coming from the bed - talk of a chat/violence, how we need to be sure to get the right target. Jules asks Sunny "Hey can you drag someone through into the Umbra?" we decide to give it a go with everyone else near an upstairs mirror in case we need to pop into the physical and assist Sunny.

So! Sunny pops into the physical! Wrestles and grabs him, jumps back, finds she's holding into the shirt, but no Vampire. She pops back again! Tries again! Fails again. Calls that she can't grab him, Jules decides to go get him, so we pile through the mirrors and meet him coming up the stairs - there's a standoff with him going "Shit..." Ariane eventually breaks the silence by saying we're here from the Sheriffs office. He complains about Samantha, claims it was all her idea and he had to go along with it. He admits to doing it, says he's very happy to come in and answer questions and talk to the Grandees, says he knew there as a hunt on but refuses to go along and make it easy. Tells us he has to follow her instructions because she made him a Vampire, hence has control. There's some bants amongst The Pack. Ariane asks why he did it - tells us Samantha wanted an item Sir Robert had and he was the one fucking up the club. He then received a phone call from the Sheriff relaying a message from Samantha to lay low. Says he's gone out to get his mail 3-4 times, supplies twice, and is very bored. He can't do anything else until she says something else, Holly asks if he'd turn to dust? Nope he'd just think it was a good idea to stay, if he was forced out then he can't lay low anymore - and since we've found him he doesn't have to lay low anymore. Ariane makes it clear we need him alive in order to undermine the Sheriff. There's talk about how Lydia is in fact very murderous. He offers to get us a cab.

Jules calls Stephen Thompson and tells him we've got the last of the Vampires who murdered Sir Robert Laffrey in custody, he says he's willing to tell things to the Grandees including it was the Sheriff of London who told him to lay low and relayed that message. This perks Thompson up who suggests we take him to Paddington Green for safe keeping, Jules says she doesn't want him to just disappear. Ariane advices Daniel to grab some books and he does so and a change of clothes and we head off. We take him over and load him into a cell.

2023-11-27

The pack has just loaded Daniel Webster into Paddington Green with the hope of using his statement incriminate the current Sheriff John Northbridge. Ariane asks about talking to the Spirit of London. A plan is formed to have Ariane, Sunny, Lydia, and Carlie go to talk to Stephen Thompson to start a coup against Northbridge by rounding up the Grandees, meanwhile Holly and Jules head to talk to the Spirit of London.

So first: The The Spirit of London, they broadly say they're here seeking allies and hope that the Spirit of London slaps them down - there is also a discussion where Jules asks Holly how she is still an optimist, and she talks about her therapist in her youth. They head into the Umbra and arrive at the tower with the large bubble around it, Jules taps it and it wavers and reminds her of the shield she saw at the church, its a similar/same bubble, she deduces there is a portal to the Deep Umbra at the centre being protected by the Tower of London. Holly thinks about where that could be, Jules suggests maybe Tower, Holly isn't sure, nothings springing out. Holly spots a large pair of beady eyes watching them, feels its some kind of avian flavoured spirit, watching them from outside the barrier, Jules can't seem to see it (due to dice roller based vibes), Jules suggests walking in physically and then popping through and Holly suggests she's going to walk in physically then look through. The raven draws closer so they decide to make tracks as if someone wanted to talk to them it would have already. Back in the physical Holly looks and finds the gauntlet at the barrier very very thick, she can't see through.

They start to make a plan B about talking to a Dragon and Jules says there's one sat on top of the British Museum, they notice they're being watched by a large raven sat on the lamp post, it gives them a look, bobs its head and heads towards the Liberty Bounds they spot someone in a tatty but bright red suit who asks "Ladies, may I join you?" and talks about getting off his old feet, they settle him into a chair and the Barman calls him George and asks after his legs, Jules thinks that the bright red suit may mark this out as an off duty Beefeater, she asks George if works/used to at the Tower, he says he spent his last few years guarding it, and occasionally giving tours etc. Says that "The Ravens tell me" that they are seeking an audience, asks about the topic, they settle on "An incursion", talk about a reoccurrence of a tension between church and the crown, but quieter, says the Ravens always talk to the right people and have good advice so wants to ask for advice, they mention its a power outside London and he asks if they're talking about Papists and suggests they've not been a threat since the 16th Century, suggests no serious antipopes, there's one maybe in some Scottish island but none serious. Jules shifts tack talking about how shes not been able to get into the tower to get pictures of the crown jules for her mum, he suggests taking a tour. Holly breaks it down to new church affecting the deep roots of the city with the way its operating, they mention this is a threat from "The Umbra" and he points up and says "Up there... kinda", Holly points in both directions and says "All around from my perspective", he concludes "Where the Tower Ravens really reside". He agrees to go talk to the Ravens and they say they'll get him a pint of bitter, grabs his stick and heads out.

They grumble about having to talk in weird circles with people, he returns 10 minutes later to say The Ravens will give them an audience in 10 minutes time back where they first attracted its attention.

The Raven says "'ello! Two for an audience with the crown then?" and is a wee bit cockney at them, it welcomes them inside and they sort of percieve the feeling of The Tower all around a sense of its history and its connection to London, feels a mix of current time, Arthurian fantasy, a huge weight of history and land connection. Jules feels this feels familiar and remembers the whole thing of The Alpha Games and how this feels a bit like that, really big. They hear the Spirit of London talk as a voice in their head rather than sound, asking "You wish to speak to me?", they introduce themselves as the Southwark Belles garou (it knows) and say they are concerned about an invasion, asks about how to remove them? It says they aren't its subjects and aren't bound by it so wants us to remove them. It says the Eternal Church has tried once before but was beaten back "by tooth, by claw, by sword, by magic, by belief, by faith" and it occurred 2000 years ago. Many citizens died. Says it cannot cross the bounds to help. Jules asks how and it says it can nominate an avatar, since the Eternal Church has arrived again it will begin to hunt for an avatar, tells them to gather many allies, tells them they're garou so be garou, they bow and curtsey, the small Raven makes a squark and they follow its lead to back away, tells them George calls it "Bill" because it has a bit of a bent bill, is very glad they had a good audience.

MEANWHILE: The plan is message Steven Thompson, ask Thompson to contact Harold Westbury (slowly via Email), Thompson says it'll be a formal meeting at the Tower and hence Three will just arrive.

So Carlie to take Angel Islington, Sunny to BM and see Professor Rodriegez, Ariane to try and track down Sam Aston at The Card Trick, Lydia to try and track down Old Crone Fleet.

• Carlie starts at The Angel Islington's old night club (Bubbles?) closed and boarded up, she heads inside, there's wrecked DJ equipment and a residual sense of a portal, she attempts to wedge the portal open, finds a strangely empty area, a suggestion of wings, and something stating "You're back", Carlie attempts to say that there needs to be a meeting of the Grandees, she says she doesn't fancy it because last time someone tried to off her in religious zealotry and got off with it, and nearly had her kill her beloved. Carlie asks if others have reached out and apparently some people have, suggests she owes a little bit of an apology asks if she's running scared because The Eternal Church is in town, then proceeds to give her an earfull because she's just bailed on the job and this has wound up gotten Laffrey killed in part by the Vampire Sheriff put in place by her trial. Carlie suggests when shit went down she stayed in London doing her job despite the fact that she doesn't get paid or rewarded, and suggests that keeping on staying away from London will get more people killed. The Angel responds she never asked to be a Grandee and never got paid or rewarded. Carlie suggests she got her club out of it. The Angel suggests she was sent down to save all kinds of people, cleanse the world, and bring them to the light of god. Carlie keeps attempting to push a "kill me or do it". The Angel complains that shes lurking here and not "further up". Carlie gives her grief, the Angel stonewalls her, and Carlie leaves.
• Sunny at the BM: heads towards Professor Rodriegez's office, he's reading a stack of papers, there's a lot of books and printouts laying around, he's in the middle of work. She say's they're trying to contact the Grandee's about an official meeting in the Tower about Laffrey's murder, and some fresh evidence. He asks if its raining and she says its threatening so he gathers up an umbrella and a jacket, asks what the day is, says he's going to get a bagel and coffee on way and she recommends the Pastrami from The Chef to help fuel him through the meeting, he complains the Grandees will be very boring compared to fresh spectrometry on an Egyptian burial. They have a nice academic chat for the next 90 minutes or so.
• Lydia seeking Old Crone Fleet starting by looking for The Snug Lounge, she can't find it, so takes some of Sunny's biscuits and drops them through the drains/etc above the Fleet, asking through them if she can talk to it. After about 3 a taxi pulls up offering to take her to Old Crone Fleet, she pays the cabbie in biscuits, they arrive at the same cabbie cafe in time to see Rodriegez and Sunny leaving. Fleet asks her whats up? Lydia says we've found the last missing person who was involved in killing Sir Robert Laffrey and invites her along to a meeting suggests that Sunny should donate some cookies for the cabbies to sell to help raise charity funds. Just as they're about to leave the person on the counter gives "Mrs. Fleet" her thermos of tea, and they leave in surprisingly good order.
• Ariane arrives at The Card Trick and makes it 6 steps in before the noise of Sam teleporting into the back room, Ariane starts telling her stuff before she's dragged into the back area. Sam isn't totally interested but Ariane tries to convince her that she could be the casting vote on the matter and she is very interested in this. Ariane reminds her that she has to put her name forward because she'll be disowned if she doesn't put her name forward. Tells Sam that we have him in the cells at Paddington Green and if he's dead then we have bigger problems. She says I've put her in a sticky situation, and Ariane makes a plea that this is entirely not an issue because the murder could have been her, she looks at Ariane and she feels something strange try and press into her head and she stumbles back and a strange flicker hits her square between the eyes.

2023-12-04

Ariane is very against everything going on here, so flips to Crinos form, grabs Sam and headbutts her. probably concussing her, drops to Glabro grabs some packing stuff and attempts to cocoon her, she attempts to kick at Ariane who dodges then teleports out of existence, she attempts to call Umbra, then calls it into Paddington Green to warn them, they say they got an instruction to deliver him to the Tower at 16:00pm, Ariane confirms and says she'll send some people for extra security, then calls Carlie who tells her the Angel was a dead end, says she should blame her for stuff but says she won't, they both head to Paddington Green with Ariane dropping messages in the group chat. Everyone who's heading down there arrives at roughly the same time.

At Paddington Green we find Sargent Deerborn lounging and smoking, we make plans for things, and there's an idea that the road is the most risky place, and one of us should handcuff/hold Daniel Webster, or we should put one of the Anti Scrying Rings on him, then there was talk about talking to Liz, Holly brings up if we can trust her and then Jules realises she needs to go protect Liz just in case she gets leveraged so heads off there. Plan is: cover Webster in wards and send him in a car, put the garou into the back of the transport truck as a decoy. Lydia asks why the mind whammy didn't work and Ariane just replies "I'm not sure, it must be my good breeding."

Carlie rolls her eyes nuclear hard then goes off to call Derek Watford to ask if Sam Aston has always been a complete liability or if its a new thing, he says the scheming with the Vampires is a new thing. "For all Laffrey's multiple multiple flaws as a Grandee he didn't turn a blind eye to certain things and now there's an opportunity". Watford says combats not her thing, violence isn't her thing, slight of hand, visual tricks, and verbal games are more her thing. Violence is not her style. Seems generally surprised, not her style, but could have been recently, the more junior of the Grandees, the one no one would listen too so perhaps making a grab for power and authority. Says that there's a file that he's going to send her, asks Carlie to do him a favour to not let Lydia kill herself on this, she's one of the very few things he has left right now. The file states she can transport herself + anything she touches anywhere she can "imagine being", "the suspicion of potential additional Psychia powers but unknown and disclaimed all knowledge suspect some of the mentalism tricks she once pulled may have had Psychia behind them"

She shows it to Ariane then says she's about to propose a dumb idea, they talk about the rings and Deerborn says the rings sometimes help with stopping psychic powers (this could be another reason Ariane helped bounce things?). So: Carlie carrying the package, Sunny already at the Tower end to catch. Ariane, Lydia, and Holly in the van with Deerborn. Deerborn also calls out the werewolf-response suppressant for their troops, Holly looks gently outraged (this is the first time she's found out about the Anti-Delirium Potion).

Jules arrives to chat to Liz (who's ready awful shifter fic) checks she's still wearing her ring, briefs her on the "Sam Aston has tried to run away and steal a Vampiric witness to a crime" fills her in on things and requests she comes to the Tower of London, Liz isn't sure she's in danger and Jules fills her in on the Sam Aston is working with a pile of vampires, she gets progressively more scared as it goes on, as they're leaving Liz is telling her that Sam is an elemantalis mage with perfect control of space, and she can also possibly swap items, like if she knows the contents of a two boxes she can swap them, or she can swap two sides of a doorway to rejoin them in different ways, she warns the pack about this and if she can change the inside of the truck somewhere else.

Lydia talks about bringing the Grandees to Paddington Green, Ariane moots video call, but we stick with the original.

So Sunny! At the Tower of London! There's Three, Old Crone Fleet, Stephen Thompson, Professor Rodriguez. She eventually sniffs out John Northbridge who says he heard a prisoner was coming to make a statement, Sunny doesn't hand over the identity or the time, wants to know the case and the charges brought so he can help present them, wants Sunny to contact them, she tells him he should call his Deputy himself, he requests privacy to make a phone call or two and Sunny implies he may eat people, she goes a little away but keeps inside her own hearing range. He calls someone and says he doesn't know what he can do, says he's sorry, and agrees with whoever on the end of the line, she's pretty sure its Sam Aston on the phone but isn't 100% sure.

The plan is go! We stuff Daniel Webster in a body bag full of wards, everyone else loads up in the armoured van (the "technical") and start the ride. We get about half way through the trip when there's a cracking noise and the breaks slam on the van, there's cursing from the front and we veer off to the right, we stop, there's a crack noise and the back doors disappear. Stood there floating is Sam Aston, Deerborn brings the rifle up... so there's seats in 2 rows facing inwards, everything is quite armoured, Deerborn was in the jump seat where he could face the back doors. Lydia at the back right, Holly is saw towards the front of the van with the pile of wards on the passenger side. Ariane is on the passenger side as well, in the middle.

We begin with Lydia shifting Glabro and making a 6 foot dive for Sam Aston and grabs her, Holly makes like she's protecting a Vampire - defensive blocking, Ariane puts herself between the door and Holly, sword out to stab. Lydia bites her shoulder hard to try and keep them in contact, its a good bite and she goes to grab her and pull her off, Ariane goes out to try and grab Sam and throw her inside, Holly asks if they can back it up but the person in cab says the wheels fucked, they're calling it in, Deerborn moves to cover the scuffle. Lydia picks her up to shake her but she shifts sideways to escape, Ariane gets a hand on her to slow her up, Holly spider-web shoots, just about misses. Deerborn tosses something to Ariane, Sam curses and manages to teleport out this time with Ariane in tow.

2023-12-11

Ariane manages to hold onto Sam and ends up in an arcana array, they argue and Ariane urges her to come quietly, she refuses and they shift again and Ariane gets a wall slammed into her, she stabs Sam to try and slow her up which seems to do something, she tries to deflect it with magic and fails winding up bleeding, asks us why we had to be so smart, then passes out. Ariane curses, packs the wound with fabric to quench the bleeding, then realises she's in a closed room with no phone service.

Meanwhile: Carlie! Taking a cautious route, passes by a Dragon that's watching her from some rooftops, picking her way carefully across the roof tops, occasionally nudging a TV ariel or roof tile, very happy to use Daniel Webster as a buffer, senses a little disturbance the second time she pulls this trick.

Meanwhile: Lydia is cursing she should have killed her, tells the others she took Ariane with them. Lydia gets back into the van and goes human. Holly calls Jules and fills her in, says Aston stole a wheel from the van, Jules says she'll head over promptly to start tracking. The army? Police? have sirens and vehicles incoming, Holly asks the driver about locking up the CCTV footage and is told its the Sheriff's job.

Meanwhile: Wood panelling, massive inlaid arcana array, cream ceiling, electric candelabra, no furniture, no bookcases, soft glow lighting, very late Victorian era esoterica. None of her gifts are working, finds a cable conduit, breaks a pane, finds some red brick, and some cabelling in a chiselled bit, follows it to the corner and finds the cabling goes to several large electronic batteries. Sam starts to wake up so Ariane goes to hold onto her and doesn't think she's going to die. She refuses to teleport them out, tells Ariane she has no idea what to do. Then talks about her plans to get a little respect, Ariane queries her about her plans, she reveals she has control of Northbridge by manipulating his loyalties, Ariane is confused why she's so concerned about the scheming, surely its standard Grandee behaviour, she talks about scheming over short times (Vampires, Immortals scheme over centuries, Garou can still live a long life) and says every time she uses her power it shortens her life, but she has to keep using it to keep up the pretence of power to make her a Grandee, apparently its not all mythics, just Elementalism. Ariane suggests working with an alchemist to counteract it, says this is why all the elementalists are constantly in the gym, magic comes from strength but it eats away. Why did you attack the van of garou? Plan was to teleport any of us there to this room to cool off then get Webster. Ariane tells her she didn't have to get stabbed, she refuses to port them out, Ariane eventually makes a deal to wait 30m for the pack to get to the Tower, then let her teleport them back and give her a 30m head start.

Meanwhile: 21st Tactical have sent The Met to pick up Deerborn and the rest of the pack. She attempts to find out what's going on and Lydia waves her TA ID badge at her and tells her she's called Lydia, she's PC Williams.

Meanwhile: Carlie is attempting to enter the Tower, a man in a nondescript suit up there, it's Three, she materialises next to him. Sunny is keeping an eye on Northbridge, who calls another number and gets the Three messenger service for Ariane for being out of service, then call's Sam Aston, gets the answer machine, asks her where she is and keeps up the pacing. She then smells: Vampire, Carlie, Sage, and a strange herb she half recognises from Rodrieguez, and a dead body. They chat a little about what's going on, Three then asks them to deposit the Witness in a corner and he'll ensure he remains there, he's happy for Carlie to keep watching him.

A well piloted (rather than driven) police landrover then comes careening around and lands. Holly congratulates PC Williams and tells her she's doing her country proud then gets the hell out of the car. She gets out and gives her a weird salute, Holly attempts her most professional salute in response. Calls it into Carlie who checks in if Three is a problem, Holly confirms that Three mostly wants to stay neutral in everything and asks how soon can Ariane get here. Fills in Carlie on how everyone else is, Lydia says she should have killed Sam so Holly determines she's good, they make a plan to get together ASAP. Jules arrives at that point, they arrange to meet in the main chamber, except Sunny who is watching Northbridge, they say hi first.

So in the main chamber Jules gets Liz to stay safe here and Holly asks Jules to find Ariane - turns out she's not in any cardinal direction. Jules suggests she's not on this plane. Holly "Oh shits", Jules determines she can't get over to the Umbra from here and there's talk about how she has a bolt hole somewhere in the Umbra maybe? Lydia wonders if Liz knows anything about other dimensions? Liz says somewhere in the deep Umbra, says she can go to Spire directly. Jules says she'd bet on Ariane in a fight so she's going to wait 5 minutes and try again. Holly and Lydia talk about how this is an issue because Sam was on CCTV floating and causing an issue. Carlie suggests rich/powerful fucks stick together, Lydia suggests she's on her way down so people will let her get in trouble.

Jules talks to Stephen Thompson and says she's got 4 witnesses who'll say Sam kidnapped Ariane, Thompson says this is an issue because John Northbridge as Sheriff needs to present witnesses for the prosecution, or the deputy in this situation. Jules says she has to wait on Ariane and he suggests "You'd best go and find your pack mate then Alpha" which she gives him a glare for.

Meanwhile: Sam Aston has been complaining and Ariane has been very sympathetic, her daddy left her the money for the Card Trick and made the money by selling info about demons to demonologists. They teleport, they're just outside of Manchester A&E, Ariane bitches at her that she can't stab her and frog marches her inside, complains about how she shouldn't slip and fall on the glass again and how she's going to clean it, then turns and tries to walk out (with a sword on her belt), then finds herself outside of the Tower of London... she stomps in in a very angry way, slamming doors open until she comes in. Ariane confirms her box in the Umbra or the dark side of the moon, and how she had to give her a 30 minute headstart, she also threatens to rip off Northbridge's head and shit down his neck. There is arguing about the witness until Three asks us to be civil. Ariane asks people to take him out of the bag of wards in case it's keeping him still. Holly unzips the bag and he glares and asks if she was the one who stomped on him, Lydia offers to check him over, cracked rib.

Ariane proceeds to talk to him and he confirms he had to follow orders from his sire, who he confirms is Mr. Northbridge, who then glowers at him. Northbridge calls him a fool and tells him to shut up. Three tells him that is not acceptable and he wants to hear the evidence, Northbridge compels him to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

The trial continues! Westbury arrives about half way through, there is evidence! There is cross questioning! We're down The Angel, Sam Aston, and The Lady of Kowloon. Westbury attempts to derail it with politics and procedure. Ariane throws Aston under the bus for conspiring with the Vampires, gets a sentence of exile from London from Dawn tomorrow. John Northbridge and Samantha Wallingford, convicted of murdering a Grandee and will executed tomorrow at Dawn we are invited to watch as Justice must be seen to be done. Harold Westbury objects to Wallingford's execution but throws Northbridge under the bus.

Three then involves clause 26C of the Deputy Sheriff's contract and she is then vested with the powers of being Sheriff - she has a feeling of a strange connection, can feel the flow and move of London, small almost ephemeral, illusionary feelings in the back of her head, a sense of power, energy, and authority. Gains the gift Aura of rightful authority (1WP triggers a WP roll off to give a lawful instruction within traditional bounds of city, and in pursuit of duty to a member of the demi-monde 8 for mythical beings, 6 for kinfolk etc, 4 for humans - GM CHECK THIS PLS). She arranges for the CCTV to get scrubbed.

2023-12-18

Everyone is back at the Pack House with a plan to get some Chinese takeout.

The next morning dawns, and those who are going to watch the political execution get up: Jules, Ariane, Lydia, Carlie (reluctantly).

At the Tower of London, Three is waiting for us to see that "Justice is Done", we're taken to an older part of the tower, a stone spiral staircase to an upper room, windows without glass. Samantha Wallingford and John Northbridge are sat in chairs being watched by 21st Tactical Reconnaissance. Lydia glares, Jules and Carlie hang back. Ariane goes to say goodbye and wish him a fortunate rebirth via Gaia, he looks vague and asks if he knows me, the 21st Tac say they're not really all there, they don't know what it is but its something The Guild make, she returns to stand with the others.

Three announces its 08:06 and the execution by dawn will happen. Carlie suggests this is fucked up, Ariane and Lydia argue its traditional and Jules urges everyone to STFU. We then watch the horrifying immolation of two vampires, there's two piles of ash and burnt chairs and Carlie says this answers her question about whats wrong with it.

We make a move for going for breakfast, Carlie talking about reforms of executions, and also the Grandees in general. Ariane asks what we could replace it with. There's talk of bodycount and Ariane suggests more oversight. Carlie talks about how their squabbling lead to a lot of people dying, Ariane counts it up. Carlie talks about how its just all the rich fucks. Ariane suggests that its just Thompson and Westbury who are overly rich and asks about how the Garou grandee is elected, suggests talking to Dagenham and others about how a grandee is elected. Ariane broadly defends the Grandee system as a method of ensuring a cold war rather than a hot one. Lydia and Carlie talk about how the system is fucked.

Jules agrees but says we need to concentrate on The Eternal Church and the advice we got from the Tower of London that we need everyone.

There is talk of keeping them under observation for how much they've spread. Does the Sheriff have any power to observe things? (Ariane to talk to Watford). Lydia talks about an infiltration and there's talk of maybe an invite works.

Plan: Scout them out and gather information. Some of us hit the history books for clues to the previous invasion.

Jules also mentions that a spirit mentioned she came from a line of prodigious garou, and that Red Talon recognised her and she had features of historically renowned wolves. Ariane says she may hit up the Silver Fangs genealogy scrolls, but also advises trying to talk to the Patrons spirit of the Black Furies and says they may have secret meetings in the wild woods or on a mountain or island in the med, Greece, or Turkey and Jules makes a plan to talk to Diamond Annie (she says the Silver Fangs have a castle out in Austria that may be used to commune with their spirits).

So: Umbral scouting: Jules and Ariane. Sunny to liaise between the groups. Physical: Lydia and Carlie.

Meanwhile: Holly has been going off early that morning to call up The Guild to go and talk to Mr. Benson and update him about everything, heads over and finds that The Guild feels like its starting to reach a new equilibrium. Benson is in his (Laffrey's) office, there's a bit of a chat and Holly then gives him an update about all the salient points about who was responsible, who wasn't, who's dead, who's not. She doesn't deliberately blame anyone, Sam doesn't get a great edit, Wallingford picks up vague amounts of blame, Northbridge as well. He tells her that the Mythics will be having a competition to see who is elected to their Grandee.

He also tells her that the werewolves... its a really interesting question... he may have accidentally chosen because by tradition The Guild chooses the next Garou Grandee, and Benson called Stephen and asked him to step in, didn't really mean to choose him but did, was hoping he was just going to step in to give some stability and if he could help find out where Sir Robert was and figured he'd have more ability to do so as Grandee.

Holly tells him about the visit to The Tower and how it sort of has a plan? Thinks that the best course of action is to unite members of the demimonde to deal with the issue. Benson says that Ashley (a psychic mythic) who decided to go to one of the Eternal Church's gatherings, the Monk wigged her out and she made Benson promise to investigate. Benson has been using the brute squad to infiltrate them.

Holly asks about shifts, Benson offers to put her on a Guild retainer, essentially she gets paid to be on call for if shit hits the fan for the Guild to lend her muscle and spirit. Holly says she has to check in with her Pack. Benson says its a £25k retainer and Holly seems enthused to use this to top up her income and says she'll call him.

She calls into the group to update us on what's going on and what she told The Guild. Ariane suggests recruiting her onto the Umbral investigation party.

So! The plan is to see if The Umbra is changing, if they've been forming alliances with other things. We head over, the dome is there, looks like its gotten a little bigger by Jules eyes, about 50% increase from last time. Ariane is pretty fascinated but doesn't see much. Jules meanwhile spots functionally a tent city, estimate at around 100 peoples worth of tents all packed in.

Meanwhile in the physical: Sunny is keeping her distance, Carlie wants to try and work out where the barrier is then to see what it feels like. About half way down the street can sort of feel her hair standing up on end, Sunny can feel her fur standing up. There's talk about what to do, Lydia talks about thinking trying to join is a good plan so just makes a plan to just walk up. As she gets closer she can feel a wind that grows to sort of gale force wind buffeting her as she's heading towards it. She can see regular people just heading in and out about 50m away, but she can't seem to get any closer. She decides to get in touch with them via text to see if they have any of meetings going on.

In the Umbra we see a few people being roused from their tents, gathering up swords, heading around to the front, we follow them and there's sort of a stretch/distortion, like a finger pushing the bubble. We muse on the meaning and Jules borrows a make up mirror from Ariane to do a look across with, she see's Lydia, we curse a bit, we can see three Templar's approaching Lydia and Ariane attempts to distract them by telling them where Jerusalem is. They tell us to go away, Ariane brushes them off, Jules is recognised.

Meanwhile: Lydia is getting a reply that they're meeting at the church this evening, she hopes for house groups but told the church is their own space to conduct their own works, their own house. Says she can't make it, arranges a meeting tomorrow at lunch in a cafe. She can see someone taking a box out of the church and tries following around the zone to see, but there's too much wind. She eventually calls it quits and wanders off.

In the Umbra we see the distortion shifting back and the Templar's sheath their swords. They try to ask what we're doing here and Ariane tells them they're on a sacred mission from the goddess to Patrol, they say they're bringing the enlightenment of the one true church, defend stabbing someone as excising cancer from the body. Ariane asks if they can stab someone in the physical. There's a back and forth and she's told that The Monks go to talk to The Shades of those that have created this city and say its an interesting spiritual experience. They say they're here to find the local gods of the sphere and eliminate them so their cancerous perversions of religion won't taint the locals. Says the gods take on various forms. They tell Jules there's a large creature in a fortification and another with many legs in a building that has many connections, and a slumbering dragon somewhere, they're looking for a temple to the slumbering dragon so they can free us from their shackles.

Ariane suggests that Slumbering Dragon is a Jackie Chan film she's not seen, says we'd love to help but we're locked out because we're werewolves. The Templar says several have come to their side but they have a healthy respect for us. Jules asks if they're just going to keep taking more and more people, they don't understand that they're taking anyone, only willing spirits come to their side. He offers to bring Brother Michael to come explain and engage in a dialogue and understand the one churches divine provenance.

In the physical Carlie is watching, sees Lydia break off from her approach. She also catches a glimpse of Sergeant Deerborn keeping an eye on the church from a flat opposite, from inside the shield, attempts to head over and smacks into the bubble. She calls him up and talk about operating inside warding, he says its set fire to some of their gear, she warns him its mind whammy and he pulls his squad out leaving their mics and cameras running on auto and arranges to meet her.

Sunny meanwhile is keeping a nose on the place.

In the Umbra a monk (Brother Michael) of the Red comes out in scarlet robes, hooded cowl down and a crook on a staff, we exchange names and he invites us inside, Jules says he'd rather have it out here because it looks intimidating in there, he agrees to meet us outside and gets the troops to bring out a table and chairs and some tea, he gestures with the staff to part the shield and get out and leaves the gateway open, they bring table and chairs through it.

Says he's very fascinated by our realm and how its "shattered and sundered, cleaved into twice, separating the real from the physical, not seen that before". Jules suggests he's a long way from home. Ariane asks if his elders have briefed him in his mission, he says he's here to free us from the shackles of other religions, the false version of the church that he's found here, a mockery of the real one with a false pope and even some protestants who don't bow to our church. Jules shortcuts Ariane's bickering to ask him if there's anything that could make him leave, he says he'd never leave because he's on a mission from god. Says he's here to offer everyone a chance to convert, and says The Templar's will only kill those not a threat, those who don't convert can keep living their barbaric ways but free of the influence of their gods. He also breaks out "Good dogs need training" which gets a growl from Jules. Says that one of his spirits called Angela who believes it works as a dog trainer, doing a faxsimilie of work in this strange sundered world.

Ariane asks if he's spoken to any Bells lately? He says he found one in the upper tower of the church, a fascinating entity who calls herself Bell. He says she's safe but under the mistaken belief they're of the wrong church, wishes to see her sisters and once they've finished their conversations she may but she can't seem to move, Ariane tells her their bubble will get in the way, they don't know how to move her outside the bubble, shes bound to the building.

They can't drop the shield with the local gods still powerful, they wish her no harm and will bring messages back and forth, she pines for her Mother church, the Bell of Southwark. "Unfortunately it seems she must be their hostage"

Offers us tea grown in the papal estate and handed to him by Pope Hope III as part of his going way present, pours three cups of tea. Jules takes the cup politely, but Ariane takes the cup and drinks it, this has a lot of subtle smokey flavour (it's one of the finest teas she's ever tasted).

Then asks about "the spirit that lives in the fortification on the river." and says it has a defensive bubble similar to theirs, a most fascinating development because creating the bubbles requires an item touched by the divine hand, a particular item with the protection of the one true god. Ariane covers this up by saying they're not the only people who can make them, Michael claims its an inferior mockery and says that if we loved it there would be no need for defences, he says their wall is because we don't understand them yet. He says "through conversation comes understanding and through understanding comes enlightenment" and Ariane arranges to come back for another conversation in the future.

We let them take the table and chairs through, he goes back through and waves his crosier to shut the gateway.

Meanwhile in the physical: Deerborn talks to Carlie asks about the brainwashing power, she says it may be from where they're from rather than from them. He says they've got the place bugged with mics and cameras. Lydia asks how they keep the garou out, he says all their magical equipment just fails as it crosses a line. There's talk about how they may ask the Sheriff to authorise a drug raid on the church, Lydia warns him they have a few Garou on their side, he says his plan was plant drugs, raid, shut it down. Lydia says shutting them down means we can't observe them. Deerborn says they're not doing anything but talking about injustice and other philosophical things, they've done nothing except this one guy called Brother Michael who just appears they've not seen him get in and out, they assume he's coming from *gestures*. He suggests drugs raid, pick up Michael, shove him in Paddington Green, interrogate him. Tells them Paddington Green is heavily warded, no way in or out spiritually.

Lydia says she's worried what will happen to them if they try and get Michael, also suggests she's joined the TA and wants in on recruitment because doing press ups in the rain on a Tuesday is dull. He says she should learn to love her basic training. She asks if he wants her to save her life or not. She eventually suggests if she doesn't do something useful for him she'll get bored and ripped someones head off. Deerborn threatens to get Lydia to clear out the Paddington Green latrines, Lydia threatens that she's the one who decides who gets stiched up, Carlie suggests Lydia needs to work out how hierarchy works.

Holly has popped back home, someone knocks on the door, there's a man 5' 8" grey beard, grey hair, walking stick. He asks for Ariane, Jules, or Holly - introduces himself as Arthur King of the Britons and is pleased to meet her!

2024-01-08

(Holly chats to Arthur King of the Britons (who just walked here from Avalon) who seems like he's read a guidebook on modern times but knows magic, The Umbra, and the 17th century, and refers to her as Lady Holly of Sussex, the rest of the pack head back, Carlie is named "Lady Suspicious", Lydia offered part of Scotland, we tell him about The Queen and Ireland, Ariane is obviously weak for royalty and gets blessed, Jules is dubbed as a priestess of Gaia, Sunny notices he has very interesting scents on him, we catch him up some more on The Eternal Church, he tells us about fighting the Nazi's with Crowley, and is now waiting for his Merlin, who can apparently travel in time (Liz says The Guild have a 15 year old Merlin and offers to bring him), there's talk of raising a local militia and recruiting all the local magical groups, Ariane suggests getting The Angel Islington for the "by faith" option. Ariane offers her bed to him and everyone else preps recruitment/infiltration missions)

So Holly is greeting Arthur King of the Britons, invites him in, he seems to know about tea and suggests that. She quietly texts the group chat that she may be delayed because "Arthur (you know 👑)" and gets an acknowledgement from the physical-team (Lydia, Carlie, Sunny) she offers him a selection and he chooses some Tetley tea, he doesn't seem to know how he takes his tea so copies her, he's wearing a fishing/boonie type hat, slightly out of date check shirt, just seems a little out of place, describes the tea as a "fascinating flavour". Tells Holly that he's here because he heard she asked for help, here to help the Crown, that he's here to put together the round table of the greatest knights of the realm.

She talks about expanding beyond knights because knighthood has had a bit of change since his day, but he confirms its about service to the realm. He asks about which county she descends from as a noble lady and she says "this one?" and he checks if she's descended from the Duke of Sussex and Holly confirms her mum did one of the geneology things, Arthur queries if she's his daughter or wife. He says that in public she should address him as "Your Majesty" but around this (which serves as our round table) she can call him Arthur. Says he's very familiar with the spirit world, the fae, and is awaiting the arrival of Merlin. She quizzes him on Gaia, he talks of how Sir. Bedivere was a garou and several of his companions have been in the past, she tells him about how this is a pack house and then when asked gives him a background of London and also a brief overview of events since we entered the Deep Umbra. He keeps asks for clarification, but sometimes doesn't because he doesn't want to appear stupid, he seems to not understand modern social things, seems like he read a guide to the modern world (so knew the word "tea") but lacks context or understanding of it. He is totally into strange Umbral stuff however, very grounded, very 13th century vibes (ooc: Tom: So very French).

Meanwhile: The church physical team: Carlie is suggesting its time to go, Lydia is asking if she should rip the throat out of Arthur or not, Carlie suggests that we should wait to see if we need to first. Carlie complains about everything happening at once and Lydia confirms this is a picnic compared to how things are on the wards. They tell Sunny who pops over to tell Ariane and Jules, and gets an update on the tea drinking, god killing, and bubble expanding, she also tells them about King Arthur and Ariane and Jules bicker a little about if this is really Arthur or not (Ariane seems more positive about it), they decide to head back in the spirit, everyone else going back in the physical.

Carlie gets back and says she's suspicious and he asks which county "Lady Suspicious" is from, she gives the country she believes her origin is from. Lydia says she's from Gloucester but isn't going back there and he suggests she should be assigned part of Scotland. He says he's in charge from Kentish coast to Berrick Upon Tweed and everything from Berrick until Wales. Lydia and Carlie tell him about The Queen and Great Britain, so the whole country and part of island ("not all of Ireland, that turned out to be a mistake, colonialism was bad"), Arthur says that Irish soil sounds like trouble. Lydia says that Catholics cause all kinds of problems yes. Holly is trying to keep her shit together.

He says that Lady Holly of Sussex and Ariane and Jules requested his help. Then everyone arrives. Ariane instantly falls to her knees and offers him the hilt of her sword and gets tapped on her shoulders with a blessing as lady of the Kentish lands. Ariane confirms he's here to help with an invasion of trouble from the papists. Carlie asks if there was a way to stop the real catholics from catching this and Ariane and Lydia confirm this is the fake catholics with an anti-pope.

Jules reveals she's not a lady and she borrows Ariane's sword to try and make her a lady, and she replies "I kneel only for the men I choose", Ariane explains that Jules is revered by the people of Gaia and is the leader of our pack, he refers to her as a Priestess instead and apologises for trying to give her secular powers.

Sunny smells him, smoke, wood, leather, oils of some kind, metallic smells, he smells of man but not the city, also a number of missing scents she doesn't know. She gives him a good sniff to try and hunt those down, he gives her scritches.

Ariane catches him up that they've been checking out the church and its warded, we confirm they have knights, all infantry, around five score (100) people and they use just sword and shield. He talks about arranging cavalry and archers, says that he may even talk to the Welsh about getting some longbow man... Jules says that horse are in very short supply.

He say's he walked here from Avalon itself, we talk about how there's not many horses or archers around but we've got 21st Tactical, also no militia but Ariane is serving as local sheriff of the guard. He says he'll sit Ariane at his right hand side and Jules at her left as priestess.

Jules sizes up our forces: a squad of 6 sassy werewolves, one of whom is the sheriff. Also The Guild (Holly catches us up that they can go through the barrier) and Holly talks about how she's happy to keep liaising with them, and suggests that Jules and the rest of us talk to Dagenham and the other packs. We talk about talking to the Immortals and Vampires, Ariane suggests that Sunny and Carlie should speak to them because they've been least angry with the Vamps and we can get them to double cross the others working with them.

Holly talks to him about times he's been called to help save the realm, he says he was involving in fighting the Nazi's with Alistair Crowley imprisoning spirits in a dungeon dimension, but this is his first time going up against The Eternal Church, can't fight them before born. Says Merlin was born long ago, a time travelling wizard who knows the future (because he's been there). Ariane texts Jules to tell Liz to appear because then she can become "his Merlin" and be in a position of power when this shakes out. Arthur tells us he always appears when its most dramatic and Jules quotes LOTR. Liz does then text Jules about if its safe to emerge and she tells her about King Arthur, Liz says that The Guild has a mythic called Merlin who's only 15 and asks if she should bring him along, there is a discussion about being Merlin.

Lydia talks about joining to try and get information, he enquires if she is a Lancelot, and Ariane clears up it was an infiltraiton. There's talk of raising a militia and liaising with the lord of Dagenham and the denizens of the night, and perhaps raising a peasants group, we talk about bringing up the True Londoners. Holly wonders who is "by faith" and Ariane suggests getting The Angel Islington, Carlie fills us in that The Angel is very angry. Ariane suggests taking the sword to her to try and convince her to join us and Holly suggests its a bad plan.

Lydia mentions she was going to go get a coffee with one of the church to plug her for information and Ariane says this is good to work out how many regular humans they may risk.

We have a plan! Ariane offers him her bed (and for her to take the sofa) and then takes a selfie with him to post to her family. He talks about how phones tie them to the government and the specialist livery guilds (companies) who know all our movements.

So we arrange for Ariane to mail the Bishop, Carlie to go to the Guild to try and get Vampires numbers.

2024-01-15

So Liz is coming over from The Guild and when she arrives tell Jules that she couldn't bring the young Merlin because he has school in the morning. Ariane is making her room fit for royalty.

Arthur is introduced to "Lady Elizabeth" and he assume's she is from "The Orient" and she gives him a glare about being from Brixton, she is unimpressed. She apologises for not bringing Merlin and he complains he needs his Merlin, they arrange a meeting for tomorrow. She quietly asks Jules where she finds people like this, also Merlin compliments Yangshi and it appears he can see spirits at the same time as the physical. Liz then drags Jules to one side to grouse about the racism, also says that she occasionally does tutoring to Merlin and he's only 15 and should we introduce him to "this fuckwit", Jules is a bit unsure about if its good idea, Liz gets more and more fucked off as she dithers on the decision on this eventually demands she decide something before 15:30 tomorrow and stomps out (everyone else hears the last bit of voice and shouting).

Holly attempts to mask the stompy leaving by talking loudly, Lydia talks about how this could be a child safe guarding issue, Holly talks about if she knows young Merlin at The Guild, Lydia and Carlie talk about the perils of bringing a teenager into the whole situation.

Lydia then talks about cloning Garou to prepare for the Apocalypse, Carlie brings up the doubt that all the clones are werewolves. Lydia talks about how dog cloning companies exist and asks Sunny if she wants to be cloned, and how its not much tricker than AI in cows ("wait, AI in cows?") and Carlie suggests that this being less natural may create a Weaver or Wyrm wolf. Lydia suggests it'd be like a twin and Sunny says that if she had a twin and it was just a dog it'd be weird. Lydia suggests if its tainted by other parts of the Triad we should just kill it, and Carlie and Sunny point out it'd be 2-3 years old and it'd be their friend. Lydia complains that this isn't weird she was asked to think about long term plans. She attempts to bring Ariane into it but she complains that it may produce a doppelganger, Carlie complains about the fact that the science-magic may interfere with the werewolf-magic.

Holly meanwhile has been arranging a meeting with The Guild members who have been looking at The Eternal Church, Sunny is researching dog cloning and orders herself a genetic testing kit, Ariane is now reading Doppelganger fic on Ao3, Jules is worrying about "should we send a 15 year old to mentor Arthur?" and is basically down to "fuck it just war in the streets is about our plan", she also reads some nihilistic poetry.

So 1am at The Guild its Holly, Carlie, Lydia - there is a meeting of interested parties: AJ (she/her psychica can read and also project emotions), Richard (he/him an arcanist who uses the labs in the basement for long term arrays), and Angelica (unknown party) are the three Guildees. There's some talk about artifacts (and how they're expensive), Richard is apparently not drinking and busy thinking about some complex arcane array. Holly introduces Carlie as a competent professional, Angelica tries to ask about which mythic school she's from and Carlie outs herself as a garou.

They fill the pack in on how Benson was suspicious of the church and how the witches can't get close, only Arcana or Psychica can get close, Demonica, Spiritalis, or Elementalis get hit by the wind. Also being inside the bubble deactivates the mythics magical artifacts. They moot a giant supression field, like the one around the tower of London and say the array that produces it is castle sized (in rumour, they've never seen it). They describe them as well meaning lefty yoghurt weaver types, a new christian form of a lefty alternative to the Catholic church, with some yoga and life pathway stuff. The issue is the Monks, never seen leaving or entering, feel like they're getting into their role and acting out their emotions, surface overacted emotions without anything beneth. Rhetoric is moving towards "letting the spirit warriors within us" which is concerning them as it sounds like mass possession perhaps?

Holly gives Carlie a "how much are we telling them?" look and Carlie considers it before asking them what they know about the Deep Umbra, she briefs them they come from a realm which is informed by peoples ideas about christianity and gets them to think about the word "crusades" and the sort of shit that American mega-pastors talk about, and how they've "come to kill our gods" to free us and The Guild accurately predict that they mean big spirits like London by Gods, Holly moots that maybe they want to possess the people to send them to the Tower. When asked who's doing the possessing Carlie and Holly suggest its the monks from the church to ride them across town.

When asked what do Carlie suggests theres a rumour the Sheriff is looking to bring people up, they suggest that she could call for a "general mobilisation" whereby an "all hands contract" could be written up to recruit them, it'd need to be negociated via Holly and Mr. Benson.

Carlie checks in about talking to Vampires and they say they're not the people to talk to but point out a gentleman across the bar who does occasional trade with Vampires and liases arcana trinkets between The Guild and the Vamps. Carlie heads over.

Holly asks about Merlin and AJ says she knows him but asks "whats that little fucker done now?" confirms he's a kind of stealing apples type. He's apparently called Merlin Robson knows some kind of Temporal magic and uses it to relearn lessons and retake exams (got caught doing it). She mentions Arthurian stuff, and they say that an old version of The Guild had an old Arthur, Guardner, and Crowley and they made a pocket realm to stuff Nazi werewolves in. Holly says she's not 100% sure on whats going on but is concerned about "Big A". They say that Derek Watford arrested him on fraud and he has to work with The Guild on community service. They reveal that Liz is deeply romantic over Jules to the point of day dreaming about her and doodling her on napkins. Holly talks about how he's maybe a spirit and hence he needs the story of "a merlin" or something similar.

Meanwhile Carlie is talking to The Broker of artifacts (used the name John Ashford when she met him at 75th Anniversary of The Guild) she apologises for making his contact list lighter by killing the previous Sheriff. He offers to swap the contact details for one of the good Vampires in exchange for the contact details of Diamond Annie. Agrees to give her the details of Simon McCave who works in independent financial advice selling crypto to rubes. The patriarch of "The Knight Brothers" specialists in crypto, NFTs and similar financial instruments, has been thinking of himself as hip and upcoming since the 1930s. Suggests if they refuse to participate that Carlie have her Grandee talk to theirs and The Broker knows whatever it is they're up to is serious. She gives The Broker Annie's number and texts Annie the message "Blame me later it was necessary".

Holly and Carlie catch up and broadly agree not to put a teeners life on the line here.

SO THE NEXT MORNING.

Ariane to get in touch with the David Chetstow the Bishop of Southwark, he is surprisingly attentive and his secretary even asks if this is something to do with Lydia (its not), Ariane then fills in the Bishop about how Lydia is doing better and they arrange a quick meeting and Ariane leaves immediately and picks up Lydia on route (who agrees to be very polite and not have an argument with him about religion). So they set off! And the doors are opened , as we approach, the housekeeper also tells Lydia they have enough jammy dodgers and don't need any, tea is arranged and the Bishop arrives with a sword and Ariane briefs him on "weird spirit fake pope god murderers invading London", he suspects they come from a realm marked on the Stiles Map. He's visited and got a frosty reception (wrong skin colour). Ariane pitches her plan, he changes the topic for a moment, he says he may have to take up a duty as the previous incumbent has vacated her seat (Grandee) and asks if this is a request from Ariane or the Sheriff, and Ariane clarifies its from herself, there's talk about how this request may impact his role aiming for the election, he doesn't want to the job again, its not something many volunteer for and talks of how The Guild is where the Grandees and MPD intersect and it's a lot of paperwork and bother and essentially anyone voted for it gets it, much like the Speaker of parliament they are dragged to the chair. If he's seen to be handing us the sword it may be seen as him playing a part protecting London and hence be a great Grandee, they can't elect someone who'd cause trouble, but also can't get someone who wants the job. He arranges for us to "steal" the sword to make himself look incompetent, Lydia tries to get him into an argument about god, but he makes to go and whispers something in the housekeepers ear. We book it with the sword with Ariane texting Carlie to ask for a portal in Bubbles to meet The Angel.

Ariane asks Lydia if she wants to come to maybe make one more apology to The Angel and she's very in and Ariane mutters that she "really should have banked on your deathwish"

2024-01-22

At Bubbles the Nightclub, Carlie can feel the portal is still there even from outside... Carlie gives Lydia and Ariane a heads up on how she called The Angel Islington "a fucking prick" and let her charm do the rest and then later realised she could have been murdered. Ariane asks Carlie to not do the talking, and she suggests going in to drink coffee, suggests Ariane go in as the Sheriff because then she has a legal responsibility and suggests Lydia will get on less well with her now. We run through a little RP with Lydia to test she can do a reasonable apology then head in.

Ariane first, Carlie second, Lydia third. And we find ourselves in the wonder blank white space between wherever it is Angels go and wherever it is Humans go. It's empty, still, peaceful. After a few moments there's a sound of wings and The Angel of Islington standing 20 feet (ish? There's no shadows its hard to judge distance). "Now what...", and Lydia says she came to apologise, and explains she wasn't trying to kill her and is sorry it went so wrong. The Angel replies "That's nice, and get out."

The Angel refuses to talk while Lydia is there and Ariane goes into the pitch about The Eternal Church and how she has obtained for her an Angel's sword. The Angel runs a hand through her hair and picks at a wing, Lydia informs her its a pretty good sword. She agrees to talk but not here... clicks her fingers and Carlie feels the portal open? And we find ourselves on a pavement cafe, seated with 4 coffees, croissant, etc. The food and cafe seem real. We can see the Eiffel Tower, a hubbub of people who aren't paying us attention, they are perhaps the faceless Parisian Umbra spirits - they're less grimy and more impressionist and artistic - still very human but more artistic impressions of humans than people themselves, the spirits reputation has changed its shadow much like Victorian London has.

There's talk of the sword and she confirms to Ariane she can perhaps tell us who's it is, there's some talk about who maybe dropped the sword, she informs Lydia that all the Angels swords are linked back to Archangel Michael. She seems like she's hesitant to tell us based on making a deal, if its someone who's fallen. She wants the argument for why she should get involved, she knows London and its people and loves some of them but recently its opened her eyes to how corrupt the place is. We brief her on how its a threat to the spirit of the people, and possibly a risk of possession. She makes a comparison with invading other Umbral realms. Lydia suggests its pointless as London will be underwater, Ariane suggests its worth fighting for, Carlie says she's not fighting for the status quo but instead she's fighting for London and what these people will do will leave us with a diminished London and Londoners. Lydia suggests she's not sure things can get better, she used to belief it could and she used to believe in The Angel - The Angel suggests things can and Lydia talks of how she sees people smacking themselves against a broken system.

Lydia directly asks the Angel who says if she thought she had the backing of the demimonde she'd put all the Grandees in a barrel to float down the Themes then setup a new deal, most of the people want security, a chance to live and be left alone. There's talk of maybe making the Grandees more open. The Angel suggests we should maybe let them kill the Spirit of London because that's a thing that backs The Grandee's. There's talk of how it's a spirit of the people and the history of London, which includes its colonial history, if we kill it or let it die then a new one will be born to reflect a new London. Ariane suggests talking to it to do a Phoenix routine.

The Angel suggests at some point The Spirit will invoke King Arthur (we reveal it has) and it'll want its Merlin who'll be around 15 (so he is the real Merlin). The Angel suggests it'll generate British jingoism and gather people under the hand of the Grandees. Ariane suggests that we use the response to this to help push reform in the Grandees who aren't fit for purpose. The Angel suggests that London reflects its spirits, the spirits reflect London, and hence this is the chance to reset things. The Angel asks us what we would fight and die for. She claims that saving the spirit is saving the status quo, how do we counteract the 2000 years of history (Lydia suggests nukes).

The Angel says she's willing to fight the Eternal church, her brothers and sisters of Wing and Sword won't join her, there's a cold war between their two camps and they won't spark it over Earth (between "Her Heaven" and "The Eternal Churches Heaven" are mutually ignoring each other).

Lydia asserts that The City of London is spreading The Wyrm around the world, The Angel asserts its a Wyrm spirit and assimilation. Carlie suggests its very racist. Ariane suggests it shows all the history of London and the generations of immigrants. She asks Ariane if she backs the people of London, the city of London, or the Spirit of London. The Angel tells us that corruption comes from many forms and not all from one devil. She wants some change, but says that the Eternal Church is not the change wanted. She wants Ariane to go and investigate the heart of the city which is dark and corrupt, devoid of life, choking lungs, filling people with depression and poverty and injustice and make a choice to then fight it. She also warns Carlie to be careful in her words about Vampires she just wants to live her life and love someone.

Ariane agrees that she's been swayed and says that as long as the rest of her pack agree she will help form a coalition to fight The Eternal Church, and then turn around to demand answers and accountability from The Spirit of London.

A Watcher of Raphael, a relatively minor Angel. She shows us her own sword (from nowhere) which has coptic script around it, she flicks her wrist and makes it light up in blue flame.

She suggests we pocket some croissants before she pings us back to London, she drops some francs on the table before she pings us back to Bubbles and she's gone...

MEANWHILE!

Sunny is planning a visit to the British Museum and Holly talks about going along with her, Holly wants to go via the Temple Church to see if its changed much.

So at the BM they head to the side door and then to Professor Rodriegez's office who says he's got a wonderful crate of artefacts to sniff, Sunny introduces Holly (who he's met in passing), there's talk of how he enjoys playing the professors life. Sunny asks him if he keeps up with the Demimonde but he says he mostly takes a few phonecalls from his people and reads a few briefing papers from the other Grandees. She checks in with him about The Eternal Church, he finds it fascinating they've shown up, and that an alliance is forming to keep them at bay and she's looking for contacts from his people to keep them away.

He suggests Lu Chin Way and says most of his people keep themselves to themselves out of professional difficulty, they can meet but its about if they can trust each other to meet, he has contacts and friends from people who want to live a quiet life. She also tells him about King Arthur and the response is just "Oh he's back is he..." apparently he did fight in the 2nd world war and he's met him before and clearly puts speech marks around the kingness. He's the spiritual manifestation of the countries identification behind a mythology. He's "The idea of Britain" and Holly suggests he should surely be based in like Cornwall or something, Rodriegez suggests he's based outside there, and is surprised he's been invoked for this and maybe something more serious about this than first meets the eye. He asks them to wait and talks about his memory, muttering about dates, goes to unlock a cabinet of leatherbound books and hooks out a 1938-1942 diary and spends time scanning it, asking people to sniff a half rotted wooden box while he reads and Sunny steps around a corner to shift shape, Holly meanwhile takes a bit of a sneaky look - there's a lot of aged leatherbound books going back to at least 1640s, a lot of paper, clearly everything gets printed out for him.

The box is some kind of tobacco storage again, Sunny is going through her memory to try and compare/contrast, and she suggests Sunny join in the sniffing - the box has maybe been parched? Underwater? 7"-3"-4" inches, had a sealed lid at one point thats since gone, Holly gets wood, plants, mustiness. Sunny describes the smell in intense detail, Rodriegez interjects to ask questions about comparisons.

Then talks about Arthur in the War, during a weird Mythic operation to put a bunch of Nazi werewolves in a dungeon dimension, but he recalls he had a lad who was about 20-21 years old who went by the name of Merlin who kept mentioning something about how this Nazi feller was no better than Trump and tried to tell people to invest in Google, also knew Hitlers invasion plans for the British isles and what forces were there, and what Himmler was up to with regards occult artefacts. Holly suggests he's going to have to start caring for his studies or getting into history at some point. Suggests speaking to the kid without Arthur around. There's talk of Merlin aging backwards vs. him travelling backwards in time.

Rodriegez suggests they need someone more action oriented than him, also by staying in the BM a lot he's under the protection of two large Gargoyles, he himself is not very good with a sword ("A professional hazard"), he recommends recruiting Ms. J Hillman and gives them a Highbridge address and a phone number.

Sunny finally recalls the scent of something like Jasmine tea, and he starts to open an airtight box, removes a faded note and asks Sunny to sniff it and is very revealed when she reveals it has a similar scent. The Roberta Estate in Carta Henya, he was too drunk to write it down and forgot where he bought it and was then half way across the atlantic on a Spanish treasure ship. A 40 year mystery. He mourns that he can't go back for another, Sunny suggests talking to Merlin to help, Holly gives her a look.

As they're leaving they hear him making a call to Jane about how he doesn't need time on the mass spect because he "found some notes" and will write up a paper and give the University credit.

2024-02-05

Flashback: Holly goes to Temple Church to investigate the Dragon's after talking to Rodriegez, Sunny has gone home. The outside is cleaned but still a little smoggy. She goes in pretending to be a tourist. Its strange, has a domed circle above the main cross/altar. She can see some kind of Umbral portal up there, Monk's in black are there, but they seem absolutely stationary, heads down. Feels they have some kind of atmosphere of threat, not directed at her, just in general (feels this is a Dark Souls boss encounter), they have dust on them like they're stationary and have been just waiting forever.

So everyone gathers back at The Pack House for a planning meeting its around 14:00. Jules talks about needing to get there in the physical and we need to be aware that the werewolves may just stop dead at the barrier. We talk about running a siege on them (and decide we can't really do it). Ariane asks Sunny about the altarpiece that they used to establish the bubble, its made of wood so we could burn it.

Jules revises her plan to amass on the border and once the Guild mythics knock down the barrier we can rush in.

• Tooth: Vampires (Simon McCave (via The Broker))
• Claw: Werewolves (us and the others)
• Sword: Immortal potentials (Lu Chin Way?, Ms. J Hillman? (via Rodriegez))
• Magic: Mythics from The Guild (open contract - Holly to coordinate via Benson)
• Belief: The True Londoners?
• Faith: The Angel Islington

So we have to go in at Night (because Vampires) so talk about doing it Saturday night.

Also talk through the idea of going to demand answers from the Spirit of London after the raid (Jules agrees in principle)

So Carlie to call Simon McCave, gets his office receptionist, says its a Private enquiry but she is associated with the Sheriff's office, asks for the idea of "The new sheriff" to be passed to him.

Jules calls Giannis Valatos to warn him about the upcoming spiritual war and also get a review of the names. He'd rather stay out of the fight but if its essential he can pitch in if Jules is on her last legs. Feels that Lu Chin Way will back out (she shys away from fights) however Ms. J. Hillman will be up for it and will just be selecting weaponry. Jules warns him his latest piece of artwork may be delayed by this invasion. "Good art takes time, really great art takes drama, and if you have to have some drama that will lead to really great art".

Jules also calls Diamond Annie to try and see if she can help re: Black Furies stuff. Annie checks into Carlie and enquires how she is and suggests she's dead when she catches up and reveals Carlie "one of her girls" was a little bit stray and loose with her personal phone number. Annie: "Carlie has loose lips", Jules: "She really doesn't". Jules attempts to defend Carlie as always having a good reason. Annie calls her brave for defending her pack members. Jules moves the conversation along to asking her if she wants to help out against Jules: "people who think they have more of a right to London than we do" ("an interesting way of putting it"). Annie says she's heard they've got a big thing on for the Grandee's and the Spirit of London and they talk about how The Eternal Church is basically a patriarchy. Annie tries to extract a price and says she wants change and Jules starts to recruit her into the going to get change from the Spirit of London. Diamond Annie wants the position of Garou Grandee to come up for Auction. Jules points out this makes it a rich persons game, Annie says she doesn't necessarily want it but maybe wants to run the auctions.

Jules moves the questioning along to history of the Black Furies and their important members and people. This throws Annie into a serious mood, she gives an address of a museum in Lewisham who may have some useful information afterall we can't let our histories be overwhelmed by our silver tongued and silver fanged brothers.

Concludes by saying "I won't have been the only werewolf that they approached... so be careful out there..." and it seems Our Adversaries (The Eternal Church? The Vampires?) have tried to recruit.

Goes to Ariane to ask about Garou who maybe want to subjugate the spirits. Carlie points out that collaborators are a whole thing. Lydia reminds us they tried to recruit her and several others. We talk about recruiting those we can personally trust - The Dagenham Deadbeats for example. Sunny points out we may need to think about it as a campaign and to think about our supply lines, talks about an undercover mission in the Umbra to break their lines. Talk to Holly who says she checked Temple today and that its been undisturbed a long time. We talk about the idea of Umbral Church or Gary as ways in. Debate if we should go and smash up the way in to cut them off? Ariane and Holly then point out it cuts them off and makes them desperate.

The plan starts to form: Garou and Spiritalis mythics in the Umbra, everyone else in the physical lead by Jules (so everyone can see she's there and keeping order), with Holly and Sunny coordinating. With Ariane (as Sheriff) leading the Umbral side. Bring Arthur in the physical (but can also see into the Umbra). Talk of Merlin and Holly fills us in on him being a weird 15 year old and also him being involved in the second world war. Ariane pushes for recruiting him and getting him onto the Garou/Gaia side. Holly and Jules argue this is not good to involve a kid in the horrors of a war zone.

At which point Arthur wakes up and asks if we've found "His Merlin" and says that he can't do a lot without him because he doesn't have excaliber, and Merlin knows where the lady of the lake is and he'll go there to get the sword. Clears up he's not a battle mage, helps set things up, sets up plans and illusions. Says that last time they met he was against that evil Hitler chap (his mother didn't approve) and told people to look out for something called "Google" and says he knew something about a weird park and someone called Turing. Describes him as young, dark haired, "virile", and had cargo pants and a tshirt with "Ariana Grande" on it.

Ariane votes for being on the team to find The Lady of the Lake because she wants to meet him.

The sun sets... and Carlie's phone rings from an unknown number. It's Simon McCave of Knights Brothers. He say's he worships the holy dollar, knows the Church is being bank rolled and would suggest a unique line of NFT iconography amongst other investment iconography. We're going to downsize the problem in a rather physical fashion. Says he has a Knight Born Bailiff Group. Carlie suggests they should be called "Midnight Repossessions" and McCave says they will be by tomorrow. Will help in exchange for an official stamp of approval for his business... Ariane offers an endorsement for looting which Carlie frames as "Salvage exclusivity" on the Church and Carlie says that anything too destructive is going to the excise man. He wants first possession of the property. Carlie texts Annie to say she may hand over details of people muscling in on her gig. Ariane clarifies that they've got first dibs on the stuff not on the whole building.

2024-02-12

Lydia is planning on talking to the Children of Gaia werewolf church. Someone needs to talk to the Fae, someone else needs to talk to the possible immortals (Lu Chin Way or Ms. J Hillman). Carlie has vanished to deal with reparations for Diamond Annie.

Lydia is however contacted by a couple of members of The Eternal Church about meeting up for a cup of tea. It's arranged for Lydia to go along, Holly keeping watching in the Umbra, with Sunny and Jules nearby. Ariane to go to the cafe to find Old Crone Fleet, also to get her to check the bottom of the bubble to see if it goes down.

There's also talk of infecting the churches water supply with someone like norovirus a couple of days ahead of time to slow them up (we'd need to sneak someone into the building to drop some in the tank).

She also suggests recruiting the True Londoner spirit of Cross Bones Graveyard and/or an army of the dead spirits who dislike the status quo from there.

So! We send Lydia to the Children of Gaia, then to get a contaminated sample pot from the hospital, then to go get a cup of tea with the church.

Celeste (CoG) we have Lydia chatting about problems with anger and rage and the suggestion is to help repeat passages to not waste anger on people and instead aim it at the Wyrm. There is talk of arranging for someone else to beat up a doctor who's being awful at work so Lydia doesn't lose her church. Talk moves to The Eternal Church and Celeste thinks their corruption of the Bible is very interesting and she wants to do a study on it, she thinks they've misread everything Gaian and have substituted with this weird single divine entity. One of the Monks came to talk to the recently about how local spirits like London are oppressing us. For them the Umbra is the real world so they see the local spirits as local feudal lords who need over throwing. She worries overthrowing the local big spirits would give a toe hold to the Wyrm, she also thinks killing The Weaver of Laws and Rituals would help reduce the Weaver influence, which she told them was a good idea. They prefer killing the Spirit of London but she thinks its a bad idea. Thinks they're all talk no pants.

They tried to recruit her, knows they've tried to recruit Diamond Annie, she gave them Jules name and Dave from Millwall Football Club Supporters along with Sanjeev of the Bone Gnawers.

Lydia texts this entire list into the Pack group chat then wanders to a park to stare into a puddle and hate London intensely and try and see if she can contact Father Wolf, he arrives and she asks if he'd be interested in killing the Spirit of London, he replies he'd not be amenable because of "a pact in ancient times", he wonders how we seek to kill something more ancient than some of the tribes and asks what would take its place. Lydia says there's an Angel who asserts it can be done. Father Wolf asks if this is about wisdom or honour, she suggests its about decreasing Weaver power and he says its not totally worth it because its not of The Wyrm (who we must face). She asks him about The Umbral Church and he knows of them. She tells him of the deal with the Angel that they must at least face the Spirit of London. He tells a story: live upon an island with many fluffy rabbits who are happy, then a fox comes to the island and eats all the rabbits - do you fight the fox or the rabbits? Or is it better to give the rabbits a way of fighting back? Or maybe they've overbred and eaten all the food so maybe its best for the fox? He describes the Umbral Church as part of the Umbral ecosystem that predates on big, flat, slow ideologies. As garou we are ecologists and gardeners of the realms, so should we allow the predator to predate on the slow old fat ideology of London? Or is it worth preserving? Lydia asserts that London is eating itself and its becoming unsurvivable for the humans who are making it worse, and that London as it is needs to die. She asks for Red Talons who may want to help shaping what comes next... Father Wolf says a few but that she has to decide what's worse, a rotting ideology eating away at the nature of the little island who's natural predator has come to visit or is the predator worse. So how many garou souls will they eat along with the ideology? Lydia asks rhetorically why she can't kill both of them ("well, why can't you?") and essentially is asking for reinforcements to help bolster her point of view. He suggests she come to West Virginia where there is a small stronghold of the Red Talons.

She then calls by the hospital for a contaminated sample pot.

Meanwhile! Jules sets up in a nearby bar, Sunny prepares to be the dog friend, Holly sets up in the Umbra.

So Sunny picks up Lydia as she leaves the Underground. Holly spots some knights in shining armour watching the cafe where the meeting will happen from the Umbra, in the physical she can see a 21st Tactical corporal observing the cafe with a boom mic. She makes a note to mention this to Ariane being as she's... sort of their boss? Sort of a line manager? She looks around the area and finds 2 more members of 21st Tac in a nearby cafe with a long briefcase and concealed pistols, they don't seem to have spotted Jules, but Jules spots them.

Lydia and Sunny enter the cafe, order coffee and cake, everyone else notices the observers start paying more attention. Lydia settles and is informed that the person has changed their name to Serana as a church thing to throw off Western London vibes and reconnect with Western African roots (she is so so white) talks of reconnecting to the deep ties of humanity, earlier christianity and her inner warrior woman by communing with her inner spirit - its easier at the church, they sit and they meditate on all the wrongs that London has done and open themselves out, at first she thought it was a raging knightly man, but there's an inner African woman inside her waiting to get out (Lydia is keeping her nodding along in the conversation). Talks of how Jesus and the Pope are modern and misogynistic, need to go back an earlier part of the church, its the offshoot that went to modern day Etheopia, lead by the Bishop of Nisburth, who attended the Council of Nicea who preached that Jesus was just a man who embodied the spirit of God but was not of god and a man can have the wrong ideas when things come from Western patriarchy (overview and dominion) man is not meant to have dominion over nature man is part of nature, must have love and self mastery. Feels she is going down the path of the Red, all the injustices placed upon her have fuelled her anger, she thought about joining the grey but too much warrior, not enough melancholy and hopes to get in touch with her and let her in this Saturday. She tries to invite Lydia and is told "just turn up at the church you'd be very welcome", she suggests that Lydia may have a fear of Church buildings and says one of the Brothers may be available to call her and talk instead of her coming, arranges a meeting in 20 minutes.

Lydia goes to get her another coffee and texts the pack chat with a quick summary about how she's going to "join" and that they're doing an exercise on Saturday. Her and Jules have a bit of a back and forth and its suggested that she try not to destroy anything just spot things, but Lydia says if she can take down the bubble she will. Jules bangs her head on the table, Holly spots 21st Tactical getting ready to move at this. Lydia suggests Sunny goes for a walk if she wants and she takes herself outside then pops into the Umbra where she spots the two Knights.

A cab arrives, and a Monk in black robes gets out, he's also visible in the Umbra clearly to Sunny and Holly although he appears translucent. As he enters the cafe Holly spots 21st Tactical getting active and 2 snatch landrovers pulling up nearby, one in met police colours.

So Brother Michael has a cup of tea and chats to Lydia about how much she wants to join, and how she had some trouble with her old church (who didn't understand people like her) and how they may be somewhere she'd fit in better. Michael says always looking for new seekers, especially those with such inner fortitude. There's talk of how she has "issues" getting in, Michael says that recent media coverage hasn't helped but they're looking for the right people on their quest to help reform these lands... he dispatches Serana to buy him some Twinings tea so he can have some privacy with Lydia. He then takes a small object out of his robes and taps it on the table and all background noises fade away, in the Umbra a tiny bubble forms around the pair of them...

Lydia says a few months of bad things and stuff needs to change. Michael says he had an interesting conversation with Ariane and Jules but they didn't seem ameanable, and Lydia says her own interactions haven't been positive and they all think she's an idiot. He says he wants a particular item from her which is held in a warehouse as a sign of good faith that she wants to work with them, shows her a picture of the item in question - they need it to "Overcome a Barrier" and in return will be offered to become a wolf in the Black or the Red and join them in their quest to make this a spiritual land in the name of the one church. If she fails she has insufficient will for the task. If she does this and joined them she would be blessed and could cross the barrier. She just needs to find it and call Serana. He tells her the people would be free to follow the Church or not, and if they didn't they could just work as whatever they wanted without the control of great spirits that set unnatural laws for them.

Meanwhile! Ariane gets a phonecall from Sargent Deerborn who plays back a tape and offers to pick people up. Ariane says no to both of them because it'll raise suspicions, but says she wants them on hands Saturday evening and maybe they need to do some light arson as a starter to drop the barrier. He goes to make a call.

Holly sees the 21st Tactical just melt away into the crowds, Serana comes back with the tea, the barrier is lowered and the pair of them arrange to leave including Michael holding the door for Serana (and dropping the tea bag box on the table to ignore it).

Lydia drops a group text to everyone saying "It worked, I know what they want, best talk at home"

2024-02-19

Sooooooooo! Before most of last week there is a phone call from Diamond Annie to Carlie who complains she has just spent 2 hours chatting to someone who had her private number that she doesn't give out to gentleman callers ("well I don't know the number you do give out to gentleman callers") and its arranged that Carlie should go visit her at a pub and come in the Umbra... its near Bethnel Green police station. As she arrives she notices a number of spirits basically in Peaky Blinders cosplay (flat caps, overalls, suits) they tell Carlie that Annie is "plying her trade inside" and they get a squinty almost glare in response. It says "SNUG" on the sign, and inside there's wood shavings on the floor, barstools, etc.

Inside she spots Annie in a burlesque outfit (fitting the vibe of the historical 40 Elephants) with 2 whisky's and a number of silver items on the bar. She asks for the whys and wherefors here instead of within the earshot of "her other girls", because she has a position to maintain and she basically can't be seen to be taken advantage of. Jules says this is about "the upcoming fight" and Annie says she's already spoken to Jules about it, says that we needed the Vampire (Simon McCave) for the fight. Annie says that she was mostly pissed off because she's been avoiding The Broker and now he has her number, and he doesn't pay attention to the same ethics in her trade as she does - she notably doesn't trade in people or their essence or souls or whatever and he started by asking her to acquire her someone (almost certainly a mythic when they grow up, and its not Merlin) its specifically an 8 year. Carlie says she doesn't trade with slavers and so he's going to die. Annie warns her not to do it on Guild property and Annie says she sometimes forgets how recently we came into London's Demimonde and she says that he trades in artifacts for the Mythics and questions their ethics for obtaining things. Carlie suggests that Holly could move into the spot, and Annie says it requires capital investment at the start so if a partnership is wanted she may be interested.

Someone wolf whistles and she scoops the silver off the bar and advises Carlie to be nice to someone who walks in, and a very traditional copper Officer Dixon comes in, referring to her as Toe Rag Annie doesn't want to accept a drink from her so Carlie offers to buy and they have a conversation about how he wasn't aware there were any of her people in Peckham. He then has a pint and Carlie pays with 5p and the barman adds it to his collection of strange and unusual coins. Annie and Carlie talk about how trade in weird items is useful and Carlie dislikes having to play by the rules of the Spirit here.

Meanwhile... Lydia is taking her contaminated sample along the street, finds a convenient stop cock and pours it in before sneaking away.

Meanwhile... Ariane is heading to the Cabby Cafe (Bleeding Heart Bisto) near Faringdon Station in Holborn to look for River Fleet, no one she recognises, so she orders some tea and a sandwich and asks after little old lady Fleet who comes for tea and they tell her that Grandmother Fleet will be coming in any time now for her tea. She gets a pastrami and rye and settles down to wait on a table free, Fleet comes in and Ariane buys her a tea and talks of the Eternal Church and how London itself has charged us with defending it ("so the natural churches can flourish I guess? I'm not very clear on that") there is talk of whats required and Ariane eventually just flat out asks for Fae muscle and she says that won't be an issue. She wishes they'd listen to being talked to and Ariane says this won't be happening. Says she may lend us "Mr. Kray". Ariane tries to recruit her onto the talk to the Spirit of London thing, and Ariane clarifies she doesn't want to overthrow it, they talk about not wanting to become Manchester after Ariane lists all the failings of the Grandees.

So everyone reunites at the House at roughly the same time, and Arthur King of the Britons has gone out with Jules. Carlie kicks off with how a slaver tricked her into helping him so he's dead. Says she may just feed the body to Grandma. There's talk of how we're going to do the murder after the assault on the Church. There's then a talk about the Kray twins maybe being the Fae muscle and how they may be opposed to going to talk to the Spirit of London. Then we move on to the report from Lydia - no help from the Children of Gaia and no help from the Red Talons and how she talked to Father Wolf and how he formed an ancient pact with the city of London and how the Umbral Church is a predator and London is prey, also talk of Lydia visiting West Virginia (possibly on holiday) and talk of using the Umbral spaceship. Also the Bone Gnawers, Millwall, Diamond Annie. Todo: Approach Dave of Millwall and Sanjeev of the Bone Gnawers (Holly and Sunny) with caution. Lydia also tells us they want The Director's Projector in exchange for getting her in there. There's talk of attempts at a mass possession on Saturday so we have to go early on Friday and how they maybe have garou so we need a method of distinguishing the two of them.

Lydia also points out people call her ideas bad less when Carlie's not there and then there's a discussion about she needs to have less bad ideas. Talk of having The Angel do some cleanup ritual afterwards and tell people with us not to lick the door knobs. We talk about the Projector (that can exist in the physical and Umbra and pass between them) - we gave it to The Weaver of Laws and Rituals, we talk about making a copy (its a pretty standard 1960s two reel style film projector). We talk about obtaining a spare from Rodrieguez who probably either has one or know someone who does. Talk about how we need to check the original first and the location Lydia has been given is a warehouse immediately under Parliament. There's talk of not wanting to send 21st Tactical into a kill zone against Monks, monsters, and Garou from the Umbral Church, but Ariane asserts that this is basically their job to die for the Empire.

There is a plan formed to wait 20 minutes for Jules to get back then go speak to Parliament and have Jules and Holly front that to see if we can see The Projector.

2024-03-04

We form a cunning plan to send Lydia to deal with Arthur a bit while the rest of us go to Parliament to check on the projector so shes not sure if its fake or not. Lydia also talks about threatening The Spirit of London before we deal with the Eternal Church and Carlie and Ariane point out spirits want something first, then there's discussion about how Ariane mostly wants to push the spirit to reshape and change before just killing it, whereas Carlie just wants it dead.

Meanwhile... Jules is off with Arthur a bit, talks to Liz (who's tutoring Merlin) about making an introduction. Merlin is there in a NY Cubs hat and ratty tshirt and jeans. Introduces him to the idea of The Eternal Church invading London and brainwashing people and threatening the spirits, talks of them killing people who oppose them. Talks about how he can travel in time but isn't allowed, Jules talks about going back in time to change events and the idea that if other people know he's gone back then at some point he has to go back. Tells him we have a spirit-eternal-thing called Arthur King of the Britons that has described him and knows him as Merlin, he decries his mother as someone who picked his name while high on mushrooms. He says he can only go back 5 minutes so he has to practice, there's a slight scream and Merlin walks out of the kitchen with a fully made sandwich while still being sat on the sofa, the sofa version then goes into the kitchen to be met with swearing. Says that he knows where Excaliber is, its in a lake in the middle of Hyde Park where he put it there 7 years ago when he was 8. Says it was probably a fake, but he had it anyway, was pissed off with the TV show and people giving him shit, took the bus to Hyde Park and threw it in the lake. Also says that no matter how much it may piss off Liz but never lies - Liz then emerges from the kitchen to beckon Jules into the kitchen, upon which Merlin makes a whipcrack noise, earning a growl from Jules, he goes to laugh but Jules puts some threat into it and he goes pale. Jules reminds him he put a lot on what he's saying. Liz says that for all the shit thats being stirred then Jules will have to teach him some history of art for his general studies exams.

So Jules heads to Hyde Park to check out the Round Pound and the Serpentine, the plan being to be a dog and go swimming, checks it and finds it hecking huge, takes a bit of a look then basically summons Merlin to come point out the spot at Serpentine Bridge and asks the rest of the pack to come help out - gets Carlie, Sunny, and Lydia. Arthur tells them it was around 1940 when he was last here. Jules explains the story of the sword and Arthur says he can't find it without Merlin. Jules tries to say he's only 16 and Arthur retorts he killed his first man at 13. Arthur guestures towards an area of the lake the last time they found it. Carlie looks for run up points and places you could throw to, wades into the lake to sort amid the trash hunting for a magic sword. Lydia meanwhile tries to look into the Umbra - its hard to look under the surface, like the surface is resistant to looking, on top there's a number of victorian style boats with parasols and things. Sunny meanwhile bounces over, there's something ancient and weird there - treading in the Serpentine is treading in the home of something very dangerous, peers and gets the glint of an amber glowing eyeball the size of a football. Meanwhile Carlie can see 2 portals, one under the lake that goes into the deep Umbra. The other is the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain that is weird. She potters of towards the fountain, trailed by Jules, she gets the idea she should play in it so does. Jules calls over a check in - then Carlie vanishes.

Sunny meanwhile tries to invite the eyes to play, they blink and disappear, she tests the waters with her paws to no reaction, goes in and there's a hint of something about 1.5m from the shoreline, a box with a sword in? She tries to get a bead on it before going back to the physical. Lydia meanwhile has been continuing to watch through the Umbra, can see the large serpentine creature, sort of Loch Ness Monstery.

Carlie meanwhile has ended up in some kind of gala, a lot of fancily dressed people who feel sort of 2 dimensional (they're clearly 3D physical people, but they feel not like real people - this is a spirit of the crowd) has a nice chat with Sally from Hello Magazine who is keen that "she" is arriving with a sword on her hip. Shortly Princess Diana (The Princess of our Hearts) emerges, no sword, Carlie waits around 5 minutes listening to discussion of dresses, tiaras, Prince Charles, etc. She's also wearing her mine clearance gear. She gives it 5 minutes before leaving.

Sunny pops out near Lydia, Arthur is stood admiring sculptures, goes to talk to him taking Lydia as a translator, telling him where the sword is, there's discussion of Lydia standing in for Lady of the Lake to hand it to him, says that Merlin normally finds the Lady for him, so would need Merlin to name Lydia it, Jules suggests she could be a good option because she's a pagan sorceress. Carlie goes to into the Umbra to check the sword/lake/portal and Sunny gives her a warning about the monster so she fishes where Sunny indicates and pulls out a plastic box with a plastic kids sword with "Excaliber" written on it in sharpie, Sunny and Carlie discuss if it will remain plastic when handed over. Arthur: "Do you have it?" // Carlie: "Don't say I never do anything for you". He takes hold of it and it lights up (like with LEDs). Carlie and Jules are in pain over it, there's some debate about versions of the story and which version is correct. Arthur becomes angry at the idea that he is in any way French, tells them he got it out of the stone when he was a young boy and Merlin an old man who called the stone the "Walt Disney Stone". They talk about the Merlin/Gwendolyn affair possibility and Arthur says he doesn't want to talk about it they have a country to save, and says when this is done he'll put the sword into Carlie's hand as long as she puts it right back into Merlin's hand as he is the wisest of us all. He takes the sword, it twinkles and makes a little electronic noise and he describes it as the song of god. Carlie films him reverently gesturing, Sunny goes to pee on a tree in despair.

Lydia then informs Jules the plan has moved up to Friday... which wigs her.

Meanwhile... Holly and Ariane arrive to visit The Mother of all Parliaments its quiet but we're watched by things on the stones and we're asked if we have an appointment.

2024-03-11

Holly and Ariane are asked about appointments, and Ariane tries to suggest its home office defence and is told they're not meeting for 3.5 months. Holly asks about earlier meeting committees. Told the rural affairs committee meeting tomorrow. Mention its for The Spirit of London/The Crown and told we want "The Office of Blackrod" and are told one moment. We wait in the lobby as the spider heads off, there's 4 statues here: Lloyd George and Winston Churchhill (by the Lords), and Clement Attlie and Margaret Thatcher by the Commons, they seem to be watching us. There's 3 more stone statues Balfour, Asquith, and many small busts of other Prime Ministers all looking at us. Eventually the spirit comes back from the Lords and tells us that Black Rod will see us...

We follow it and there's general spiritual movement everywhere we can feel and move, little spirits moving back and forth between the buildings, flashes of lights along the floor, sometimes turning to return. There's power, movement, and activity here, all very ordered. Black Rods office is made of very nice wood, a large black chittering spirit sits behind the desk. Ariane makes good introductions, makes the request for looking at The Projector. A spider spirit then deposits the paperwork about the projector on his desk, we talk more and Ariane requests to look at it, we're offered a description and a picture of it, but Ariane suggests we want to physically touch it to see about its physicality. Black Rod says it won't leave its location and we can't be let into there. Holly asks about if it has a lot of spirit residue, and is told it has a lot of power and its very unique. Ask and confirm its still associated with the Wyrm and it retains its powers. Ariane moots the idea of hunting and capturing a Wyrm spirit to essentially crush/smear across a projector, Holly knows they may be initially confused but won't get past even a cursory inspection as they know what they're looking for, we'd need a very specific wyrm spirit. Holly asks for more specifics and gets a report - The Projector can overwrite reality with whatever film is put into it, whenever its projecting on some location (or a picture of a location) which allowed The Director to project various things from his story onto reality as if they'd always been there, its in part the remains of the director and specific to him. Ariane moots the idea to dig up Ben Valis and smear it across a fake, Holly thinks the remains will have vanished because the projector was creating the person and the cover. We moot ideas that we could use a fake to drawer Brother Michael out, or we could distract him so someone less knowledgeable see it. Holly talks about how we could say we can't get it out immediately because of some werewolf magic. Ariane thanks Black Rod for their time and we agree it is freely given help, and we're escorted out.

Make a plan: Holly to Abduls to see Sanjeev, Ariane to the physical to text the pack the information.

Abduls Restaurant Sunny goes to wait out back and Holly goes in to see if Sanjeev is around, gets a food order, and also hears that there's a request for when Sunny is next free to go "girly shopping" and Sunny says she'll text/call Amita. Holly wonders if Sunny has more friends than her. Sanjeev then suggests that Amita would like if Sunny could persuade her parents they're dating, what with coming out of her room at 8am looking cute and dishevelled, then fills in Holly that she was drunk and ended up there after a disruption with the pack "And a very good night it was too..." Sunny comments and Sanjeev shoots her a look and threatens to make the special overly spicy next time which Sunny accepts as a challenge. Holly finally draws the conversation to the point: The Eternal Church, apparently a monk arrived, found the food too spicy, and wanted to talk out back but Sanjeev only talks business to friends here, also says they got ignored at the Ford Factory so the rest of the Dagenham Deadbeats are safe. Holly then gives him a summary about what's going on, he seems in, can probably bring 5 people, there's some question of if we've talked to the Millwall Football Club Supporters as everyones waiting for us to make the first step as its on our territory, and Holly says we've not yet, says that Millwall have been sniffing around The Tower of London bubble for years and about 15 years back they put the wind up the Grandees about it. As they're leaving Sunny sasses Sanjeev a little and is threatened with watery weak kormas in response.

So back at the park - Jules is asking Lydia about why we're going early on Friday and Lydia fills him in that there's a big ceremony that sounds like a lot of possession and "channelling their inner rage" and how we clearly don't want that to happen, also talks about using The Projector as a way to fake in but has to not know if its real or fake. Jules starts group texting about arrangements and if anyones missing. Holly talks about checking in with the packs and Ariane talks about needing a howl/battle cry to help motivate people.

So Holly is going to Millwall - Ariane, Jules, and Sunny go to meet up with Holly texting she's on way to warn them she's coming in. We get welcomed into the back room to chat politics, there's a goth lass in the corner watching the football and scowling. Jules fills them in on how the Eternal Church are getting ready to possess a bunch of people, Rob attempts to say we shouldn't be bothered about half arsed LARPers and Jules reminds her they're deep Umbra spirits so we don't really know what they can do, he references the O2/Nazi hell dimension and how that wasn't so fun, he wants to know what's in it from us and he says he wants the O2 arena and part of the docklands rejuvenation area tacked onto their territory - Holly notes its full of the dangerous werehouses. Ariane pulls people into a huddle to talk about the Grandee/Spirit of London fight. Holly says she'll buy another round for everyone outside if she can have a word and she wants to check about the bubble, Ariane then pitches going to the follow up of mob-handled negotiating with the Spirit of London, Rob ignores her and talks to Jules about how he has something to get through the Bubble but he's never had the numbers and if we have a mob of blood thirsty people we could go in, he reveals it has a flaw, a weak point at the riverside guards entrance, a back door to the castle and he may has a tool to pick the lock and it may work on other bubbles. Also says he's actually met the actual Spirit of London in person when he was young, tells us that the Spirit is Wyrm tainted and this is the Grandee's big secret thanks to 500 years of exploitative colonialism, also moots the idea that the dome is there to keep it in. Tells us the area he wants from us has something in it that we may want to move, so he writes down the address of the Space Ship and tells us we may find it handy if we need to take the fight somewhere else and says one of his pack members knows how to operate the item there. We pay the bar tab (around £30) on the way out and moot a plan to still send in Lydia with a fake project to lure Michael while Rob is trying to break the bubble and also send in Millwall in the Umbra to reduce civilian casualties.

Also The Guild has posted a pool of about £2.5 million to attract Mythics with specific targets (the bubble generator, Brother Michael, etc).

(ooc: Next week we start the final segment of the game. There is a chance of dramatic character death, there are a number of units with morale points, us winning the little vignettes of the battle will increase/decrease morale points, if we can break a unit they'll withdraw. It's shaping up to be two battles, one at The Eternal Church, one at The Tower of London)

2024-03-18

So this session: (1) Creating our fake projector prop and (2) A mysterious knock on the door is coming...

Ariane moots the idea that Professor Rodriegez may have a useful projector, Sunny says his area is earlier than that, but texts hims to ask about and says she can explain but only in person. Ariane pushes for smearing a wyrm spirit on it to make it smell right. Holly remembers The Projector appears the same in both Umbra and physical, which the random projector won't, and smothering it with guts won't change it: However it could be moved into the spirit via a rite of dedication and then it would avoid that issue. She explains the plan and we moot what parts we can break, also realise that we have to bond it to Lydia without her realising it so she doesn't know if its there or not, the plan is formed to bond a better church outfit to Lydia as part of "bonding things to people before the battle".

Ariane gets Mr. Benson's phone number to get the mug shot of the infiltrator team and then forwards them onto Sargent Deerborn along with the confirmation that Lydia has not betrayed them, there is talk about how she's an apocalyptic religious werewolf and Ariane comes in with "Don't you be besmirching this apocalypse Deerborn, its still happening!" and lots of cancelling the apoclyapse/turning the world around stuff and talk of how its unsatisfactory to hunt soya steaks.

Sunny goes to see Rodriegez, who's office is full of books and articles about tobacco growing, and also a dusty kodak 8mm projector, and has a British museum asset tag. He talks to Sunny about how he's studying Tobacco cultivars and forking lineages and how modern ones are unsatisfying from the locale because they've been changed as they've been mass produced. Sunny sniffs the samples and suggests looking into what might be around the drying area, other things they were growing/using in the area may have added an aroma to the scent. He agrees to write off the Projector and they agree that after the upcoming fight they'll resume work on the Tobacco.

So Holly texts people and arranges 20 minute timeslots for a protection ritual to be done on people before the attack (as a cover for linking the projector to Lydia). Jules (crafting) and Ariane (technology) combine their skills to do up the Projector to stop it working without it being obvious, and its technically fixable, and also make it look like a spooky thing captured in battle.

Jules then goes into coordinating the attack bureaucracy, and Holly realises we should probably coordinate with the met. Ariane talks about talking to Sergeant Limehouse and having to pretend to be MI5, also plan to kill all the cameras.

Lydia reminds everyone to update their wills and last requests. Holly calls her parents for a casual chat, they tell her they have a package for her and a nice French courier called "Mr. Laurent" has a package and they arrange to meet on a street. Laurent says that he didn't realise it was her place, it was "c/o Mr. and Mrs. Peters" and ends in "Earth". Says it maybe came from "Rising Stones" and Holly gives him the summary of her trip there and how she can't tell him. He tells her that he went there recently and ended up on the shores of Tokyo and saw the current rulers, they had an artefact... with an address on it and its a whole bundle of paperwork from Harold Styles probably been there a couple of years, the package contains info that he's going to spend a considerable amount of time in Rising Stones because he thinks there's a portal going to the Summerlands and from there to the realm of Father Wolf and he wants to meet the Progenitor of the garou in person. "By now your daughter Holly may have grown up to be a werewolf, if she has pass this package onto her and an invitation for her to join me on my long journeys into the Umbra and attempting to avert the apocalypse by going to the root of the problem. I hope she's grown up to tbe strong as you, streetwise as her uncle Robert, and fast as I am. Knowing my luck she's inherited my brains, uncle robs tact, and your ability to see bad in people. Any which way, pass my regards onto her (I heard rumour people thought I was dead, let this be evidence I am not). Yours Harold Styles." Holly sends Laurent to post the note back through their mailbox and says she'll tell him some more about the rest of the information and Laurent wants her to compile and publish the updated Styles Map. Laurent attempts to recruit her as its in her blood but she reminds him that someone has to protect this place too.

There is an opportunity for Sunny to do a slap up meal - she cooks a large and well organised roast dinner with all the trimmings, followed by Sticky Toffee and a Raspberry Pannacotta for desert.

Meanwhile Ariane calls up Lottie, who's doing a Lottie life special with the Harrods team soon, then they got into a collab with hand crafting low milage green products. Arrange for her to come Friday lunchtime and bringing "Mr. Pokey" a spirit bound staff and bring some nail polish for the claws, there is a whole discussion about this and everyone agrees this is her problem. We also talk about tagging the garou on our side with ribbons, football scarves etc. Lydia calls up Derek Watford to see if he wants in. He says he's been hearing rumblings of something happening in The Demimonde but isn't sure what, she tells him she has something special lined up in the job for her and checks in on her sister and they agree that her being still at home is terrible but less bad than being in an active warzone. Says her siblings still talk about her but her parents are essentially ignoring her existence. He meanwhile has been doing some light security work. He wonders why Ariane hasn't called her parents yet. She also asks him to keep an eye on her family if something happens to her. Ariane chats briefly to him and he arranges to come chat to the pack and appears a couple of hours later.

He arrives, arranges for a spare room, and sees the Excaliber sword and goes white. Ariane fills him in on the plan to push back The Eternal Church and then turn around and deal with the Spirit of London. He says that he'll join us on the first part but not the second, he's met it and smelled it, but won't tell us because he thinks we're justifying killing it to take over. Says it doesn't do conversation, it has the Grandees for that. It's far more ancient than anything we've spoken too outside the Totem spirits, its been The Crown for hundreds of years, it issues orders, it has a cabinet and court, and servants who do its will, and who do very well doing its will. It could be argued as being tainted by the Wyrm, it is essentially corrupt. Asks us what will happen if we lose, Ariane says we'll die, Watford says if we burst the bubble it'll get out and we assure him we're picking the lock.

He agrees to lead 21st tactical against The Eternal Church. Also warns us that in about 4 years Merlin will jump back to join Arthur so keeping them apart could be good.

Ariane arranges for Sergeant Deerborn to deliver the safe with the gem containing The Lady of Kowloon back juuuuuust in case (she has a plan to use the gem against The Spirit of London).

2024-03-25

The dawning of the final confrontation.

We have breakfast, a lot of small phone calls and text messages have been engaged in, and Hair of the Doggie (just inside our territory) has been picked as the venue, its less than 3 minutes from the church. Its been booked out privately for our use, and a large number of mirrors are in the back of the place, it has a strong Umbral presence.

We go over the plan: Lydia with the project goes in as a distraction and to take a shot at the altar while Millwall "pick the lock" the backup is 21st Tactical and the Mythics attempting to destroy the altar because we have to take the barrier down or we're stuffed.

Our forces:

• Tooth: Vampires (Simon McCave (via The Broker) has sent Night Removals)
• Claw: Werewolves (Millwall coordinating via Rob, Dagenham, Southwark Belles bolstered by Lottie)
• Sword: Immortal potentials (Ms. J Hillman (via Rodriegez))
• Magic: Mythics from The Guild (open contract - coordinated via Holly and Mr. Benson)
• Belief: The True Londoners coordinated with Fleet sending the Cray Twins
• Faith: The Angel Islington
• 21st Tactical being coordinated by Derek Watford
• Mysteriously Arthur King of the Britons is missing...

The Werewolves (Millwall, Dagenham, Southwark Belles) largely going in via the Umbra along with the Cray Twins (and also a Vinnie Jones lookalike) who are armed with sawn off shotguns. Night Removals, J. Hillman (overseeing Night Removals), The Angel Islington, The Guild (inc. Mr. Benson), Derek Watford, 21st Tactical in the physical.

The physical: Carlie, Jules (keeping an eye on Night Removals and The Angel), The umbra: Lydia (about an hour before others), Holly with Millwall and Dagenham, and Ariane as Sheriff (having deputised everyone), Sunny starting near Lottie

Ariane, Jules, and Carlie concoct a story for Lydia (that Parliament was moving the projector using us, and Lydia swiped it when we weren't looking).

So we begin!

Lydia starting about an hour before sun down (when we are ready to go) Lydia scoops up the projector, heads into the Umbra, the Projector looks the same, has a weight and a spiritual presence and goes in with her. She approaches and a couple of large crusader like knights growl at her about "what do you want?" and she says that Brother Michael asked her to bring something and one of them goes to fetch him. She spins a story about how we're off getting drunk somewhere, and she confirms shes here to join up. Brother Michael comes out under guards and offers tea, gets the guards to go fetch him a table and chairs, then uses his crosier to cut a hole in the bubble. Is very happy to talk to her before looking at the Projector, pours some tea and asks her what happened over the past few days, she tells him its just been more arguments and bickering and not feeling the pack was the right place for her, says she can't convince any of the rest of them to come with her as she can't convince them of anything. He says he's always able to offer her a home with her talents and she says that would be good as she's been missing a home. Lydia tells him she wants something she can believe in. Needs a way to reconcile being a werewolf with her faith, somewhere its a benefit rather than a problem. He asks her about the great spirits that influence the minds of people in London. She says they're brainwashing bullshit and he suggests false idols, she agrees its not faith if you're forced to believe it. Michael suggests they should send her to Sword to train to take on The Eternal Empire instead of fighting her fellow pack mates, to hone her into being an unstoppable force to take out brain washing spirits. Arranges for someone to bring out some 8mm film to come and test it, and they point it towards The Tower of London for the test, says they took a slice from a locally created film that's a disaster movie where The Tower gets blown up, they adjust it a little but nothing happens and he sighs dramatically. Arranges for her to "get started on her journey" and brings her inside with a plan to send her to Cathedral to then go on further from there.

Inside there's knights and monks looking at maps, pews pushed to the sides, down at the altar end there's a sort of an X shaped cross and a lot of orthodox type symbols, also can see a portal up near the tower that looks like it leads directly into a larger church (the realm of Cathedral) where a huge amount of monks in gray and black sat back there like a supply line. She pulls a delaying tactic by asking for a few minutes to write a letter to her family as she doesn't think she'll be coming back, takes her to a scribing desk where she's offered parchment and ink. Its been about 45 minutes, she spends 10 minutes or so writing and looking thoughtful, then asks for directions to the loo and is directed to a latrine out back, then takes a stroll vaguely in that direction scouting. A lot of armour clad knights on duty, and a larger number off duty. Most of the monks inside the church building. She finds a quiet place to hide out (many successes).

Meanwhile: In the Umbra we saw discussion, we saw them head inside. The shield is still up, but no guards are on alert. Ariane sends Rob from Millwall around the back with the key, tells us to avert our eyes as it may well go off with a bang. Ariane hides people with hands over eyes, Rob will howl just before setting it off, Sunny is ready to go through to the physical if it doesn't work to talk to 21st Tac as the backup-backup.

Meanwhile: Jules switches up to Glabro, thanks everyone for coming here, because this will protect all of our interests in London, and when they're gone they'll remember not to come here again and mess with our city. Ariane launches a speech about driving out the invaders to defend our spirits and our lives. (ooc: they both drop the Inspiration gift to +1 WP their comrades). Rob lets up an awoo, everyone ducks and covers, there's a huge blinding flash of light, out in the physical there's a loud cracking noise like wood, and the sound of screaming. Ariane blows a signal whistle, Jules leads the charge with Night Removals and Ms. J. Hillman (who can move like lightning).

• Jules kicks the door open and leads a clear run inside, literally smashes the door off its hinges, inside there's about a dozen people, including a gentleman in brown robes and 11 women milling around in confusion, and the wooden altar cross is smoking and exclaims "there's nothing fucking here?" as people inside panic about seeing a werewolf.
• Ariane (umbra) blows the whistle in crinos form and charges forward with the magic sword.
• Carlie (invisible) has knives for killing spirits so is planning on killing spirits and follows The Guild mythics around the back, can see a 30ish lady breaking one of the windows to escape including getting cut, Carlie checks her with the spirit knife but she doesn't react, she's followed by a friend (carrying a JKR book) Carlie checks her with the knife, she screams and hears the whisper "stop reading J.K. Rowling..." and she throws the book to run.
• Holly attempts to get herself sorted for a hiding place, and thinks she finds Lydia.
• Ariane leads the werewolves into the clash against the professionally forming up shield wall and the start of a melee at the South end of the church. She has also sent the Crays around the back to deal with tent city (as they're likely to be morally less worried about killing sleeping people). She piles in with a big overhead blow against a young looking warrior, causing his arm to crunch, but takes a stab in return.
• Sunny and Lottie encounter a couple of knights, Lottie takes a swing, Sunny tries to play more defensively (trips, grabs, weaves) to try and distract them, Lottie then lines up her staff and twists it - which blasts a smoking hole through the knights body.f
• Lydia meanwhile, got blasted by the flash, and can now see people dashing around accumulating gear and raising the alarm, can see a few knights inside as well, spots Holly, and decides to wait until there's a good opportunity to jump out and whammy someone.
• Jules spots the Monk starting to look non-plussed at the werewolves, Night Removals come in looking for a fight or blood.
• Ariane uses her weight to crush him down and runs him through with her sword, leaving him looking horrified as he dies, she howls in triumph and charges for the front doors.
• Sunny is there as Lottie is whalloping a knight, she hamstrings him to help, toppling him over so he gets brained by the staff, she gives a slightly teenaged howl which she justifies as "A girly howl" and gets a doggy snigger from Sunny. There's a lot of blood being shed, a lot of garou in crinos form, we're outnumbered around 20:1 so we're evening the odds.
• Holly spots Ariane sprinting for the door and runs to catch up
• Carlie spots the vampires coming into the door and that the monk's back is sadly empty of knives so attempts to remodel and stabs him. Then notices that several sections of back wall are moving away from the wall in an orderly fashion, like part of the wall is sliding back and out from the building as The Guild arrive.
• Ariane kicks the door in and notices Brother Michael giving orders for things to be brought to him, while a whole army is starting to come through. She proceeds to end over end throw her sword through Brother Michael's shoulder causing him to drop whatever he was holding. He yells for god to smite Ariane and she takes 4agg and she falls on the floor.
• The other monk grabs the 2 items and shouts "True Believers into the Souls of the weak willed!" and various knights disappear... and suddenly the Vampires get a new military bearing and posture...

2024-04-01

Umbral: So the start of the Eternal Church's plan is started with humans being possessed. Ariane crawls out of the way of the doorway to collapse out of cover. Holly darts from her hiding place, flips into crinos and heads into the church, Lydia also shifts to crinos and also heads towards whatever is going on. Sunny goes to lick Ariane.

Physical: Jules notices that suddenly the vamps aren't dashing into the church and are instead turning around, Carlie senses something is suss about the vampires and skips checking things too much and just stabs one of the vamps - there is a disconcerting 2 tone scream as if two people are screaming at the same time. A shout of "What the fuck are you doing?" and an explosion is heard from the side of the building where The Guild are coming into the building.

Umbral: So Lydia and Holly can see Brother Michael with Ariane's glaive from his shoulder, there is a monk coming for Holly who she senses is dangerous, she piles into him and fucks him up - killing him by ramming her claws through his chest and out his back. Lydia heads out of the church and finds Ariane around the corner, scoops her up muttering that "this ones mine" before heading a bit further away, Sunny chases and licks her to stabilise her agg, Ariane asks Lydia if she has a plan and is told "yes so shut up" so shuts up. Lottie meanwhile heads into the Church.

Physical: Jules spots some vamps attacking other vamps and attempts to rally everyone with The Guild away from the chaos, but also notices 2 of the Guildies attacking each other and spots at least one who her brain tags as "threat", she pauses and is caught flat footed before being punched with an electric punch. Carlie shives another Vamp or two to try and settle the numbers to let them fight.

Umbral: Lydia is carrying Ariane around to the camping area, there is the noise of shotgun blasts and screaming - she yells "For the Umbral church!" and stuffs Ariane into a bell tent, there's about 3 cots, some romanish cots and bits of armour, purple and red cloth, couple of of daggers, Ariane asks whats going on, reaches for a dagger and asks Lydia the plan, Lydia then gets her kit to do first aid and asks Ariane if she trusts her or not, which Ariane suggests she's not sure about with the shouting, there is heroic battlefield first aid healing a bunch of damage! Meanwhile Holly comes slamming into the Monks attempting to pick up Brother Michael and tears one of their heads off, Lottie piles into someone behind her.

Physical: Jules blinks and punches back, slamming her fist into him. Carlie has shivved a few more people and then one of them spots her even invisible and lunges, she shives him and he collapses into her but manages to tag her with his fangs, and she suddenly feels not invisible. Jules follows her punch up with a haymaker and totally knocks the electro-mythic out for six.

Umbral: Ariane implores Lydia and Sunny to get back into the fight and tells Sunny to get Carlie to go shut the portal or we're all doomed. Sunny in hispo pauses because she's not sure who to trust, the Kray twins massacre is rolling this way, so Sunny flips back into the physical. Lydia heads back to the front of the church. Holly meanwhile has a monk throw a bottle at her, she almost dodges it as it smashes open, it burns some of her fur white (1 agg) she then shreads him and manages to avoid raging. Lydia arrives, sees Lottie attacking people, Holly murdering people, she blocks the doorway and kills a few scribes who try to exit via the front door to herd people away from it.

Physical: So Sunny drops into the physical world, appears near the Mythics, there's a lot of stand off and something going on, she watches Mr. Benson leap into the air and a huge sphere of darkness and all the light just disappears into total blackness - she then sees Benson struck by a lightning bolt and the darkness goes and the light floods back in. Jules scents The Prey - looks for the nearest Guildies who are possessed and starts knocking them out. Carlie continues to grapple the Vamp, he attempts to evade her but she gets another stab in. Sunny can see Mr. Benson with bright lights wrapped around a hand, she pauses to assess the situation and notices that Mr. Benson is concentrating on Dan (aeromancer member of the brute squad) so she growls at him to intimidate him into backing down, he turns his attention to her and makes to suck the air out of her lungs which hurts a little but not much (2 bashing).

Umbral: Ariane sticks her nose out of the tent, gets a Kray shotgun in the face, attempts to dodge it and tearing her way out of the side of the tent gets clipped by buckshot. Holly meanwhile: there's one person attempting to back down, and the open portal to Cathedral which she feels is target rich, there is a big pile of knights forming ranks. She spots Lottie smacking someone around with the magic stick, calls to her for a fighting retreat. Lydia asks "Can we close the portal?", looks around and spots and arcane mythic pattern under the portal, realise they need to disrupt the matrix and Holly asks Lottie to use the stick on the pattern to blast it to pieces, she runs forward and shatters the ground and the pattern and shards of stone flagging come up to shred her legs and the portal flickers out as the marching troops are about to come in. Holly takes a breath and manages to shift down to Glabro before moving in to help her.

Physical: Jules has knocked out a couple of the troublesome mythics, but can see the Dan/Benson/Sunny face off, goes in to try and smack Dan but he dodges, Carlie spots Dan starting to float into the air with Sunny grabbing at him across the church and moves to try and make a grab for him, managing to start to drag him out of the air.

2024-04-08

Physical: So Dan is being grabbed by Carlie (and slightly less effectively by Sunny) and pulled back down to earth. Jules is looking around and noticing the mythics being subdued, but there is a question about Mr. Benson (who is tripping her scent of the prey gift... despite probably not being possessed?) she goes to see if he'll attack her or not. He's looking confused at the actions of Dan and in the midst of some kind of internal struggle, Jules puts a hand on his shoulder to read his reaction. So with Dan somewhat on the ground Carlie and Sunny keep him pinned. Mr. Benson talks to Jules about something about him being not exactly right, he thinks he may have something trying to possess him... Jules suggests he sit down, his mannerisms seem more friendly, less stiff and formal. Jules checks in, there's only a handful of Vampires left, one tries to leave the front door and his head explodes in a blinding flash of light... Jules asks Sunny to get some rope and she says she has some in her panniers. Sunny catches Jules up on the Umbral side of the attack, then Jules gets the rope from Sunny's bags and ties Dan the mythic up but decides the best course of action is just sucker punching him instead.

Umbral: The floor is smashed, Lottie is whimpering and Lydia tries to deal with the injuries to her legs while complaining about not being able to do enough fighting. They also collect Ariane's sword so she doesn't complain about losing it. Holly also looks through into the physical and spots the Vamp's head exploding - 21st Tactical using Phosphorous rounds. Ariane arrives limping and battered, gets the sword, notes about half a dozen scribes and non-combatants, Ariane arranges for Millwall to walk them back to the Children of Gaia to post them back through the Umbra. Lydia gives Lottie a piggyback who's unsympathetic to her pain (its mostly bashing) and we follow Holly back towards the real when Sunny arrives and we catch each other up, Sunny then talks Holly about possible possession of Mr. Benson. We make a plan: Lottie goes with Holly and Sunny back to the real, and Lydia and Ariane to look for the Bell. On the way Lottie checks that Ariane noticed her heroics.

Physical: So Sunny tells Lottie that the wounds will heal in a week and she complains it hurts, Holly tells her about how she got injured by Wyrm goop and bedridden for a week. Lottie relates that she never really gets hurt, only minor scuffs and bumps Lottie: "My legs exploded!" / Sunny: "Don't worry they'll grow back". Also there's a couple of large met police vans with "TERRORIST RESPONSE" written on them, also 21st Tac hanging out and Sargent Deerborn in a machine gun nest, there's about half a dozen different shooters watching the door. They drop Lottie off with instructions to identify herself to 21st Tac if needs be and then cautiously approach them to explain whats up identifying themselves as being from the Sheriffs office. They say all their wards started crackling with possession, they don't know who inside is possessed and who isn't so they're containing it, they reveal they have spirit-sight scopes and lend Holly some binocs to spot who's possessed and who's not, they direct them towards Deerborn and instruct them to whistle their presence.

Jules checks on people, all the Mythics feel contained (everyone possessed is down) but there's a number of possessed Vamps out there, the fighting is dying down and they're coming to an uneasy truce and making hand signals to communicate, around a dozen survivors. The Immortal and Angel Islington are nowhere to be seen... Jules just straight up asks "OK who's possessed!" and the Vamps exchange hand signals then start to form up in rank.

Holly meets up with Deerborn, tells him the other sides shut down and we're marching the non-combatants off somewhere. There's some discussion, probably the Mythics, Vamps, and maybe the immortal possessed, apparently The Angel Islington cannot be. There's some faff back and forth and Holly gets Sunny's phone out of her bag and unlocks it with her nose before calling Jules who is preparing for a fight by sharpening her claws. Deerborn lends Holly some troops to accompany them in.

In the church everyone forms up, the Vamps-Knights line up, and then it all kicks off - with Jules and co piling in and starting to break the line with Carlie using her spirit knife (getting a horrible spirit-physical scream), Sunny arrives a little before the others and heads to check on Mr. Benson. Carlie attempts to threaten one of the spirits out of the Vamp and successfully does it, it vacates the form. There is a bunch of shooting and its pretty hardcore. Jules then attempts to get her rage under control and Holly gets in once its clear and the shootings stopped.

Sunny catches up with Mr. Benson who talks about having a weird pressure inside his head and asks for some kind of help or to get out of there. Sunny goes to look for Holly. Carlie and Jules start to sweep the building for anyone left over possessed. Sunny and Benson catch up to Holly who can see some kind of spirit in the back of Mr. Benson's head, Holly talks about how there's a bunch of cops with scanners who'll shoot any spirit still hanging around - the spirit vacates and Mr. Benson falls over unconscious.

The Umbra: So Ariane and Lydia climbing the tower looking for The Bell. They find a very weird Bell in stone cuffs, she's very vague but reacts "mama?" to talk of the Southwark Bell, the cuffs fit perfectly and are about an inch thick, no gap at all. Ariane moots a chisel. Lydia touches the cuffs and they feel very cold and her spirit feels dulled, almost normal and can recall what it felt like before she was a werewolf, almost back to being Lydia the nursing student. We hunt out a hammer and an improvised chisel, we arrange for Lydia to hit while Ariane holds the Bell's wrists still - and in time smashes them free. The moment it shatters the Bell comes into full brightness and starts to ring.

Physical: Carlie and Jules poking around the tower, hears a muffled grunting, someone muttering about "you stupid bitch" and then a muffled thud. They round the corner to find the Immortal pinning the Angel Islington down and claiming she's possessed because she won't let her hurt the Vampires, The Angel then insists the Vamps are fine. Carlie persuades the immortal to stand down and talks it out, there's talk of how they're servants of the Wyrm or not. Jules talks about how 21st Tac came through and shot most of them a few minutes ago. This makes the Angel very sad and grumpy and eventually she dissipates into a flash of light and the Immortal bitches about Islington and Eddie and mentions "thats why she can't go back into heaven you know, she sullied herself with vampire cock" / Carlie: "More sentences I prefer to read in books than hear out loud". They keep up the sweep and finds a last couple of parishioners hiding near the top of the church, they are also maybe ill with some kind of noro plague, Carlie gets them down passing 21st Tac who check them and say its mop up time and they're sweeping the place.

So everyone reunites around back of the Church and we can hear the bell peeling. There's a general catch up with Ariane bitching about being smote by god. Lottie and Deerborn show up with Lottie still limping. Ariane asks where The Angel is and is told she left in a huff, Lydia and her are pissed off. We get told that the Vamps and some Mythics got possessed and subdued. Get caught up on the mythic array that was powering the portal and muse on the implications. Ariane gets Lydia to text Watford, who's nearby coordinating, and calls up Ariane referring ot her as "General Primrose-Smythe" of MI5 and Household Division, they chat a little and Watford says he'll get Ariane Eddie's number, and Chief Inspector Lantern talks to Ariane who says she'll pass on his thanks to The Crown next time they meet. Watford sends Eddie's number and the message "Your accent is posh enough to pass for household cavelry". Ariane calls up Eddie, and tells him that she's looking for Islington, there's some discussion and he's heard about Night Removals getting offed, he also misses her and wants her to get her arse back to London properly. Holly is very unsurprised that The Angel has ditched us. Deerborn ditches Lottie and takes Ariane off to get "the thing she requested" and Lottie is there muttering "He's not an officer, Daddy wouldn't approve."

Deerborn takes Ariane back to command and makes her sign for a large suitcase that contains a glowing crystal, its a lead lined case and should be out of London before the end of the week. Ariane says that if its not back tomorrow morning then Watford will know where it is. There's some discussion about why this is needed now and Ariane convinces him that its a loose thread that needs wrapping and for mythical reasons needs to be sorted tonight. She also gets an ID badge (army ID rank of general) and the letter is a temporary commission for Household Division - this will apparently get me out of legal hot water. Ariane tells him if she doesn't get back in touch with him tomorrow morning she'll be dead, they salute and she gets back to her pack.

2024-04-15

While Ariane is away Jules asks Sunny to keep an eye on Ariane because she's clearly fucked up and won't stop whatever she's planning and she needs someone with a level head. Sunny agrees if Jules will keep an eye on Lottie, there's some discussion about if she's coming with and Sunny's like "She'll probably be fine in about half an hour" (she's probably fine now but Sunny is giving her large ham time), there's some discussion from Sunny about how if Ariane is determined to die then she'll probably die and Sunny will go out with her.

There's some discussion about logistics and waiting for The Angel or not (Ariane was hoping that she'd tie up one of the Gargoyles). Deerborn and 21st Tactical are packing up and handing off to the met and make gestures for us to go, we go to liaise with Millwall back at The Hair of the Doggie. On way Lydia gets a text from Watford saying "Going home or going to the Tower?" and Ariane explains that she told him and that because he's spent so many years working in the system he can only conceive of us doing it for a coup. There is a discussion about the use of the suitcase nuke - the plan is to use it inside the bubble where it it will be hopefully contained. There's discussions about the issues of if the bubble is down, collateral damage, how it may effect The Fae, how it may effect the physical, and indeed the effect on the collective psyche of the people of London if we do kill the spirit, also issues with if the Lady of Kowloon would just replace the Spirit. Holly thinks about if this would at all work and (ooc: botches) thinks it'd probably work to hit a Wyrm spirit with a destruction spirit. Carlie eyes up the case for later stealing. Jules threatens to knock Ariane out and put her in the boot of a car.

Millwall start to show up, tell us the scribes ranted about how they'd be back, even the knights surrendered and everyone largely went quietly. Millwall are ready. Ariane calls up Eddie who says that The Angel will be joining us soon and hope it ends well. Soon the bathroom door opens and The Angel emerges looking grumpy, Lydia gives her a sandwich. We all head in in the Umbra and head out musing about if the Gargoyles have ever been seen in the Umbra? We think not. As we're going Watford texts Lydia with "Don't be stupid", she responds "They're my pack"

The Umbra is quiet, like a storm's come through. True Londoners are sticking their heads out of their doors that kind of thing. There's a sense of peace for a moment as if all is well and right. We head to the Liberty Bounds Pub at the border of the bubble. Dave's checking The Lockpick, we notice we're being watched by Raven spirits. Carlie gets the idea we're being watched from afar through scopes, there are more watchers than we can see.

Ariane gives an announcement about her titles and being general and asks for entry, a Raven comes down to backtalk her and she says she's there to discharge her duties as Sheriff, it tells her to go back to the physical and talk to the Grandees who'll commune with the Spirit. There is threat of using the Lockpick and the Raven backs down in the face of Ariane, the Lockpick, and The Sheriff. It pecks the shield and lets us in and Carlie tells it to go hunt worms for the evening.

Inside the place has a huge weight of the power of the spirit here, there is something huge, ancient, and alien - it doesn't make a lot of sense to us, a weird and terrifying being. But we don't get a sense of the Wyrm. The place is a ring wall around the middle keep, we start to explore, there is a sense of being watched. We talk about plans to get in, Dave from Millwall says there's a guards entrance around the back he sneaked in as a kid, Lydia sasses Ariane about owning castles. Carlie looks for portals and the entirety of the Tower is a huge portal - she suggests we go in the front and walks in and vanishes! Ariane tells Jules she's in charge and she gets a hell of a look before Jules leading everyone in.

Inside is a huge stone octagonal room, huge, the size of multiple football pitches, with a huge statue at the centre of Queen Victoria in her Mourning Period, its 2-3 stories high. A sense of huge power and also a sense that the statue isn't really there its sort of a representation of something else beyond her ability to see it. Two large entrances behind the statue to the left and right and the portal entrance behind her. "Hello?" (the statue looks down at her) "That is the least positive way that could have worked..." she checks who's she's talking to and is told "Your Majesty Queen of England", it asks if she wishes to parlay with it. At which point Jules appears.

The Spirit says that the Council are their own people ruling in her name, she says they have kept peace on the lands for nearly 1000 years. (Ariane and Sunny arrive). Carlie complains about things like - a bunch of kids who have to lap London and that defines London. Talks about how she doesn't understand the rules. The Spirit says its worked for 1000 years and will work 1000 more. Carlie says she once saw someone threaten to feed someone to a monster in the river. Carlie also complains about The Government and is told it was voted by and for the people. Carlie says she's washing her hands but she says she'd love to control things directly but a civil war was fought over that, it says that if we want her to control things directly we should take down The Bubble. Jules can smell The Wyrm on this thing - she makes a face about it. Carlie tells it its living like none of the rest of us matter.

Ariane complains that the system of the Demimonde does not follow by the people, for the people, of the people. It tries to argue that we should have implemented the change to our own systems. Ariane gives a speech about how the Grandees will run the city into corruption, rot, and burning (an environmental speech). It claims it has been at the heart of propogating civilisation and enlightenment to the world and to each of the new lands discovered and has always protected those who matters. Lydia says why are we trying to talk to it? Jules says it has crushed so many cultures. It says its the embodiment of the Empire and progress. Jules reminds it it doesn't look at the people to see how they've changed. Jules implores us to smell the air, its stale and hasn't changed in 100 years. Ariane checks the Angel is with us, that Millwall is with us (they're right behind us...) and tells Jules she is in charge.

"If you cannot change with the world, then we will change you to match the world as it is now." // Spirit: "You contained me, you decided you wanted to change, piffle, paffle, and that is the wrong thing, unleash me and I will make this country great again, unleash me and I will spread the glory across all the world and to the stars behind". Lydia throws a stone at it, Jules starts to charge forwards. As that happens Carlie sees the Queen Victoria statue flicker out and there is a sense that there is a pit with tentacles emerging. Also three huge creatures with batlike wings - The Gargoyles emerging from the portals at the back.

We broadly charge forward with Jules at the front and everyone else shifting up. Things kick off with Jules biting into one of the tentacles. The Gargoyles speed up. Carlie heads in after Jules to strike with her spirit killing knife. Millwall head to do a delaying action on the Gargoyles. The Angel pulls her sword, ignites it and starts to strike a tentacle. A tentacle goes to strike Jules and misses.

Holly gift of the Spinnerets the attacking tentacle, pinning it down. Ariane attempts to slash one of the tentacles and fucks it, Lydia meanwhile lands a great hit. Jules claws the shit out of it. Carlie similarly gets in for the close up shivving, there's all sorts of awful biological squirminess, its like jelly under the skin and she stabs it up to the shoulder. It manages to smack Carlie about a little. One of the four Garou from Millwall goes down...

Holly attempts to spinneret the one going for Carlie (ooc: 4/5 successes). Ariane manages to just about break the skin on a tentacle (should have fixed that sword...), Lydia gets stuck in much better. Jules hacks her way to the edge of the pit to look inside - seeing a writhing mass of screaming mouths and voices howling raging chaos in the pit - she looks into the abyss and it looks into her. Carlie also hacks her way to the edge of the pit. Sunny sprints to go lick the member of Millwall who went down. The Angel Islington flies up and spirals down to slice one of the tentacles up. Suddenly Jules, Carlie, Ariane, and Lydia disappear...

(ooc: Taint tokens: Jules 3, Carlie 2, Ariane 1, Lydia 1)

2024-04-22

Lydia: In an old train carriage and her Mother (Elizabeth Smith) is standing at the other end who says its unusual for her to get involved in things, Lydia asks her when they last met, she says last night "and now you're trying to overthrow the government!" - Lydia knows this is nonsense and goes to stabs her, she screams and looks terrified, Lydia sees through this illusion and runs her through.

Holly: finds herself on a train back in Homid with someone reading "The History of the British Empire" and its around 22:00, the train is coming in to a stop which she doesn't catch the name of. She tries to push through to the doors but more people are getting on than off, attempts to push through lead her feeling crushed, yells she needs to get off, is ignored, the train slides into the dark tunnel.

Ariane: Is in the first class area of a pendalino with a cup of tea and the financial times and the London Gazette (but both old copies), feels almost like she's woken up from a werewolf dream or perhaps she's dreaming now... unclear. Feels like she's trying to research something but its unclear what. The ticket checker comes down the aisle with a manilla envelope, hands over a message from her Uncle, its a series of notes that lay out a legal problem about ownership over a company where the Crown has some interest. Think she recalls articles in the FT and the Gazette has announcement. She applies herself! There's two ways, the long legalistic method where you take everyone to court one by one, alternatively there is "losing" a document and solving the issue, she thinks about sticking the course, then realises that doing so will bankrupt a number of charitable groups including a wolf protection charity who got tangled up with the Welsh DEFRA. She eventually folds and decides to go and violently eat the document.

Carlie: On a slightly run down network South East train. A man opposite talking about bringing good Christian moral values to her people, and asks what she thinks about that. Carlie reminds him she doesn't know her people because of the people he was just talking about. Asks about tentacles and he says he's seen none, just the loving arms of the Empire and that the good book tells him he needs to reach her and bring her back to the civilised fold. Carlie says she's been living with someone who's been trying to spread the bible and it doesn't take, asks where the train goes "To your eventual salvation!", she attempts to swap seats and he follows, the carriage is empty. She asks if he's made of traditional british values like politeness and he replies that educating our most unfortunate citizens is more important. She pulls a knife, he tries to claim that violence is not the solution and she tells him he would say that because she has the knife. She offers him the choice of shut up/get stabbed and will leave it to him "because as an imperialist I assume you're used to having the last word", he attempts to explain, gets shanked. He sits down and shuts up for a bit.

Jules: On a 1940s stock with cattle carts being half the train (until it became "the guards van"), there's an art easel set up with another facing her and someone else painting on it. Feels like this is the most important artistic competition of her life. Remembers the last thing she knew about was the tentacles. The other person is looking at her intensely, like they're going to paint a portrait of her. She asks how she got here and the person opposite suggests she's having a mental breakdown because she's a bohemian druggie who's bad at art. She clocks this as all wrong and remembers the fight. Her opponent says she's in a fight for her art career and suggests she'd look good standing obediently at the right hand side of the throne. Jules asks which throne and says they've never met. The opponent says she knows everything about Jules, bohemian, artsy, probably in a lesbian love affair, not really in good standing for the academy. Jules accuses her of having everything handed to her in life. She says that Jules doesn't really deserve things, she's just standing looking confused instead of painting, suggests she probably does abstract art and asks if Jules is going to paint her or not. Jules complains this isn't real and tries to use Sense of the Prey to look for the Tentacular Horror - and senses it everywhere just all encompassing. She's sick of this shit, attempts to flip Crinos to punch the wall out - temporarily bounces her form but without the bonus strength, kinda works.

Sunny: Is actually fine, back out in the fight helping a fallen member of Millwall, gives him a lick to keep him from dying, but draws the attention of a Gargoyle, she evades it.

Lydia, Ariane, Carlie, and Jules reappear in the same forms they left in, Holly is still missing. Jules and Carlie at the edge, attempting to attack the body, Jules really smashes it hard with her claws (ooc: like 10 points) and Carlie gets the spirit knife into it for another good hit, there's a massive scream (we take agg = our taint levels) and it starts to fall into the pit retreating. Ariane and Lydia head around to help Millwall. Sunny tries to kite the Gargoyle away.

Holly meanwhile sat opposite an older guy. "So you attempted to solve your problem with politeness?" and introduces himself as The Crown. Says its fascinating that the rest of the pack solve problems with violence, but Holly solves problems being polite and reasonable, which didn't work but things don't always work and says that he's willing to listen to her. Says that the rest of the pack are fighting shadows and will be for some time but they can have a conversation. Holly asks how she can know if this is real and not just another layer of puzzle, he says he doesn't, its all layers of spirit and illusion down here.

Tells her her compatriots say the Grandee system isn't working, Holly confirms it doesn't represent her people, it tries to claim that each people has a representative. Holly points out The Crown doesn't seem to know how the Grandees are picked and if they represent people, The Crown says it doesn't know, assumes the Garou use the strongest and challenge and Holly talks about how that's not the case, one group picks it and the rest of the Grandees support that. Says there's another in the pack who's not done violence yet that he wants to talk to (Sunny) says that they all tear things down, they all resorted to violence, says it would have tried similar trials on non-Garou and abhorred lies, trickery, and violence. Holly checks that it would listen to her and it suggests it'll listen, but won't promise to do precisely what she says, it'll give it good heed. Says its the very heart and bottom of the realm, its what we're fighting to get close to. Holly: are you best for the world? Crown: Not so naive to say that I am but I have brought great advancements to the world, says many luxuriate in the advancements its brought but complain about the injustices to it, and its question is - what is the alternative? It consents to listen to those.

Back out in the realm: Jules can see something darker and deeper in the pit, Carlie can sense there's possibly a deeper realm in there - and she jumps on in! Ariane reaches the Millwall Garou who should be dead, missing a limb, big shred, something Sunny did is keeping him going, she puts pressure on the missing limb until Lydia arrives who starts to treat him and shouts for us to follow Carlie as the Gargoyles are a distraction (and sees her go in). Lydia patches up the Millwall Garou and also dodges the Gargoyle that comes for her comfortably. Jules attempts to pummel the Gargoyle into retreating, blunts her claws on the Gargoyle, doing a hell of a pile of damage before it manages to clip her. Sunny goes for another one.

We return to Holly - who's talking about how something more reflective of the people of London could work better.

Ariane dives into the pit, Lydia dodges a gargoyle and dives in after her. Carlie finds herself in the well in the main courtroom at the Royal courts of Justice, a 9 foot tall Victorian hanging judge is presiding and leering down at her. It attempts to sentence her to death, smells Wyrmy, Carlie tells it to shut up and that she doesn't recognise her authority. Tells it to "get the fuck out of her way or go down on the way and right now I don't fucking care, you can get a temporary pass for being Wyrm bullshit if you get out of the way, but you have no authority over me, or anybody, and if I can be completely honest you ain't shit." she hears a set of doors open behind her which she senses lead back to the real London and out of this. She runs out of patience and stabs it a bit as Ariane and Lydia appear, Lydia stabs it to the floor and Ariane finishes it off.

Jules growls that she's heading for the hole as Millwall and Lottie are the delaying tactic and jumps in. Sunny notes that the other two Gargoyles are a bit chipped but Lottie's boom stick is spent - Sunny decides to stay with them and shouts this to Jules, who hesitates because she can't leave her behind so attempts to Wild Resurgence heal herself.

Holly meanwhile - is having the Crown make good points about Long-termism, the march of history, and how its best placed to empower whatever comes next, her fight is with the Grandees not The Crown, they misuse their position. She attempts an empathetic approach to draw it out on its opinion, and gets it to lecture on the British empire and how its a force for good.

Lydia keeps Ariane from getting worse, Carlie wild resurgences, they go down. Find themselves on a ship with Grand Admiral Horatio Nelson, and tentacles from a Kraken type creature. Lydia looks for gunpowder, sees barrels of tar and pitch and chucks a lighter into one. Carlie has the sense we're nearly there (ooc: and we're likely to get more agg from taint.), and the last defence is the Royal Navy. Carlie goes for a tentacle, Ariane for Nelson which basically bounces off she then gets stabbed (3 lethal + 2 taint bringing her up to 3).

Meanwhile upstairs: 2 standing Gargoyles, 1 crumbling. Lottie is looking exhausted and being pinned by one and Sunny provokes it to draw it off, Jules attempts to smash it to little effect, then they hear Mr. Benson saying "Shit it is corrupt down here..."

Down on the deck Ariane hits the deck (probably dead) with the nuke on her still, Carlie attempts to take a running jump to slice Nelson's throat. Lydia chucks the burning pitch at the tentacles - and the Kraken and Nelson both scream.

Holly meanwhile: The Crown stops and says "I'm sorry we're going to have to continue this conversation..." and cuts off, holding one of his arms like it just took a blow, and Holly finds herelf on the ship, the same distance from the Crown as she was earlier right next to a very dead Ariane with Carlie and Lydia looking badly hurt and burning pitch on the side of the ship - Crinos and charge!

Mr. Benson is swearing and asking Jules whats going on! Jules gives the Gargoyle another blow but it glances off.

The world then breaks like a pane of glass as everything twists in light and darkness around us with one clear doorway with Benson just saying "Run!"

(ooc: Taint tokens: Jules 3, Carlie 2, Ariane 3, Lydia 1)

2024-04-29

Holly leaping into action on Nelsons ship! A bunch of tentacles on fire/dead! Ariane dead on the floor at Nelsons feet! Jules and Sunny (and the remains of Millwall, Lottie, The Angel is missing presumed holy) dealing with the Gargoyles, with Mr. Benson killing the light into a weird kaleidoscope and shouting run!

Jules starts by making a break, shouts "Run!" and declares a general retreat carrying someone out, Sunny shouts at Lottie to run and drags at her clothing, everyone else bails as well and there is a general retreat.

Meanwhile one level down: Holly gets a good hit in and Lydia sets another barrel on fire and chucks it at the tentacles causing a shriek from Nelson, burnt down both sides. The ship is on the fire and he is staggering about and reality begins to collapse. Carlie dives in but manages to slip and drive herself onto his blade to get closer to stab him, but slides off and collapses to the ground. Holly grabs the suitcase and yanks it open shouting it "This is the spirit that caused you so much trouble, this is your one chance for revenge, please take it" - the gem falling out and rolling across the deck glowing green. Lydia makes a grab for the gem as it rolls across the deck.

Ariane, Carlie, and Lydia find themselves stood before a huge multi-armed spirit which look a little like a mix between the Lady of Kowloon and some kind of death Goddess, we know that she wants us to answer "What do you want of me", they agree to not set off the nuke just yet because Lydia still has a chance. Ariane asks for the goddess to kill London but sees a vision of the of the nuke going off in the Umbra and washing out all the way to edges of London and decides to change her mind Ariane asks for the goddess Okuninushi to take their spirits and to let Lydia and Holly destroy the spirit of London, Carlie agrees, while Lydia implores it that she won't leave without her pack.

(ooc: there is a flash of light and Holly and Lydia get one turn without wound penalties and +3 dice)

Holly: "I want you know before I die you will never know if I followed what I said or or I will do was to stall you for time, we will both die without the answer!" and grabs into Nelson's chest crushing his heart. Everyone feels the world evaporate and everyone feels as if they're shooting upwards.

Outside: Mr. Rodrieguez with his sword out and Derek Watford shouting to stand down are confronting Sargent Deerborn and 5 members of 21st Tactical telling them the Sheriff is in there sorting it. Sunny attempts to put herself in the middle of the situation, wedging her way between the two of them and attempting to push them apart by shifting to Crinos, which gets all the guns pointed at her, and lets out a big howl full of her feelings (only 2 pack out here and Millwall getting battered means she suspects pack losses, wants them to stop fighting, and a little intimidation). There's a weird cracking noise, a smell of burnt ozone and human and dog hair - her rage and anguish burns out all the wards of 21st Tac who panic and break, one taking a wild shot in parting and they disappear back to the physical. Watford and Rodrieguez flicker then disappear.

There's a huge cracking noise, the Umbra fills with dust, every church bell in the physical and umbra begin to peel, and the ravens in a cloud flapping out of the tower. Every bell tower glows before it goes silent. With a weird whomp noise Lydia and Holly emerge along with the bodies of Carlie and Ariane. The tower crumbles and at the centre is the Angel Islington hovering above, who smiles and nods saying "My Country now, there will be peace in our time..." and Sunny's howl turns into pure grief.

Lydia apologises and says the next thing to do is kill the Angel. Jules kneels next to the bodies and starts to cry. Lydia still has the green gem and tries to slide it into her bag without people noticing, suggesting that we should get Holly to a hospital. Jules asks her if it worked, if its dead, and Lydia confirms the thing is dead and next we go after the Angel, then corrects herself to the hospital and wonders if anyone has a number for Carlie's family. Sunny gives Holly some licks then tries it on Carlie and Ariane, when she realises that won't work goes to show throat to Jules to apologise for failing to keep Ariane alive. Jules rolls her over saying "no more fighting today" and keeps holding Holly's hand and holds Sunny close.

Later: Talking heads talk of peace, a new wind for Britain, and a genuine conversation between various figures looking at the difficulties of imperialism and if that's made things more difficulty and played into equality during covid, skeletons begin to come out for Johnson including the various parties he held, his resignation speech is booed even by the press, there are free voting on topics, a good lock down, and there is talk of a good refreshing election. Her majesty dies and there is talk of a coronation when things have calmed down. The rest of the world side eyes Britain for turning a little more progressive on a dime, corporations try to fit for it, the right starts to go on the retreat. People look at the inequalities of the country.

Watford tells us he can keep us safe for now but there are factions out there that will try to come for us later in the depths of the night. 21st Tactical have slipped into the shadows and left Paddington Green taking a bunch of kid.

A few weeks go by and people talk of where to go. Lydia asks for reasons not to go to Appalachia to join with the wolves there, Holly suggests she try the Deep Umbra instead as that's where she's planning to go as her bug out plan to head for Rising Stones to seek her Uncle who's questing for Father Wolf and also to dump the shuttle on Apollo to keep it out of peoples hands. Lydia talks about how she's been asked if she really cares about her patients and it was fine when she thought god would care for them all, but they kept going right back to the things that brought them in and people keep hurting each other, and if she cared she'd get angry and people will end up dead sooner or later and doesn't get to say goodbye to her family the only thing to stay alive for is The Pack. Holly makes sure to tell her family she has "gone off touring Europe and will return in some years" as a cover but also tells them she's going into the Deep Umbra. Sunny makes plans to accompany Holly into the deep Umbra. Jules makes plans to stay and takes to wandering the streets, wanting to see what will happen, becoming effectively homeless to avoid being found, using the money she has to paint and deliver pictures, getting paid and living off that. Doesn't want to leave London because that would betray how Carlie and Ariane died, keeping a small item of jewellery from each as a reminder, wearing them constantly, occasionally tagging Southwark and howling of her achievements. Wanting to make sure it turns out right after they've done all of this, too determined to leave, occasionally talking cautiously to other packs and people, she has an anti-scrying charm, the invisibility shaker and the knives. She gives a great howl of their deeds once everyone has gone. Millwall also largely goes into hiding, Bill refuses and is shot coming out of the pub, tripping Holly and Sunny to leave. Holly gets Sanjeev to keep an eye on Jules. Jules also gets some trinkets for rest of the pack before they go, in exchange Holly asks her to send artwork to her family.

Carlie has written a note that's hard to find but clearly there: Not that it matters because I plan to come back from this but do not tell my family shit you prick, you can tell my boss something, give my books to Ariane.

Ariane has written a whole damn letter (and as scribe I make this the last entry in the wiki)

2024-04-29 OOC Q&A

• Lee Ho Fooks was our ultimate landlord
• Jules and Ariane were distantly related (once or twice removed)
• Bell's totem like power was to restore gnosis and also gave us connection/renown to all the other bells in the city.
• Carlie's occasional visions of Africa (which she doesn't feel connected to) - was a possible inroad into exploring the slavery in London docks but Tom didn't fancy exploring it.
• The death of Dawn Primrose - she wasn't killed by the Major instead ot turns out The Guild had her offed because of the Primrose-Morton's links to Russia and Hong-Kong trading she'd come across info about The Lady of Kowloon and they wanted to keep the secret of her quiet
• The Isle of Dogs: A residual plot arc of where Mother was based and where she'd died. Also lead to the Underground Station the pack used to be based out of, then leading to Shuttle, and Lady of Kowloon.
• King Arthur: not at either of the big last fights... he was there for another thing involving another group (perhaps Angel Islington vs. Arthur as another arc), but also if we'd skipped the second fight we'd have had to accompany him to rescue Merlin and go to shout at the Grandees and the status quo would have largely been kept.
• Major themes: Status, inequality, etc. but all through World of Darkness/Werewolfy game and if we'd consider the status quo was worth it when we'd seen the alternatives (like Manchester)
• Mr. Benson: A luxomancer (Elemenatism), bent light and do other things with lights, including prismatic shards and light and dark.
• The Gargoyles: An open question they have 2 mechanical purposes (enforcing neutrality around the BM and also containing things inside the BM) and also the Tower of London, we are the first Pack to shatter a Gargoyle (5 characters have been killed by them in the past)
• Did the Tower of London fall in the physical as well? Yes, collapsed there.
• Lydia has access to radiation detectors - is the gem radioactive? Yes, in which case she plans to do *something* at The Angel tube station before she goes to America.
• The Dragon around the top of the BM: Various dragons in the city, they flit around inside the city museum, they are the embodyment of the Spirit of the City Proper (the square mile) the equivilant of the main Spirit of London so we killed the imperial city but not the money hoarding spirit, so The City still has its hoard of spiritual goal to sit on (the borders of the real city has little Dragons on plaques on walls and bollards) in the game this is an Ars Magica type ward. The City of London technically owns the land the BM sits on.
• There were dog spirits and a whole bunch of stuff on Lupus in London and various wolf-dog hybrids out there but we never had the time to go for it.
• With the death of Bill
• Lee Ho Fooks is a mystical arms dealer effectively and the restaurant is a money laundering front, he's mostly a human but clearly not totally human any more. Maneki-Neko owns his soul and is what adds the magical oomph to the food. She's the Anti-Patreon of the Southwark Pack.
• The Grandees are the jailer to the the Spirit of London and its their power
• The Angel Islington usurped the seat of the potentially new forming Spirit of London
• The Angel was based on a PC character from the 90s, she wanted to try and keep peace for vampires and things that hunted them, she fell, can't return to heaven and if she leaves Eddie then thinks carnage will come. Thinks the Vamps get quite a bit of shafting from the other Grandees.
• The Vamps would take over the City if possible, the Mythics aren't interested in control (far too busy researching and doing magic, or dealing with deals, or can't overuse their power without shortening lives, or in the Umbra, or etc.etc.), the Garou are too wild for it.
• The Angel Islington and Lady of Kowloon got onto the council via various mechanisms - the Angel forced her way onto the Grandee at the end of her plot arc, the Lady was pushed on by The Guild probably?
• Part of killing the Spirit of London killed the support structure of the 4 Elder Vampires buried under there as hostages, so collapsing it on top of them. This has reduced the pressure on some of the Elder Vampires - they don't have sires alive so they're free of standing orders.