Session 15: The Prioress Report

General Summary

We pick back up with Adel as continues to explore the halls solo. Taking advantage of Killian's distraction, she tries her best to locate the last rune. And that she does, but with an unfortunate result- One of the bears is stood sentry inside of the room, guarding the rune attentively. Adel makes an attempt to lure him out with a noise, but unfortunately, the noise inspires him to tap into his demonic sight, allowing him to spot Adel despite her obfuscation. He marches after her, chasing her out of the corridor and into the food court where Killian is engaged in tense combat with Cheer Bear. Stepping into the light, the three of them learn this last bear's identity- It's Tender Heart Bear and half of his horrible face has become a wide open maw filled with huge sharp teeth. The three of them try their best to fend off the bears assaulting them, Eleanor eventually making her way into the food court after losing Good Luck Bear in the chase. She takes the heat of Tender Heart Bear for a moment, getting him to chase her a little bit which allows for Adel to try and help Killian fend off Cheer Bear. Unfortunately, not much seems to stagger her as she eventually catches Killian's arm in her mouth. And in two agonizing turns, she finally manages to chomp straight through it and devour his arm.

"Yummy!"

Juno & Adel are mortified, but Killian hardly gives any of them a moment to react as he runs off in a panic, screaming his head off as he leaves a trail of vitae in his wake. Cheer Bear bolts off right after him, cackling and snorting gleefully as she yells, "Come back! I want seconds!" Left alone in the food court now, Adel & Juno team up to return to the last symbol, discovering that Good Luck Bear and Share Bear have taken up residence in the room now after Tender Heart Bear left it unguarded. Meanwhile, John & Windora bust through a wall to get out of the office they were trapped in & John decides that maybe Windora would be safer wherever Maki is. So, announcing his plan over the walkie, they make their way to the bathroom. John tells Windora to wait outside the bathroom as he checks it out and discovers the big yellow bear staring Maki down upon entering. He makes an effort to trap Funshine in a salt circle but accidentally reveals himself before being able to finish the circle. However, his distraction does provide Maki with a large enough moment to escape, allowing her to dive under the partition and get the hell out of there while John wards Funshine off with his True Faith. They make an attempt to barricade the bear inside of the bathroom before Windora tells John they need to head back to the southern halls to find the last rune so they can unlock the doors. Finally, a majority of the coterie is united again in the corridor and Juno reveals to John, Maki, Eleanor, & Windora that there are two bears blocking them from destroying the last rune & Adel is going to need some kind of distraction to get them out of the way. They debate on a strategy for a while until John settles on falling back on his True Faith to ward off the foul creatures, scaring them off into opposite corners of the room which gives Adel enough time to distort the symbol & finally break the ward. As they make their way to the ballroom, they call for Killian over the walkie to try and figure out where he is. Sounding hysterical and out of breath, he confesses to locking himself inside the service elevator in the backroom. As they get there, they find that Cheer Bear is waiting patiently outside of the elevator doors, trying to coerce Killian into opening the doors and letting her eat him. The coterie tries to frighten her off, fight her, and stab her repeatedly, but nothing seems to really bother her as she starts trying to pry the elevator doors open. And just as she makes a crack large enough to fit her face inside, Killian spits alcohol onto her face and sits it alight, sending her into a fit of hysteria as she runs off screaming and crying. Whole again, the coterie finally makes its way into the ballroom.

The ballroom is decked out, covered head to toe in stars, clouds, and rainbows. An eerie red light emanates from behind the curtain, and once the coterie gets on stage, they find out why. A large multi-ringed ritual circle has been painted on the floor in blood, tended to by 8 worshippers. The coterie witnesses a swift sacrifice to the circle before the Prioress reveals herself. She is tall, slender, and completely nude- covered completely in malevolent black pagan tattoos. As the coterie reels from what they are seeing, Maeve raises a hand and casts a dark spell at Juno, sending him straight to the ground in agonizing pain. She says something about this "only being his genesis" and "helping him realize his true potential," before addressing the coterie with an offer. At first- she extends this offer only to John, but as he becomes resistant to the idea, she extends the offer to the rest of the coterie; Sacrifice one of yourselves to her & the rest of your friends can live & she and her followers will leave, allowing your friends to break the demonic contract. Not willing to trust her, no one accepts... until Adel comes up with a plan. She asks Chesley if he can somehow make a bottle of holy water explode & once he agrees to do so, she approaches the edge of the circle and agrees to sacrifice herself, much to her coterie's dismay. They try to talk her out of it, but Adel suggests to them that maybe this is the purpose her sire had told her about before she turns to step into the circle. Maeve waves Adel into the center of the circle with her. And as she does, her three acolytes get up and draw in closer, surrounding Adel. And then... as Maeve starts to dip Adel and bare her teeth to bite her throat- Chesley builds pressure inside of the holy water bottle hidden on Adel's chest, causing it to explode all over the 5 of them- Maeve & Adel taking the brunt of the damage. Chaos ensues. The rest of the coterie begins to mob Maeve, trying to sink their fangs into her instead. Killian enters a fury frenzy, angered by the very idea of Adel losing her life to this witch. But Maeve shrugs them off, and only John is able to actually pierce her flesh with his teeth. Furious, she places her hand on John and sends a wave of heat through his whole body, causing his skin to blister and char with her very touch. "I will kill you, John." She promises, but John, ever resilient retorts with a, "And I will take you with me." John, realizing he is inches from Final Death, grabs Adel & the demonic fetter she found in the center of the circle and rushes the both of them into a backstage bathroom where they now work to cleanse the unholy blood from the doll's fur. Meanwhile, Eleanor, Killian, and Maki try their hardest to buy Adel time, attacking Maeve with all that they have despite her strength.

Date: Thursday - October 21st, 1999

Campaign

Vulture City

Protagonists