… without the Storm

Read "Fundamental Occult Forces" (Ernesto, Occult): 6+1=7. Success with Complication.

You plan to finish this book before going to the King in Yellow. Being prepared it's the only thing you can do, considering your disadvantage against your enemies occult or potential allies.

Chapter V: Change Lore

If Reality was the first and Annihilation was the second, Change must be the third to be, encompassing things that weren't and now are and things that were and now aren't. We, humans, are more closely related to this Lore than its older brothers and therefore we can understand it better. Change is the force that moves from Reality to Annihilation and vice versa. It's the lore of potential and transmutation. Everything has in itself a part of Change, for small, it can be: even the Light sons and the Dark sons have a considerable part in them while being children of two Pure Lores.

[…]

The majority of occult apprentices choose to align themselves with this lore: while this doesn't allow the use of Light and Dark lores, they obtain something that those aligned with the other Basic Lores don't have: freedom. Aligning with Annihilation or Reality is to take an active role in the endless war between the two. But a Change-aligned person can stand far from the conflict, following their interests and maintaining a sort of neutrality: to partake in the clash is its own volition, able to take part to one side or another and even switch them: Change doesn't judge its followers in the same way Reality and Annihilation do. It goes without saying that this makes Ascension under this lore easier than the other two options.

[…]

Change doesn't have children lores. The reason is still disputed among scholars, with two major hypotheses. The first establishes that due to both Light and Dark lores having in them a part of Change, they can be considered "children" of Change and supporters of this hypothesis sometimes include all the lores as children of Change. It goes without saying that Light and Dark practitioners aren't very keen on this hypothesis. The second hypothesis is grounded on the Conflict theory: Light and Dark lores exist mainly due to the conflict between Reality and Annihilation and, with Change keeping itself outside of it, it has no reason to bear "Grey lores".

[…]

Chapter VI: Basic occult theory.

[…]

The choice of Pure lore behind a ritual or a spell isn't without consequences: the occult words to use are different even to have the same effect and therefore, to read a ritual it's necessary to know the basic lore used to it. Dark Rituals containing Lunar, Agony or Uproar are always written with a base of Annihilation, while Solar and Mercy are always written with a base of Reality. Therefore, they can replace knowledge of their respective lore if desired: it's possible to write a Ritual using Solar as the base for example, even if this influences the effect of the ritual. It's not possible to create a ritual using Neutral Lores without using at least one among Reality, Annihilation or Change. As an obvious consequence, Change must always be present if the user wants a neutral ritual without the effects of Reality and Annihilation: there is no other role that can replace it in a ritual.

[…]

Chapter VII: Ritual of alignment.

While with basic knowledge of one basic lore and one neutral lore is possible to cast spells or write rituals, to use Light and Dark lores alignment is necessary. The ritual instructions are reported in the following pages, but the writer wants the user to remember that Alignment is a decision that cannot be turned back and once you write the ritual, you will have to choose. Aligning with Change is also an option that clarifies the allegiance of a person to other occult users, therefore it has its own merits. Change alignment is necessary to use more complex spells and rituals that use it as a base, therefore, after a certain point, any occult practitioner would have to do it. Sooner is better than late: the ritual is also the only way to acquire the Occult Sight that allows one to discern the fundamental forces behind a place, an artefact or another occult user without requiring anything else than its own eyes.

When you close the book, you notice that someone is knocking on the door. You open, to find a slightly concerned John staring at you:

"Ernè, you were very deep in the book." He says.

"I told you that I was going to take a couple of hours to finish the book."

John stares at you, more concerned. "You have been here the whole night. We are closing down the Casino for the day. I managed in your absence."

You look at your cellphone: you spent eight hours straight reading. This should be impossible because you are sure that you were almost done with the book last time.
That doesn't make sense. Unless this book, like "El Estafador", has its specific occult quirk.

"Hope it was useful for our problems," John says, while you are walking toward the main floor.

"I think it is. I would need to sleep on it."

But you don't get a lot of sleep this night.

Your nightmare is strange: three pillars stood in front of you: one completely unblemished, one recognizable as a void in the space and one that you cannot describe. You hear murmurs coming from them, with their pitch getting higher and higher, continuously raising their voice to overcome the others. You try to close your ears, but the voices keep raising in a horrid cacophony of unrecognizable sounds.

When you finally wake up, drenched in sweat, you can still hear their voices in your head.

(Result: Change lore advanced to one, Ritual of Alignment discovered. -1 Sanity. You finish "Fundamental Occult Forces". You complete "Knowing the Occult": +1 Exp to Ernesto.).

Go talk with the King in Yellow (Ernesto)

You decided to leave your escort outside the building. It's the second Casino you personally visited and couldn't be more different from Goldman's Pit: even in the depth of night, the white and the gold of the building sparkle in the dark, with floodlights fighting against the creeping darkness of midnight inch by inch. Even from the outside, you can tell that inside there is no place for shadows, exactly as the midday sun leaves no hiding spots.

Your new occult sensibility, united with the information that this place is Light aligned, confirms that all of this is on purpose. Which gives you hope that they can help you with your issues.
You leave your name at the entrance, waiting for Vincent Jr to welcome you. The worker you talked with clearly understood the description of your common contact.

So, in the waiting, you decide to look around. As you expected, the inside is floodlit and the usual lights coming from slot machines seem almost too dim.

But the place is full of people, attracted by the unique atmosphere which has no equal or by the rumours that sometimes stroke of luck that happens once in a lifetime happens here more often than anywhere else. Or maybe it's the breathtaking voice of Marie Favaro, who is currently taking a break after her last performance, much to your disappointment.
You surely miss her songs, but you didn't miss the younger sibling, Francie, staring at you from the other side of the hallway, tossing a coin into the air and grasping it without missing a beat. You are not sure if he's trying to intimidate you or he's just doing his usual, so you wave a hand in his direction. His response is a deeper frown on his face, but nothing else.

"Mister Villalobos?" The same woman you talked to before attracts your attention. "Mister Favaro is ready for you. Follow me, please."

You nod in the direction of Francie one last time to see how deep he can frow, before turning to the lady and following her to Vincent's office.

Vincent's office was way more opulent than yours: expensive paintings and sculptures covered the walls, with only the wall behind the man in the gold suit being an exception: free from any frill, only two pictures and a display cabinet occupied the face of the wall.
The display cabinet contained a pair of brass knuckles, except that the metal was too yellow to be ordinary brass. It was an object that did its work repeatedly, now worn and scratched all over the surface.

The first picture was of a woman and a man in front of a Casino, but strangely enough, you are not able to clearly read the name on the front. You recognize the man as the father of Vincent Jr. Favaro, but the woman with dark hair and a long dress is new to you.

The second picture was also of Vincent Favaro with his two sons and his daughter inside the same studio where you currently are. The picture was probably taken at least fifteen years ago if you consider the age of Vincent Jr.

"Mister Villalobos, take a seat". Vincent Jr. took off a pair of glasses and put them on the desk, giving you his full attention.

He looks like a younger version of the man in the picture, with the same gold suit and the same piercing eye colour, but while Vincent shows self-confidence with more than a pinch of arrogance, his son's eyes show tiredness and wariness. You saw the same eyes in your conman days: those are the eyes of someone who was put in a difficult spot by life.
He doesn't trust you and you aren't sure that he can or wants to help you. But it's your best bet.

You take the seat and before you can talk, Vincent Jr. skips the pleasantries.

"So, Summer sent you to me after your men burnt her last hideout."

You are taken aback by the bluntness, but you regain your footing: "Wasn't our plan: we were looking for a solution after being attacked by a Presence."

"The Axe, the Veil or the Hammer?" He asks, with a hint of interest in his voice this time.

"I assume it was the Axe. He called himself Nathair." You assume that the Veil was the one attacking Goldman, but you don't want to reveal this kind of information.

"Names are just a string of sounds for those entities, but the Objects they have are more consistent." After this, he waits for you to go on.

"I know that he's connected with a sort of Snake Cult and that they are aligned with Annihilation and, probably Agony."

He doesn't correct you but doesn't add anything else.

"And I know that the Pale Zenith is probably another organization with occult powers, which is currently attacking my Casino."

"And that's the extension of your knowledge? At the occult level, I mean." You nod in response.
"They must have got arrogant with the years." He says, more to himself than to you. "I assume that you want information on them from me, right?"

"And see if you can help me with dealing with them. I know that Light is in an eternal fight against Dark and even if I'm a Blind, I know at least this much."

A quick glimpse of surprise passes through Vincent's eyes. "At least you did your homework. Maybe you have a chance to survive, unlikely the previous owner of your Casino."

Your posture stiffens, but before you can ask him more about that, he stops you: "Mister Villalobos, I'm a busy man. What happened to that man isn't of your immediate concern and it's nothing that you can solve with your current knowledge. You are here with two requests, with only one I can help you."

"I can't directly help you with dealing with the Pale Zenith or the other organizations." It's his dry answer.

"Why?" You ask.

"It's not that I don't want to help you, mister Villalobos. It's just that I cannot do so." He doesn't seem interested in elaborating further, but he seems sincere. What the reason is, he doesn't trust you enough with it.
"But I can tell you this, which should help you: the Pale Zenith leaders are opportunistic. They will leave you alone as long as you prove yourself too expensive to deal with and you don't attack them directly. If they are attacking you, they see someone who is weak and they want to get you before the Eclipse."

You nod, before noticing that he talked about the Eclipse.

"It's the Eclipse another occult power?" Vincent Jr. smiles.

"Mister Villalobos, the Eclipse it's at the top of all the big Annihilation cults and organizations in the City, which aren't happy to be ruled, but still follow the lead of the strongest. Except for the Church of the Apple, which you know as the Snake Cult. They are quite happy to have a leash on their neck."
He saw your puzzled expression: "The big fishes who have sold their soul to Annihilation, to make it simple, are the Eclipse, the Pale Zenith, the Church of the Apple and the LF, the Liberation Front. They are the biggest groups in the City and the ones that are under the boot of the Eclipse. Other Annihilation cults are too small or too disorganized to prove useful or dangerous to them. But they could still be dangerous to a Blind as you."

"So it's the Eclipse who is attacking me?" You receive a nod in response.

"The leader of the Eclipse wants total control over the City. That's why everyone who could become an obstacle is dealt with. In particular, new Casinos. Funny enough, in this City anyone who owns one soon or later encountered the Occult. The Eclipse tries to break them down before they could become dangerous. In your case, it's doing a bad job."

"I see. Who is the leader of the Eclipse, then?"

"He calls himself the Snake, to make himself more important. But to me is nothing more than a worm who got lucky." You can hear the hate in his voice.
"In case you don't know, the Snake is also the name of the Patron of Agony. But to enter in more detail would require time I don't have."
"If you want to ask me something else, we can meet again next week."

You look again at him in the eyes and you notice that he seems less tired and in his voice there's a bit more energy too. Cautious optimism, you dare to say.

You got several new info, which is good, but the fact that the strongest Light in the City cannot help you make the victory feel pyrrhic.

(Result: Several new info that you can use. The King in Yellow is sending you mixed signals, but they seem supportive even if they cannot directly help you).

Break some Legs (John, Mercy, Felix, Chris) 9+2=11. Great Success.

"Boss, I think we have a problem." Jay was in charge of keeping an eye on the Hell's Hearth for the morning. Stephan put down the cards and got the binoculars from him.

He counted fifteen, well-armed guys coming toward their building. By keeping an eye on the rooftop, he was quite sure that there was also a sniper from an advantage point.
He evaluated the situation and considered it to be total shit: there was no way that they were going to leave that building alive if a gunfight started. He wasn't even sure that they could deal some damage … wait, he recognized the woman at the front of the formation.

Oh.

"Jay, tell the other to leave all the weapons behind. We are going to surrender."

"Stephen, the Lady is going to kill us."

"Yeah, if she gets her hands on us. And they are going to kill us if we fight. So the only way to survive is to surrender and hope that they want to get prisoners."


Mercy was loading her shotgun when the door opened and a white shirt was waved as a makeshift flag.

"We surrender, just don't shoot us".

Mercy was still loading her weapon. "Tell me why we should trust men so ready to give up. Could be a trap."

"Listen, do you know how many men are here to keep an eye on you? Five. Me included. You outnumber us three at one. We know what happened to those guys that went against you and I don't believe in heroic sacrifices. I believe in saving my men's and my skin. I have only a request."

"You are surrending and you have requests? You have guts". Shouted Chris.

"We want to be taken prisoners".

Mercy was puzzled: "That is not a request, that was literally what we were going to do to you."

"Yeah, figured. It's just that if you leave us go, the Zenith is going to kill us."

"I don't see a problem. We are getting rid of you one way or another." Mercy's voice was indifferent.

"I don't think your boss is the kind of guy to waste an opportunity. Go on, ask him what he wants to do with us."

Mercy stared at the door for several seconds, before sighing. "If you make any move or I find even a pencil in your pockets, I'm going to personally blow your head out."

"Loud and clear, miss".

(Result: You go one recon team of the Pale Zenith prisoner. New actions unlocked. "Freeing the Monster"'s Clock doesn't increase this turn).

---

Some of your followers and characters have learnt enough lessons in these weeks to become more effective.
Please, vote for their new traits.

Mercy's Level Up options (Pick one):

[][MERCY] This is my gun
When rolling a 6- in combat, Mercy cannot be disarmed.

[][MERCY] Merciless
When attacking a Heavily Injured Target, +1 to combat rolls against it.

[][MERCY] Spearhead
When attacking first gun blazing or ambushing someone, you may also pick these options during your attack roll:
- Your attack is devastating for their moral.
- All the focus is on yourself, leaving a window of opportunity for your allies.

Felix's Guards Level Up options (Pick one):
[][FELIX] Turf Advantage
When exploring near your Casino, they obtain +1 to their roll.

[][FELIX] Mercy's Training
When fighting at close or hand distance, they get +1 to their combat rolls.

I'll need a 2d6 roll for Random Event, modified by reputation (+1)

We are back. Expect sporadic updates for the next three years, probably.

Enemy Incoming

Random Event Roll: 7+1 = 8. Large positive effect with a cost

While you were clearing your front yard of rats and understanding all the players in the City, your Casino was visited by one of the most famous poker players in town, Dominick Dale. With such a prestigious guest, your Casino experienced a sudden influx of customers, nearly doubling your weekly income. However, if Dale continues to play, some customers may choose to patronize another establishment to avoid losing their money to a more experienced player.
(+3 funds, -1 to next turn's Random Event Roll)

Mercy's Trait: Spearhead

Several years ago, in the City
"Trick, can you confirm that the target is in the room ahead of me?"
"Affirmative, Mercy. They've holed up pretty well. From the window, I spot the guy and three guards, all armed and ready. I don't have a perfect visual, so they're expecting a sniper."
Mercy, shotgun ready, moved near the door. "Where's Alex?"
"Keeping the other thugs suppressed. I think we should fall back before reinforcements arrive, Mercy."
"Negative, Trick. I'm going in."
"Mercy, it's a room with one entry and four people waiting for you. It's basically suicide."
"Exactly. It's suicide enough that they won't expect me to enter the room."
Radio silence for a moment, before Alex's channel opened up. The sound of gunshots was clearly audible.
"One hundred bucks says she survives this."
Trick's channel opened. "Deal."
"I'll take double if I come out without a scratch," Mercy responded.
"Deal."
"Deal."
"Cool. Breaking in."
Silence for a couple of minutes. The sniper adjusted his position to keep an eye on the room.
Mercy broke down the door, rushing inside and shooting the two guys in front of her.
In the ensuing panic, one of them stepped back, getting in front of the window.
"Idiot," muttered Trick, putting a bullet in his head.
Another gunshot and Mercy appeared in front of the window, waving towards Trick.
"See any injury?"
"I'll pay half because I took one down."
Alex's channel opened: "Can we discuss this after we get away?"
"Party crasher. I'm coming to help you out. Mercy out."

Felix's Guards Trait: Turf Advantage

A map of the neighborhood was on the table, with Felix drawing notes on it.
"How is the situation at the old Jackals building?" he asked Colt, Charles' replacement.
"A couple of homeless people took shelter in the least burned part. I left them some food and blankets; they will probably contact us if they see or hear something interesting while begging."
Felix added another mark on the map.
"Judy, how are things in Lesh Groves?"
"The situation is calm. I helped an old lady with her groceries. Quite the gossipy lady and she makes the best chocolate cookies I've ever had."
"Hope you brought some back for us," smiled Felix, before going on. "Kevin, what about other drug dealers in the area?"
"Small fries selling normal stuff from several sources. They're quite happy we removed the Jackals from their zone and are glad to help us keep an eye out if something stirs underground."
With each marking on the map, it was clear that Felix had built a small information network across the entire area near the Casino. By building goodwill with the community and performing patrols across the area, they would quickly detect any disturbances.

Goldman's Research on Demons

"So, my dear Villalobos, I can confirm the information you found. 'Demon' is not the right term in the occult world for creatures such as the ones plaguing us; they are called 'Presences'," Goldman started, serving you wine from what looked like an expensive bottle.
You thought he was more the type for strong whisky, but to each their own.
"Other than semantics, how does this help us?"
"Probably it makes us look less like novices in the occult while interacting with others. I asked my contacts, who gave me their contacts, and a few of them decided to talk with me. 'No time to waste for a Blind,' was the response of those who refused. Charming people, aren't they?"
"It's not the first time I've heard this term. Do you know what it means?" you asked.
"Apparently, it means that your eyes are not open to the occult world. I'm not sure what it means, but apparently, they can determine if you are 'Blind' or not by glance. But we are digressing."
"Presences are occult entities from what was defined as 'other worlds' by my contacts. They need a vessel to remain anchored here, and usually dead corpses are the most suited. I got some information on the ritual to summon them, but the granny who gave it to me stated, and I quote: 'You don't look stupid, so just don't do it.'"
"So, how can we kill them?"
Goldman answered with a thin smile, "That's the hard part. To summon a Presence, you need a human corpse, an item, and a ritual circle. The Presence inhabits the corpse, using it to act, but most of it is actually located in the item. You can destroy the body, but the Presence will remain intact enough to reform in the ritual circle four weeks later. At least, for Lesser Presences, also known as 'Weakbounds.' Stronger Presences may require less time."
You do the math, meaning that Nathair will be back in two weeks. You shiver at the thought.
"So, we need to destroy the bound item, I guess," you say, with Goldman confirming your words.
"That's the second hardest method. You will need to destroy the item while the Presence is actually trying to kill you. The safest method is to destroy the ritual circle, but first, you would need to find it. Destroy the circle, kill the Presence's body, and it cannot come back."
"We just need to find a specific ritual circle, which could be anywhere in the City. Easy to destroy, hard to find. What's the most difficult method?"
"A Presence can be killed by another Presence of equal or greater power. Not a method readily available to us, considering the dangers involved."
"So, we wait for them to come at us and destroy the bound item, or we go looking for their summoning circle. That will be tricky, but at least we have a way to defeat them."
Goldman nods, finishing his wine. "I also got my hands on some books that should help me delve deeper. If the enemy is coming at us with occult weapons, I want to have some myself."
You are in doubt about how much to share with Goldman. He seems trustworthy, but currently, your partnership is built on a common enemy. Do you want to share your occult knowledge?
[ ] [GOLDMAN] Share your occult info.
[ ] [GOLDMAN] Don't share your occult knowledge.

An Offer from Poulin

When you get back to the Casino, Fulvia comes to you.
"Boss, something weird happened while you were away."
You sigh, pinching the neck of your broken nose. "Some issue with the prisoners?"
"Nah, they're behaving, but I think it's better to keep an eye on them. We just found a package in front of the Casino and from the camera feed, the package just… appeared. From thin air, like a magic trick."
Well, surely not the strangest thing that happened in the last months.
"So, what was inside?"
"A burner phone and a message from the guy at Le Orchideè. He says that he has something that needs to be taken care of next week and he can't do it personally. For the details, you have to call him on that phone."
"We are quite busy and it seems a bit rude to ask for another favor," you said. But you don't say that maybe it's a good idea to be on the side of the man who can make boxes appear from thin air.
[ ] [POULIN] Call him. (You'll have a task that will need to be done next week).
[ ] [POULIN] Don't call him.

---

QM Note: All the actions, unless specified differently, are Small risk, Standard effect, Variable cost. Sheets have been updated, tell me if I'm missing something. New options are indicated in green.
Please, vote by plan as usual.

Casino Management: (These actions can be performed only by the Main or a Named Character)

Competition:



Diplomacy (Only Named or Main Characters)

Ernesto Specials: (Only Ernesto can do these actions)

Occult Action:
Exploration:

Follower's Actions (These action can be done only by your Followers)