As the hours passed, Anya wondered how long this would take. Between poking the various amounts of higher powers and having no real understanding of it, Anya could only guess, what Zarkov and The Baba Yaga were plotting up.
Clearly the best way to use their time before going to Japan was…This.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Zarkov said. "It is an unnatural aberration of what should be left alone."
Anya…no; Anastasia smiled a bitter smile. "I have to let go of everything…properly. Its the least they deserve."
"The Aurora won't like this," Zarkov said.
"Piss on what that glowball wants." The Baba Yaga said. "Something like this is a bit more important than their feelings."
The Aurora shimmered its multicolored light.
"Oh Piss off you glowing sky tosser, either help or bother that Indian girl you like to help out!" The Baba Yaga said.
"They look really upset about this whole thing?" Zarkov said looking at the sky.
"Its just dealing with Death's many many loopholes." Baba Yaga said. "Come now…lets get this over with before Lobo throws a fit."
"Who's Lobo?" Zarkov said.
"Ask Anya…she remembers him." Baba Yaga said.
"I don't," Anya said. "Why would you think that?"
"Well because you're the only one here who's actually remembered dying." Baba Yaga said. "We should be ready soon."
The Cauldron was both seemingly gathering energy from the world around them and from the ingredients that the old witch had gathered to prepare for such a difficult summoning. In fact it was more surprising to count what the old witch didn't have.
"I-" Anya started. "It's a bit much."
"Don't worry, we won't be sending you to them…more us bringing them to you." The Baba Yaga said. "Seances are FUN!"
The words did little to actually encourage Anya/Anastasia as she looked over the pot. "I know you know what your doing, but."
"But what darling?" Baba Yaga said. "I'm a professional."
"I just have so many things to unload and ask them, especially Father, actually my ire is almost going to be directed at my father totally. He's the reason my siblings and I died." Anya said.
"Oh Tsar Nicky…a complete idiot of a human being given power over the most backward nation in Europe; I'm still surprised it took years for Russia to get rid of him." She said. "It's going to take a lot out of you, this little summoning, emotionally that is."
"I've already made my decision, Winter Witch," Anya said. "I'm not backing out now."
"Just needed that confirmed…You will feel a slight pinch in your soul." The Baba Yaga said as the cauldron's mist began to bubble and start to form around her.
And then Anya fell to the floor.
"So how long will this take?" Zarkov said.
"I don't know…it's been a while since I've done one of these." The Baba Yaga said.
----------------------------
The thing about memory in all things is that it is only a recollection of what happened, a point of view warped by time.
Even the kindest memories of love and life can be tinged by bitterness.
------------------------------
Anya looked around the palace; it was during the war, but it was a quieter affair, it was…the sabbath, and you and everyone else were…resting after a long day at work at the hospital as a nurse.
I remember this day…one of the last happy days of my life. It was in January, father had just returned from working in the eastern front. We all knew we were losing, but we ignored it for his sake.
"Anastasia." You turned to see your father. His beard was neatly trimmed as ever, and his old uniform still outlined his broad frame. But his face…the grey hairs and care lines that increasingly covered it towards the end of his life were gone. It was the solid brown of youth, and the weight of death and destruction that filled his eyes had…not vanished, but been turned into something pure. A resolve, a peace, a compassion that had been lacking before.
A hope that had abandoned him towards the end.
How many millions would yet live in this doomed world if he had that resolve in life?
He looked so old, and yet young all the same, like a picture of his wedding day, or a portrait of his happy life just before you were born.
He smiled upon seeing her but made no move to approach. "My daughter. My sweet, sweet daughter. I'm so proud of you."
It made her dread and feel pride in those words, it was comforting, yet part of her felt hollow and empty.
"I wish that you had learned to have more than just pride in the family and our duties in the end." It wasn't harsh criticism, but after going through both the mental anguish of visiting the site of her death, and the physical pain of the indignities…done to her after her death.
"Remembering everything…every detail, feeling every one of them, feeling cold and dark…you were-" Anastasia…Anya struggled not to cry. "YOU KILLED US! YOU AND YOUR DAMNED PRIDE KILLED US ALL! SO MANY DIED FOR THAT PRIDE! Bloody SUNDAY! The Massacres! THE WAR! SO MANY…too many…were they not as worthy of life and love as I was."
Anastasia stopped. "Part of me wishes I was only Anya."
"You're right."
Anastasia paused. It was just two words, but they were words she had never, never, ever expected to hear pass her father's lips.
He closed his eyes; tears made their way past his lids as he made a visible effort to control his response. "You're right," he continued. "The mantle of King…the title of Tsar…it has a life of its own. To my cousin and your mother, I was just Nicky. But to the rest of the world, I was Tsar. It is a life where one tries to make unhappy people happy; bad people good; poor people rich; and doing so knowing that every action you make will not only make someone unhappy but that someone will die, regardless of the decision. Even something as simple as choosing to answer one letter today and another tomorrow."
He sighed. "It is not a fate I would wish upon my worst enemy. But to far too many of my people, I was their worst enemy." He chuckled, a bitter sound. "Bloody Nicholas. I know the names they had for me. Little did they know that I fit the name all too well when my father was murdered; The motherland needed Alexander the Liberator…and more; But what they got was Bloody Nicky the Fool."
He took a step forward. "I was imprisoned by my title. By my roles. The name of Tsar has a life of its own, and I was trapped by it. But the fact remains that the actions I took were mine. I approved the war with Germany, however much Willy and I hoped to avoid it. I ordered the execution of mutineers, however much I thought they might be justified. I disobeyed my conscience. And for that, for our pride, we were cast down. My family - my beautiful daughters, my wonderful son…"
He paused. "My wife. The light of my life. You suffered for my mistakes. And now, here, at the end of all things, there is only you."
He fell to his knees, digging into the heavy carpet on the floor. And, in an act that shocked Anastasia, he prostrated before her. "I am so… So, sorry. Please, forgive me."
And he began to weep, his shoulders shaking as his tears fell into the carpet.
Anya was speechless.
"...do as you will with me," he said, his voice muffled with sobs. "Whatever you do, know that I deserve it."
Anastasia wanted to weep alongside him, forgive him, hug him, and tell him she loved him.
Anya wanted to kick the poor bastard. How dare he postulate humility, forgiveness and regret now at the end of things!
What did she want to say to this poor sad man who wore fancy clothing?
Instead Anya…Anastasia looked at him. "If you were in my shoes? Suffering all I have suffered? Would you truly change?"
It was a question neither could answer. But one that gave a grain of hope for all of them.
Nicholas II - Nicky - looked up, sniffing as he did. He raised himself to his knees, looking Anya in the face.
"I doubt that." The man who was her father said, at least he was trying to be honest with himself.
"I don't think you should sell yourself that short yet…there's always something in the world that will surprise you," Anya said, looking at the poor man, watching his finery melt away into a humble if shabby-looking gentleman.
"After all…you had me." Anastasia finished.
She stepped forward. And finally, kneeling down, she entered her father's embrace.
And that, for now, was enough.
----------------------------------------------
Mother was in her wheelchair again, she must have been having a bad day with her legs again.
Anya walked over and smiled. "Having one of those days? Here I thought Heaven would rid you of the need of that?"
"Some things linger now; even in death," she said calmly. "I know I don't need it anymore, yet it lingers like an old phantom, reminds me of older days. I was young and foolish then, and here I am still making myself suffer for it."
She sighed. "There is so much that I want to tell you. But I fear that we don't have the time for more than the essentials. You must beware of Rasputin."
Anya blinked. Don't say his name, DON'T SAY HIS NAME!
"Mother, I am well aware of that, I lived under his rule for nearly a year before leaving. I braved Siberia to get away from him." Anya said, trying to sound suitably casual about her very long journey to the East.
"Oh…" Alexandra said. "So you already knew of his…devilry."
"I once worked in a factory filled with zombies…and foremen that smelled like fish, and with the constant specter of death," Anya said.
"Well, I think all of this has fallen onto my shoulders," Alexandra said.
"How so? You weren't the one who got egged on into a war." Anya said.
"I was the one who invited Rasputin into our home," Alexandra said.
Oh…OH…that explained a lot actually. More than the holes in your memories did at least.
"So…you invited a devil-worshiping sorcerer into our home and eventually Father, in his infinite wisdom, made him an advisor on personal matters," Anastasia said.
"He told me he could help deal with Alexi's Hemophilia as a holy healer. And it often worked." Alexandra said. "What could I say? He was helping your brother live."
Great…now by proxy…both her parents were the underlying cause of her execution.
"And how did that work out in the long run?" Anya asked.
"Poorly. Though knowing the company our family kept, he was one of the better ones."
Well, that is a damning indictment for the company we kept.
"I can't believe that the two of you were allowed to run a country as absolute monarchs," Anya said.
"I was mostly dealing with raising all of you and helping Alexi, and well being a pretty face of the upper class," Alexandra said.
Anya sighed. "And yet you had control and influence over the court, and by proxy an influence on policy. Choose to ignore it all you want Mother, but you had power and used it…poorly"
Alexandra sighed. "I can never claim to be any more than what I am."
"The company you kept told the world almost everything," Anya said. "And took away any bit of sympathy they may have had."
"You were always bright when you wanted to; Anastasia, and shows me how much of the fool I was."
Olga and Tatiana were playing piano, though it was more Olga doing it while Tatiana was humming along.
"Didn't think you'd be joining us for a while," Olga said. "I expected you to look like an old crone."
"I'm sorry that I'm just visiting, but it's still good the both of you," Anya said as she looked for a cushion to sit on the floor and listen to the piano play slowly.
"I still can't believe you're wearing pants," Tatiana said.
"Hey I like wearing pants, and at least I don't act like our governess," Anya said. "And you have to be the one trying to make sure we behave."
"I'm still jealous Anya, you get to be more than we ever were," Olga said.
"I'm alive in a world gone to hell Olga, there's not much to be jealous about," Anya said.
"You have a cool mystic, and a dashing pilot for roommates of course there's plenty to be jealous about!" Tatiana said.
"Oh, now you're going to wish that you were the ones who made it out? Life sucked after the war." Anya said.
"No…I'm just saying that you aren't appreciating what you have." Olga said.
"I love Zarkov more than our father, though thats not hard given the circumstances," Anya said.
"Hey we hate him for getting us killed too, You're not in that lifeboat alone," Tatiana said.
"I wasn't saying you weren't…it's just I miss you, life was so much simpler when my older sisters. " Anya said.
"Life wasn't simple back then Anastasia, you just got older," Tatiana said smiling.
She was right…like always. Damn, know it all.
"Alexi's with Marie today, in the gardens," Olga said.
"Since we're on the other side of the vail-." Anya asked.
"He doesn't have to deal with Hemophilia anymore because it's the Afterlife Anya, that's why it's wonderful," Tatiana said.
"Oh…that is neat," Anya said.
--------------------------------
Maria sat around as Alexi was playing with over a dozen of the children in the afterlife, children from different times, eras, and peoples.
He's actually playing with them not, darting along pretending to play.
"I never thought I'd see the day Alexi would be roughhousing with children like that," Anya said as Maria sighed.
Alexi was in his scouting uniform, playing rough with a soccer ball
"Well, you seeing it now aren't you?" She said. "Thought you'd be a crone next time I'd see you?"
"Just visiting I assure you," Anya said. "Though it is good to see him being a child for once."
"I know," Maria said. "You know I envy you, being alive and seeing the world, you know some of the people on the other side made us saints."
Anya gasped, partly in surprise and then in horror. "Us…saints? What was in their tobacco to consider that?!?"
"Apparently we were highly pious and godly enough to at least be considered martyrs to the faith."Maria scoffed.
"With father in the group, it was because of how we died not how we lived." Anya scoffed. "It sounds far-fetched."
"Yet it happened…one moment," Maria said. "ALEXI STOP PULLING THAT GIRL's HAIR!"
"I'm surprised that we're acting like a normal family here, you could almost mistake us for one at a glance," Anya said.
"I think it's making us have the life we should have had as a gift," Maria said.
"And making Dad suffer living as a normal man, not a Tsar," Anya said as she and Maria laughed.
----------------
Alexi looked at Anya with a look. "Are you alright on the other side?"
"I'm your big sister, Alexi, I managed just fine," Anya said.
"Why didn't you take the train across Siberia?" Alexi asked.
"That's because the train was gone, and consumed by the wilderness," Anya said.
"Oh okay." He said. "Do you miss us?"
"Every day," Anya said. "Every night in my dreams."
"Can you sing for me?" He asked.
"Okay." She said.
She hummed a lullaby of old bears and dancing. Lullabies of quieter days and
-------------------------
There was still one more person she needed to talk to…someone she didn't think to look for yet saw every time she looked in the mirror.
"Not easy dealing with a life that's all but a dream?" The reflection said as you lounged near the pocket mirror Marie left out; it was the small voice in the back of her head, the life she used to have given form.
"Hard enough trying to make sense of it all, I love them it's just well it's hard to come to terms with it now…soon I'll never see them again until I'm old and grey if I'm lucky and you'll be back to being the quiet whisper in my head, the shadow of my soul, It almost like I'm the one taking the rest of your life," Anya said. "I have your thoughts dreams, memories, and more. Feels like I'm cheating you."
"Can't exactly cheat yourself out of the rest of your life, even if you feel like it; Come now, I may not be exactly who I was when we were still the same, but I'm not sad that I became you despite the trouble you get into." The Reflection said with a bitter smile.
"Heh, you know if I didn't know any better, I feel like you enjoy being Anya more then Anastasia?" Anya said.
"Free of royal responsibilities and allowed to do with my life as I please? Come now, thats every princess's dream. Now spin a tale I'd be proud of."
"Not If I somehow get myself killed again, though given my track record I think I'll be fine," Anya said.
--------------------------
Anya sighed as she felt the tug on her heart.
"It's time for me to go," Anya said as her family started to get ready to see her off.
"I wish we had more time together?" Alexandra said.
"I know...but We had today didn't we?" Anya said.
"We did and I am sure it will be enough for now," Nicholas said. "I am truly sorry that we are leaving you alone."
"I'm not alone, your always be in my prayers," Anastasia said.
They gathered and looked all ready to see her off.
"Goodbye Anastasia, live well and give Grandmother our love,"Nicholas said.
-----------------------------------
Anya woke up with a feeling of lightness in her heart, she was; for given value of the situation, not a peace but she was feeling better then she had in years at this point.
"Well, I'm back," Anya said.
"Good, Lobo really wanted to deal with that whole error on his loophole list," Zarkov said picking herself up off the floor. She looked like she had been fighting.
Anya rubbed her eyes, the cabin was a mess. "What in blazes happened?"
Hathaway opened the door ready to run in with a large woodcutter ax. "Is he gone?"
The Baba Yaga smiled in her chair. " Yes, Hathaway; Lobo is gone."
In the distance, swearing in…some Latin language was being done. "Oh, he's going to be mad about this for a while."
"Do I really want to know what happened while I was up there?" Anya said.
"No, no you do not," Zarkov said.
-------------------------------
Reward: Anastasia gains + 2 all stats for gaining a catharsis on her memories, her past, and the direction for the rest of her life.
"Learn to Do it"- Anya's a quick study, with many things to learn and a lot of life to learn, (Anya gains +5 to rolls relating to training and self-improvement, with a +10 to the skills that her past life would have learned in detail)
"A Soul At Peace"- Anya...No Anastasia has gained a sense of peace she has rarely had in life, it makes everything calm. +10 to Occult when soothing angry or hostile spirits.
Zarkov and Hathaway gain +1 Occult.
--------------------
Updated Sheets
Anastasia "Anya" Romanov
Martial: 7+5=12 (Anya is a capable markswoman and knows how to fight well enough for her age, witch is better then most)
Stewardship:10+4=14(Math is Evil! But being good at it helps with so many things)
Diplomacy: 15+6=21 (Anya has aristocratic grace, a actress wit and the will of a princess)
Intrigue: 12+4=16 (She's gotten herself to Vladivostok and picked up a few tricks from Dimitri and Zarkov along the way, she's got a lot of guile in her.)
Learning: 10+3=13 (She has a standard education for an Orphan and the Soviet School System, plus a bit more from a princess's education. )
Occult: 7+5=12 (Anya has lived through pain, hardship and the catharsis of the spirit and has met and treated with spirits beyond her, her eyes are open to the unknown world)
Traits:
"RECLAIMED Identity: Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova of Russia ": Anya is Anastasia Romanov, the Tsarina of Russia, and the Empress of All Russia. (????)
Nemesis: Resputin the Mad Monk: You are the Nemesis of Resputin of Russia, the now undead Warlock ruler of Russia. The Sorce of all of your pain. (????)
"Siberian Survivor"-This character is a survivor of traveling the Siberian Steppe of Russia, and through, wit, luck, and skill has successfully managed to live to tell the tale. Thanks to this experience, they have a +5 for all rolls related to foraging for food, +10 for hunting medium to small game, and +15 for traveling in the cold of winter without a malus.
Lesser Polyglot: Besides Russian Anya has a passing understanding of English, German, French, and Italian. (No language debuffs while speaking these languages.)
Ancillary Pooka: An Imaal Terrier Dog that lives with Anastasia and is more aware of things than it lets on. ( Pooka gives a +10 to Intrigue and +5 Diplomacy Rolls. A smart dog, who knew?)
"Cabaret Singer"- Anya is a (Semi) Professional Cabaret Singer and gains +10 to all rolls while singing and performing a musical number and has a +5 to intrigue when distracting people.
"Single Shot Sharpshooters"-You are skilled with single shot rifles, be they flintlock or percussion cap muskets or single shot cartrage rifles, you do not waste your one shot (Gain +5 to all martial rolls when using single shot rifled weapons)
"Learn to Do it"- Anya's a quick study, with many things to learn and a lot of life to learn, (Anya gains +5 to rolls relating to training and self-improvement, with a +10 to the skills that her past life would have learned in detail)
"A Soul At Peace"- Anya...No Anastasia has gained a sense of peace she has rarely had in life, it makes everything calm. +10 to Occult when soothing angry or hostile spirits.
Madam Zarkov
Martial: 8+2=10 (Madam Zarkov is a fit woman who travels a great deal, she's not built for fighting, she's… well, an occultist. Times ha made her take up more active skills in violence)
Stewardship: 16+2=18 (She's managed her own finances, her museum's finances, and her travel expenses with little difficulty. Now she's become capable as a civil clerk. )
Diplomacy:12+1=13 (While not a linguist per se, her knowledge of written languages and cultures allows her to understand and communicate with little difficulty. Though her errors are common enough)
Intrigue:13+2=15 (She's hidden many things from different people for a long time, for good reason, now she's funded and supplied an actual revolt)
Learning:21( She's well versed in many different cultures, from religious heritages to how they maintain their spiritual affairs.)
Occult: 23+3=26 (Madam Zarkov is THE Occultest when it comes to knowledge and mysticism, having devoted most of her life to the study, and while she can sense magic, she cannot channel and use it.)
Traits:
"Member of the Adventurers Club"-Madam Zarkov is a member of the Adventurers Club, a successor/offshoot of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. While much more public than the SEA, they are much more specialized in terms of public outreach but still share the same spirit of adventure and in some cases heroism. This character has a +10 on all diplomacy rolls with fellow adventurers and a +10 on all rolls related to traveling and survival. They also have special actions on adventure, related to gathering knowledge or helping people.
"World Traveler" - Zarkov has seen much of the world and learned how to survive in a multitude of places. She suffers no maluses when traveling across varied terrain and is less prone to cultural misunderstandings than most.
"Lock and Key's Open for Me"- Zarkov is now an expert of using offical positions to mask subterfuge when the need requires it. (When preforming an intrigue action, after passing a DC of 60, she can add half of her Stewardship into Intrigue rolls, she can also use this skill to improve her Stewardship rolls with half her Intrigue.)
"Single Shot Sharpshooters"-You are skilled with single shot rifles, be they flintlock or percussion cap muskets or single shot cartrage rifles, you do not waste your one shot (Gain +5 to all martial rolls when using single shot rifled weapons)
"Proprietor of the Museum of the Weird"-Madam Zarkov is the Proprietor of the Museum of the Weird, a Vast collection of occult artifacts and knowledge she has gathered for most of her life. It contains everything from Latin script to African folk songs and Native American artifacts. (When in the museum Madam Zarkov gains a +15 to all occult and learning rolls, and while explaining their origins to others gains a +5 to diplomacy rolls)
"The Magic is Calling"- Madam Zarkov is one of THE Experts on the Occult in the Late 19th and Early 20th, and she has been drawn to the mysticism of the world for most of her life, from the various mystical threats Jason and SEA seemingly found every other expedition to her own years of study. (Madam Zarkov has a very in-depth understanding of Magic and gives a +5 to occult and learning rolls when she SOLEY relies on her own knowledge of the occult, and she also knows many countermeasures to spellcasters, even if she can't channel her own magical potential at all)
Hathaway Browne
Martial: 13 (Hathaway's no lightweight when it comes to throwing a punch or shooting a gun, but he'd prefer to talk rather than fight)
Stewardship:15 (He has a small fortune thanks to that sponsorship deal and aircraft maintenance ain't cheap)
Diplomacy: 18+1=19 (The Man is a Storyteller, and by god he's the most charming fellow you can meet)
Intrigue: 12 (He's not hopeless, but he's the sort of man who'll trust more easily)
Learning:16 (He can maintain Aircraft, and knows details about a lot of the cultures of his time)
Occult: 6 (So Spirits are walking around in japan…that will make a believer of just about anyone, also Zarkov's his friend.)
Traits:
"Member of the Adventurers Club"-Hathaway Browne is a member of the Adventurers Club, a successor/offshoot of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. While much more public than the SEA, they are much more specialized in terms of public outreach but still share the same spirit of adventure and in some cases heroism. This character has a +10 on all diplomacy rolls with fellow adventurers and a +10 on all rolls related to traveling and survival. They also have special actions on adventure, related to gathering knowledge or helping people.
"It's Called a Hustle Honey"- Hathaway's a smooth-talking bastard when he wants to, and like a true snake, is a silver tounge devil. (Hathaway can if passing a DC of 75, can use his Diplomacy on an intrigue roll)
"Aviation Aeronaut"-Hathaway specializes in fixed-winged aircraft, ranging from simple one-seater bi-planes to large and expansive flying boats. He has a +15 to all rolls in relation to using aircraft and a +10 bonus to their maintenance
"World Traveler" - Hathaway has seen much of the world and learned how to survive in a multitude of places. He suffers no maluses when traveling across varied terrain and is less prone to cultural misunderstandings than most.
"Ancillary: The Moth"- A Two seater Variant of the de Havilland DH.60 Moth, made for long-distance traveling across the world to show the wonders of aviation technology and Hathaway's pride and joy. It is currently in disrepair because he had a rough landing (Bonuses are locked until it is repaired.)
AN: Finally at long last the Final Interlude, and Ending of sorts for Anya's Misadventures in Vladivostock and start of whatever's going on in Japan.
I would like to think @TirelessTraveler for a lot of help with the dialogue, especially with Tsar Nicky's words and idea into the thought process.
The Guy really was the best writing partner that you could ask for with all of this. Thanks bud.
Poor Lobo, he's just trying to do his job and so many people are messing with it! Oh well, they'll all come to him eventually.
If you want feedback, the biggest one I have to say is watch out for typos.
Excited to see what's going on in Japan and the rest of their journey to America. Anya has certainly leveled up for what is to come. There will certainly be a lot of hostile spirits where she is going. Maybe she'll get a dancing bear spirit? 😀
Excited to see what's going on in Japan and the rest of their journey to America. Anya has certainly leveled up for what is to come. There will certainly be a lot of hostile spirits where she is going. Maybe she'll get a dancing bear spirit? 😀
Oo-De-Lally, Oo-De-Lally, Golly, What a Mess (Sherwood Nega-Quest) Turn 11: Demons Run
Diplomacy
Reach Out to France:
As shown in A Meeting of the Myths
Reach Out to Maldonia:
Jolly Holiday activates! Merida gains a temporary +5 to Diplomacy!
1d100+18+10+5+11+5+15 (Merida & Tiana)+10 (Existing Alliance)-5 (Oh fuck, the Catholic Church)=104
DC 60/80/100
Major Success!
Reach Out to Dunwyn:
1d100+18+10+5+16+10+10 (Vested Interest)+25 (MARIAN'S BEEN WHAT?!)-10 (Catholic Church)=157
DC 60/80/100 50/70/90
Major Success!
Intrigue
Plot a Breakout
1d100+18+15+10+10+15+16+15=???
INTERRUPTION!
1d100+8+5=108! Intensity Roll: 38
1d100+14+10=61
Paul Rawlins Critical Success!!
DC 75/125/175 65/115/165
1d100+18+15+10+10+15+16+15+8+5+20 (You Can Use Me Bedknob)=152
Martial
Muster for War
Sherwood: 1d100+15 (Full Might)+10 (At War)+10 (No More)=84+20 (Maldonia Crit)=104
France: 1d100+10 (All that can be spared)+10 (At War)=108
Maldonia: 1d100+10 (All that can be spared)+5 (Military Ready)=113! Crit! Intensity Roll: 20!
Dunwyn: 1d100+15 (Full Might)+5 (Military Ready)=108
Dusk painted the skies shades of purple and orange. Insects chirped in a nervous symphony, as if sensing the tension. White flakes of snow drifted down from on high, dusting the ground below in a soft layer of white powder.
Said powder was then trampled by the thunderous march of thousands of soldiers.
Out from Crawley towards Winchester, the Army of the Ninth Crusade marched. At their head were four figures on horseback, wearing gleaming armor and serious expressions. Beside them rode trusted partners or friends, holding high their standards for all to see.
A blue flag held the golden flowers wrapped around a shield marked with the seal of Maldonia, the standard of the country.
A black flag displayed the red dragon of Dunwyn, the standard of King Igthorn I.
A white flag bore the symbol of the Vatican, symbolizing the blessing of the Pope and the support of France.
And a red and blue flag with white stripes bore the golden lions of Richard the Lionheart, the standard of the United Kingdom.
Behind the figures, massive rows of soldiers marched in formation. Archers of every creed and kind. Knights, big and small. Infantrymen and cavalry in four different uniforms. Musketeers, gunmen, and artillery regiments lugging guns of various sizes. It was an army the likes of which had never been seen before in any timeline that these men and women had come from. And yet, here they were.
For today, the end began. Today was sworn to be the first of the Horned King's final days.
After the Horned King had kidnapped Marian, her children, and her companions, the entire United Kingdom was in an uproar. The populace demanded the Horned King be made to pay for this transgression as he had paid for his earlier actions through his defeats. Men and women flocked to recruitment centers to join the army that would put down the Horned King once and for all.
But while national fervor was at an all-time high, previous experience had convinced Robin that it would not be enough to fully defeat their enemy. The only reason they had managed to push him so far last time was due to having foreign allies combined with the fact that they had basically caught him with his pants down. Now, the Horned King was no doubt ready for whatever attack they launched. Thus, they were going to need more help.
So, when news reached Robin that a new Pope had overthrown "Immortalus" in France, he decided (much to Walsingham's protests) that the UK should ally with the Catholic Church and gain both their support and all the boons that came with it.
Not even Walsingham had predicted the negotiations would go as well as they did.
With their new ally secured, Robin felt confident to revisit the allies that had helped them before and secure their aid. To his surprise, Merida had gotten there before him (something about an "outing with Ms. Poppins"?) and had filled the Royal Family in on what had happened. Tiana sympathized with Merida's recent woes, and was bloody livid that the King had kidnapped her new friend, especially when she was not only dealing with the aftereffects of "Beckett's poison" but also a new pregnancy. Despite this anger, the Royal Couple were more hesitant, as they remembered the Horned King's wrath the last time around. However, despite their feelings towards the Catholic Church, having the might of France as another ally was enough to solidify their resolve for the fight ahead.
Dunwyn was much easier to convince. Robin and John had gone to Igthorn and told him the new plan. He was taken aback by Robin's boldness and urged restraint and caution… until he learned what had happened to Marian and immediately started agreeing with all of Robin's "let's fucking get him" strategies. In fact, he even polished quite a few of them.
After that, Robin established the port of Worthing as the port for the overseas allies and Crawley as the rendezvous for all the allied forces that would make up the Crusaders. While they waited, he gathered together his old Merry Men to plot a break-in that would rescue the captured hostages, similar to what he had done before the Upheaval in Nottingham. However, one massive obstacle was that the remnants of Wessex the Horned King controlled were huge and they had no idea where the hostages were held.
That problem, shockingly, was solved by Paul Rawlins, who had burst in on their meeting after giving Mary Poppins the slip. He demanded to be part of the effort to save his brother, but Robin was quick to point out that he was a child, and not suitable for an infiltration effort like this, especially since they didn't know where the prisoners were held.
Paul simply said, "But you have to take me! I can take you directly to 'em with me bedknob!"
This prompted an explanation of the Astoroth Travelling Spell, and how Ms. Price had used it to track down Professor Browne on one occasion. With that in mind, Paul and Carrie's involvement was cemented and a plan actually hashed out, then presented to the arriving foreign forces at Crawley.
No one really thought that the Horned King had prepared for a teleporting bed when making Occult countermeasures, so Ms. Price's bed was expanded upon by metalworkers until it was a masterpiece that could support an entire two squads of infiltrators and collapse for easy carrying. While the bulk of the armies would charge Winchester and invade from the west, Barbossa would direct the allied fleets to attack the ports of Plymouth and Southampton. These, however, would be massive distractions. Robin would lead an elite team on the Travelling Bed directly to the hostages and free them. If they ran into the Horned King, they would battle him and kill him, thus destroying his armies and liberating their forces. Otherwise, they would evacuate the hostages to London before rejoining the fight. By the end of the campaign, the Horned King would be no more and England would be free of him forever.
As the army began to march, Richelieu was aided by Ms. Price and Prof. Browne in crafting countermeasures and protection wards against the Horned King. While he was massively mistrustful of the pair (they were not only Protestant but also well-versed in pagan magics), he found that Druidic magic and Astaroth's spells worked rather well in conjunction with exorcism rituals and casting. Something about both magics encouraging spiritual and physical purity? Either way, it allowed the existing magics of the Allies to work with Christian blessings and holy relics. Ms. Price's bed was even inscribed with Latin prayers for protection and swiftness, based on similar spells by druids.
Eventually, the army of soldiers, knights, mercenaries, magicians, and (of course) empty uniforms and suits of armor came to a stop at a small town four miles from the contested border. As good a stop as any. From here, Robin would take the bed to the hostages and the armies would continue towards Winchester. Many thought they could win. Others were scared of what was to come. Some thought this was suicide, but many of them stayed because they knew it was the right thing to do. No matter what, history would be made that night.
That Christmas Eve, the Ninth Crusade began.
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Favorable contact with Maldonia and Dunwyn established! They, along with some of their allies, will provide aid.
Unique plan formulated! All Intrigue checks while infiltrating the Horned King's dungeons have a +10 added to them!
Occult countermeasures formed! All forces gain +5 against the Cauldronborne due to Catholic-Druidic blessings to their weapons and armor. Also, any infilatration rolls have a +5 due to prayers for safety.
The Ninth Crusade has begun! Representatives of several nations have united in a holy war against the Horned King!
I didn't expect upgrading the bed. Will they add cannons next?
When this is all over I expect the fact the 2 types of magic and the Holy blessings work well together will probably cause a lot of people to rethink things. God clearly is welcoming to paganism with actual proof.
Go get him! Merry Christmas, God Bless Us Everyone!
I didn't expect upgrading the bed. Will they add cannons next?
When this is all over I expect the fact the 2 types of magic and the Holy blessings work well together will probably cause a lot of people to rethink things. God clearly is welcoming to paganism with actual proof.
Go get him! Merry Christmas, God Bless Us Everyone!
Infiltration Team
Rescue the Hostages
DC 90/120/150
1d100+18+10+10+10+5+16+14+20+5+8+5=168
Incredible Success-!
WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY'RE GONE?!?!
Where's the Horned King?
DC ???
1d100+18+10+10+16+7+5+20 (Overheard)=125
Moderate Success
…uh-oh.
The Ninth Crusade started slowly, due to advancing on some fronts but lagging on others. For the armies under Major Teagler and Captain Phoebus, the Battle of Winchester was a joke. The Horde they faced was only somewhat put together and organized, and its main strategy just seemed to be "charge at the enemy and kill them". Before the archers and gunmen of the Crusade? Easy pickings with the infantry mopping up the rest. The sheer multitude of the Caudlronborne presented a bit of a challenge, but nothing insurmountable. Soon enough, Winchester had fallen to the Crusaders and they were now pressing southwest to meet up with Dunwyn's navy.
That navy had also seen major success. At first, the arrival of Salazar had frightened many of the men, as they remembered the last time they had fought the ghost pirate hunter. However, King Igthorn bravely and valiantly led the charge on the Igthorn's Wrath, followed quickly by the Maldonian navy and some of France's ships. The remaining ships were quick to follow into battle.
No one is sure what exactly happened next. The Dunwynians said that the divine providence of God shone down on their King and blessed him with holy powers, allowing him to banish Salazar and his demonic crew. The French claimed an angel had blessed King Igthorn's sword and given it the power to smite Salazar. The Maldonians simply said that King Igthorn's sword had glowed when he fought the pirate hunter and gave him the strength and skills he needed to send him running.
Whatever the case, the Igthorn's Wrath clashed with the Silent Mary. The Mary's timbers tried to sink their teeth into the Wrath with no success. Ghosts were either slashed by enchanted weapons or blasted with enchanted cannons. And Igthorn himself? He fought Salazar in a duel that was so fast, the swords blurred. Eventually, the ghost captain misstepped and Igthorn took advantage, thrusting his blade through his chest into what remained of his heart. From there, the Silent Mary retreated, their captain howling from his wounds. The port was easily taken after that.
Plymouth, however, had gone poorly. Apparently, the Horned King had been conducting business deals with Drago Bludvist and had just received a shipment of dragons to defend his coasts. The attack on Plymouth had freed them, decimating Barbossa's fleet. Now, with Barbossa injured and many of his ships sunk or on fire, the Cauldronborne Navy moved in for the kill.
The inflitration had gone remarkably better… the only bad news was it was too successful, since they also got an overview of the Horned King's plan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Bed, take us to Charles Rawlins, ward of Ms. Eglantine Price," Paul commanded. With that, he tapped the bed knob three times and twisted it a quarter-turn to the left. As soon as he did, the knob began to glow and sparkle. Sounds like windchimes began to ring out, soft at first but growing louder. From the knob, lines of golden light shot out along the brass lines of the bed as every bit of metal glowed like they were heating up. But to Robin, the metal stayed the same temperature.
It took a bit for the whole bed to light up, as the metalworkers had done quite the overhaul on the bed. It was now two times larger than before and could accommodate many people, ideal for an infiltration mission. Thus, Robin had taken as many able hands as he could. He, naturally, was leading the team, putting Teagler in charge of the army. With him he took Merida (who was determined to make up for her failure), Agnes and a few of her commandos, Ms. Price, the Rawlins Children (who refused to be left out of rescuing their brother using their knob), Mary Poppins (who refused to let the children out of her sight), and a few of Moriarty's exorcists. Aside from Mary, all of them wore some form of armor or mail, with amulets dipped in holy water and marked with druidic runes for protection around their necks. It was as ready as they were going to be.
They had decided to save Charles first, as he was the most at risk due to not only being expendable, but also a child with no martial skill. Afterwards, they would go to save Eilonwy, whose occult prowess would give them an advantage against the Horned King, and then Marian. While Robin's instincts rankled at leaving his wife for last, he was forced to accept reality; she was the one the Horned King was most likely to keep under close watch. Try to get her first, they could doom the other two.
One of the exorcists nervously asked Ms. Price, "You're… sure this thing is stable?"
"Oh yes," she assured. "Alas, all spells come with a cost and this one is comfort. I would hold on and tuck in, it's about to get very windy." The exorcists nervously obliged.
Suddenly, the whole bed began to flash yellow. After a few seconds, there was a jerk and the bed took off. After the initial discomfort, Robin refocused… and was amazed.
The landscape shot by below them faster than it would by horse, tinted in various shades of red and blue. Bright, dazzling lights flashed as they flew through the clouds like a large bird, the wind blowing in their faces as the world zoomed by. Eventually, the land went out of focus, and all was a symphony of bright lights and colors. Truly, a beautiful sight.
Eventually, surroundings began to shimmer into focus. Dark, dank walls of black stone, dripping with water and covered in mold. Chains hung ominously from the ceiling, connected to hooks or manacles. Every room was sealed off by thick, iron bars. It was obviously a dungeon, one that only got more ominous and dreary as the bed came out of its travelling state and jerked to a stop in the middle of the prison hallway. Thankfully, it was wide enough to accommodate the bed. Doubly thankfully, there were no guards nearby.
One of the exorcists dazedly got off the bed. "What a remarkable invention!" he proclaimed (quietly). "From Winchester to here in no time at all! Could this be mass produced? Such quick travel would revolutionize trade!"
"An interesting concept," Ms. Price whispered. "But one left for another time. We must find Charles and Eilonwy."
"We're over here!" came a sudden cry. The group whirled around to a cell just to the left of the bed. Eilonwy, her clothes a little tattered and dirty, leaned out of the bars reaching for her companions.
"Oh goodness!" Ms. Price gasped, hurrying over as Robin got to work on the cell door with his lockpicks. "Eilonwy, are you alright? Where's Charles? And Lady Marian?"
"C-Charles is in here with me," Eilonwy gasped, grasping at Ms. Price's hand and grasping it like a lifeline. "You came… you came… thank the heavens, you came…" She began to sob, her cries heavy with relief and trauma.
Suddenly, a loud click sounded as Robin opened the lock. Eilonwy let go of Ms. Price's hand, only to run around and grasp the woman in a massive hug, still sobbing. Ms. Price put her arms around her apprentice. "There, there, it's over now," she soothed. "Soon, this wil all be over."
For some reason, this only made the girl cry out in grief and weep harder.
Carrie and Paul, however, had paid the girl no attention. They had quickly run into the cell looking for their brother, and when Eilonwy had cried, they screamed. Robin and Mary rushed in as Agnes and Merida took posts at the hallway door, just in case guards came attracted by all the noise. Mary immediately got to business, but Robin looked on in shock.
Charles was curled up in the corner, badly burnt and bruised. Mary had quickly taken him into her arms and began to treat his injuries, whispering soothing words as he whimpered. Shockingly, this seemed to be working as Charles started to come to his senses and looked up at Robin. "Mr. Robin," he whimpered. "I'm so sorry. I tried, I swear, I tried to do what Ms. Marian told me!"
Robin took a knee. "Calm down, son, it's alright," he said.
"No it's not!" Charles denied. "I failed! I couldn't do it, and now he's gonna kill 'em! Worse than!" He soon broke down into sobbing, his siblings hugging him as Ms. Price brought over Eilonwy to give Charles a sympathetic shoulder grasp.
Eilonwy looked up at Robin with defeated eyes. "The Horned King's had enough of losing," she stated. "He… he took Lady Marian and her children to Stonehedge. He… he said that magic is p-powerful there, both in the land and… and in the air. He t-took the Cauldron with him for… for the ritual."
Robin's blood went cold. "What ritual," he stated.
Eilonwy flinched. "He's… he's going to transfer his soul," she whimpered. "H-He's going to p-put his soul in L-Lady Marian's unborn c-child and possess it, then- then speed up the p-pregnancy process in order t-to be born early and grow q-quickly. The s-same for S-Salazar and the H-Horseman. That's… that's what the babies are for." She began to sob. "We tried. We tried to hide the children from him, give him a stone like Rhea did in the old stories. He… he caught us. Punished Charles. Mocked us. We… we failed!" She wept openly.
Ms. Price looked ill and horrified. The children were pale. The exorcists made the sign of the cross. Mary's eyes were hard as steel as she looked at her technical superior. "What's the plan now, milord?" she asked cooly.
Robin's voice was ice cold. His eyes were pits of hellfire. His face was pulled back in an ugly snarl. And his words were coated in venom that promised nothing short of agony.
"We find the Horned King," he growled, "and we kill him."
It's not even that the forces were that unbalanced or anything in most cases. The Horned King just seems to be a magnet for critical failures. Though Barbossa also caught one.
No, that was Shan Yu. The Horned King has been kind of engaged in a give and take for a while. But well... now Robin is killing mad. Not even John at his worst got Robin this riled.
It's not even that the forces were that unbalanced or anything in most cases. The Horned King just seems to be a magnet for critical failures. Though Barbossa also caught one.
Oh come on Barbossa, you are one of the best pirates in POTC! You helped kill Salazaar in canon! BE AWESOME!!!!
The Horned King just threatened children in proximity to a teleporting Mary Poppins and really really angry dad fox. There's no way he gets away this time.
Sounds like Salazaar is also critically wounded, and there are no water ways at Stonehenge so it's just the lich and the dulahan.
Oh come on Barbossa, you are one of the best pirates in POTC! You helped kill Salazaar in canon! BE AWESOME!!!!
The Horned King just threatened children in proximity to a teleporting Mary Poppins and really really angry dad fox. There's no way he gets away this time.
Sounds like Salazaar is also critically wounded, and there are no water ways at Stonehenge so it's just the lich and the dulahan.
