⚠ <b>Mai writes...⚠ </b>
Four members of the previous group stand before us and demonstrate cohesion akin to, if not just a little bit worse than, the current group's. We begin to fire off questions in rapid succession: "what was the mistake? where is Archimedes? Where is Rycroft? What is the curse?" many of which are answered when we allow them to answer.
They all have different ideas about how to succeed this time around. Most suprising to Mai is Saturn, who has prepared another group for this, J. Starr's group, without the knowlege of the others (who interestly include Egan). Saturn says we have a way out... that those will bear the curse... that no one will miss them.
Irving says the curse can be avoided as long as any member of the previous coterie remains alive.
Egan says we should free the old Malkav and then allow the sabbat to take care of it.
They can't tell us much because of the nature of the curse but they can direct us to a few people who are once removed from the curse and may be able to tell us more.
The conversation degrades into rhetorical questions and questions we don't wait for an answer to, and Mai attempts to suggest some protocol. Egan then says we're all cursed already and the group disperses.
We begin debating as usual and Jenny announces that she knows how to win the battle against Achadremenos. We begin to listen but Jenny won't give any details because then He'll know. We are understandably reluctant to join in on a mission that we don't know the details of and Jenny begins to proverbially stomp her feet and pronounce things about the gray queen and make demands. Then Jenny says that she's Not Sure if her plan will work. Then she discloses the plan despite her screaming about the dangers of doing so. One thing she doesn't waffle on is her demand that we follow her.
Mai does not believe the arguments Jenny is making are all that bad... but the way of presenting the arguments immediately turns everyone against Jenny's idea. We didn't sign up to take orders from the gray queen. We signed up to come to decisions together.
⚠ <b>Jenny explains...⚠ </b>
After the elders leave, the group wants to disband for the day. I suggest that is a bad idea. Frustrated by my companions bickering, I at first try to tell them I have a plan, but they would have to trust me. They do not trust me. I tell them my plan. Mai starts talking some nonsense about "democracy"... I remind them that I'm supposed to be the Grey Queen, which seems to upset them even more. They would rather sit around and have a comitee meeting about this than to act.--
The group sleeps and when we awaken we begin to idea map some of our ideas... which serves to make the argument much more concise. We offer the idea map to Jenny. She says she'll tear it to pieces if we give it to her.
We come to a decision and then ask Jenny if she would like to partake. Jenny pisses and moans about never being given the chance to give any input. She demands we verbally tell her what we came up with. She begins again with the gray queen stuff at which point Mai can't take it anymore and snaps.
"Are we a monarchy or a democracy?" Mai asks.
⚠ <b>Jenny explodes...⚠ </b>
What are we Mai? I have been unhappy with this contract for some time now, for instead of aiding us, it is hindering us. I have made the offer to lead, yet no one will follow. What are you going to do when I give you no choice?!?
The answer is refused. Jenny complains that we come up with these ideas and expect her to blindly follow without sharing all the details with her verbally (basically what she did the night before). "How does it feel?" Mai asks.
Merg comes and tells us where Strauss is, where Chafe is, and where, interstingly, Alicia Lee is.
We go to visit Francois Chafe at his grave. He says Irving told him that we must bring the tapestry to him and he will hide it as it has never been hidden before and no one will ever find it in Detroit again. And he has a condition (this comes from Chafe, not Irving) that we bring Strauss so that Strauss can be imprisoned and stop doing his sire's work in this realm.
But Mai wants the prison empty. "Are you ⚠ <i>sure⚠ </i> he does more harm here than he would there?" she asks Chafe.
"I believe so," says Chafe.
"But are you ⚠ <i>sure⚠ </i>?" she asks.
No, he's not sure. He says if we can bring him proof that Strauss is already in the prison, then he will hide the tapestry.
Now we need to find Strauss. Jenny suggests we go to Fort Detroit.
We argue all the way there. We end up at Fort Detroit and Jenny freaks out that we are here.
We get out of the car and JT asks Mai to look about and see if anyone else is around. Mai sits near JT and leaves her body. The first thing she notices is Jenny. Jenny's aura is veins of black, and Jenny turns to her, smiles, and says "so cold. so hungry."
⚠ <b>Jenny corrects...⚠ </b>
No Mai. What you saw was a totally black figure of Jenny standing slightly behind the "real" Jenny. She appeared some what younger than Jenny though. A black web of... something, seemed to be entering this "Black Jenny" from everywhere. The quote is correct. :)
--
Disturbed, Mai jumps back to her body and glares at Jenny. Mai then turns to JT and says, under her breath, "someone else is here. They've been here all along," and directs her gaze back at Jenny.
JT doesn't appear to get it. Bonehead.
Strauss is playing a furious game of chess and is very excited about how close the game is and that he doesn't know who will win. Jenny wants him to stop playing chess, so JT tackles him and Jenny takes the chess board and stands atop it. It gets hot and cracks. Randolf begins reporting that Achadremenos is really mad, which is exactly what Jenny wants so that he will be distracted.
Manfred places his hand on Strauss's head in an attempt to speak to Achadremenos and says we have his servant and will not hesitate to hurt him. I guess to demonstrate the point, JT rips Strauss's legs off.
Randolf reports there is a storm over the shadow realm's version of the Brooks Cadillac building and we go there, with Strauss's torso.
Sure enough, J Starr's group is up there chanting away and failing to open the portal that the Tremere clan padlocked. We try to talk them out of it by asking if they know about the curse but they laugh at us indicating they were told it was something more along the lines of a gift. Manfred indicates that they need our help and J. Starr says we can ask any favor we want.
JT asks that we be given Alicia Lee's support in a matter of future determination. J. Starr agrees. Manfred now dishes out the best burn Mai may have ever seen. "I'm not sure you are able to promise that," says Manfred. "How can someone like you promise the support of someone greater than yourself?"
Although delightful to hear, this turns the negotiations sour. J. Starr calls the archbishop, aka, the great lord Voivode to come and unbreak the ward the tremere had put on the portal. The rest of his coterie appears unhappy about this, exclaiming that he will extract a great price.
Inside the portal, Randolf prepares his fangs for the incoming coterie. The floor begins to break apart. We decide to stay behind and watch in order to learn from the failures of yet another coterie.
⚠ <b>Jenny writes...⚠ </b>
Madness. Pure madness. Questions about the elders curse, when it is as easy to see as the back of ones hand. Truly, the Mad Malk must be laughing in his dreams as our Coterie dickers, bickers,and generally can not see the trees thru the forest. I can not unify those who refuse to do so. So, all is pretty much lost.
We visit Chafe, trying to get answers to things we should all know. Of course, he wrangles about, finally telling us to bring him the Shroud with Strauss in it, and he will go hide it. I confront him on his idea, and while he extrapulates on what I figure he means to do, he does not deny it. I even beat him in a stair-down, something that I could only do in my pissed off mood!
Next, after further prolonged argument, we arrive at Fort Detroit, only because Myrg told us that was where Strauss was. It seems no one yet understands why he told us where Elisha Lee was...
Straus is, of course, playing Chess. We overwelm him, and I find out that I can now destroy his chessboard. We dither about, argue what to do, then Randolph informs us that something weird is happening where he is.
We go back to where recent events always lead us, the portal in the sky...
And meet J Star and the "second" group. When they can not open the portal, and when Manfred offers aid in exchange for Elisha's future support, things get interesting.
The Arch-Bishop arrives. The "Star" group is terrified. He treats his underlings with utter contempt, telling Star that "you are a fool for listening to Marcelus", pulls out, something, and the portal opens.
Depite the aura of fear that surrounds him, I approach him. There is something in his aura, coiled around him... A Dragon? I hesitat a moment, unsure what I should do next. Push him into the portal?
And then I smile to myself. No. Randolph is waiting and listening down below. A very deviouse plan suddenly strikes me. I move to the Arch-Bishops right hand side, the postion of power for who knows how long or where... As long as he lets me speak, perhaps we have a chance. At long last, I know and understand who the other chess player is.
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