Rescue at the poison research lab

Seekers Beyond the Shroud

Play report of the third session of Lana Vanne’s ascension to the occult campaign using Seekers Beyond The Shroud.

You may want to read the first and second parts of the campaign.

Wednesday, first quarter - Doing some research

Lana spends some time studying one of the grimoires that she obtained during the last mission.

I roll for an entity on the 1-39 range, I am looking to get something plausible for my first spirit, otherwise is going to be very difficult and I’m eager to learn some magic. So, I get Taavi, which has Rank 10 (lower easier), so it’s great.

Lana makes a list of the different rituals and materials that she will need to summon the spirit:

  • Best day and moon phase: Sunday, New Moon
  • Aligment: Order. (This is bad for Lana since she is currently at Chaos 10, so if she were to use the Sternian way of summoning, aka passing a Persuasion check, she would need to roll under 35: base persuasion 50, -10 from the spirit rank, -5 from the Chaos; so maybe she would need to use the Solomonic way of summoning, aka automatic succeed, but only granting partial bonuses)
  • Ritual: Basic Summoning Ritual
    • Choose between the Solomonic (aka automatic) or Sternian (aka pass persuasion check) ways
    • Magic liturgy check
    • 80VP
    • Candles (free)
    • Frankincense: 100ø (consumed after 1 use)
    • Consecrated robes (see below)
    • Athame: 100ø (since this is a tool, it lasts many rituals)
    • Chalice: 100ø (same as above)
    • Wand: 100ø (same as above)
    • Pentacle: 100ø (same as above)
  • Ritual Robes: 200ø
  • Tool and robe consecration: Tool Consecration ritual
    • 50VP per item (x5): total 250VP (ritual robes, athame, chalice, wand and pentacle)
    • Candles (free)
    • Frankincense: 100ø (x5): total 500ø
    • Magic liturgy check
  • Rent a ritual chamber for the day: 100ø x5 days at least

Many thanks to the folks at Blackoath Entertainment discord for catching my early mistakes with the list (regarding the alignment and the rituals per day limitation)

Day 3 at the Omphalos

Lana heads to the Omphalos to do some shopping, she needs to buy some materials to start performing rituals, and to eventually invoke Taavi. Upon arrival a festive atmosphere welcomes her, apparently it is the day of King Solomon and all the stores (but not the bars) are closed. Daily event: store closed

*sigh* No shopping today…

Resigned, she starts walking to the Order’s Hall where she meets Merle Morton, a renowned spiritist specialised in the fire element and those entities that have a liking to it. Since the vestige that Lana wants to invoke has also something to do with fire, and because she has done her homework, she is able to keep a conversation with the expert and he is impressed. They exchange phone numbers. CHA check

Then Lana greets Cecil, apparently the Causa Cientiae order is the only one whose members aren’t all drinking on a bar. Orders present: Causa Cientiae

Without having to ask, Cecil starts talking shop, maybe she is also eager to end her shift and join the festivities, and explains to Lana what is the new mission that the order is requesting. They are looking for a woman that has been kidnapped. Mission: rescue Search: 16

I roll for two hints on my Locations in a City - Business table of The Tome of Adventure Design to know more about the location and I get: assassin or poisoner and guildhall.

The building is an abandoned poison research lab of a rival sect and the woman is a famous alchemy researcher that specialises in poisons. Apparently the sect wants her to cook some poisons using their old facilities, and the Causa Cientiae order wants her free, but they would also be very pleased if she were to join their ranks.

Lana accepts the mission.

Generating the location

Let’s create that abandoned research lab, based on an Abandoned complex site:

  • A - Main entrance
  • B - Hallway x 15
  • C - Warehouse
  • D - Office/Room x18 (these are a lot, so I only draw about 15 on the map)
  • E - Recreation room
  • F - Parking lot

Abandoned potion research lab

The abandoned poison research lab

Main entrance - Ground floor

Lana enters the old building and it is greeted by a Failed chimera.

Oh my… Why???

She stands frozen for half a second, she is surprised to see again one of these horrible creatures that almost killed her a couple of days ago, but somehow manages to compose herself and shots a bullet from her pistol, which strikes. The chimera reaches her and rips her Light kevlar armour, she has to take it off in a hurry because the chimera’s saliva is corrosive and renders the armour useless and dangerous to whom it is wearing it. Lana tries to escape in vain.

The chimera then attacks again and Lana is yet unable to elude its claws, the pain paralyses her.

Another attack, this time one that Lana can elude; using the momentum she tries to escape again, but it is futile. The chimera is quicker.

Yet another attack, Lana’s left arm almost gets ripped of her body, the wound is very deep, flesh is teared and she can see her own bones. Fear and pain paralyses her again.

The freaking chimera rolled a 10 on damage, d10 + 20 points total.

The chimera tries to leap on Lana again, but she manages to dodge, blood dripping on the floor.

Using the momentum from the dodge, Lana tries to escape again, but the chimera stands in her way, and tries to finish her of, fortunately Lana is able to dodge.

Lana continues to be faster and gathers all the strength that she has left to escape using a blind spot that the chimera has left open after its last attack to escape from this deadly creature.

Hell yeah. I rolled a 20 on initiative and a 19 over the Chimera’s DEX of 17 to escape.

Then she hears a group of voices… well, growls getting closer to her location, her face turns white just by imagining that they could be more of those chimeras. The things hear her, and Lana quickly decides to throw the flashlight that she got from one of the British Museum guards during yesterday’s mission the opposite way, and the sounds go in that direction.

Now in relative safety, she tries to patch her wounds, but the bandages are useless.

Hallway 1 - Ground floor

She still tries to go through with the mission, her pride refusing her to quit after just entering the lab.

There is nothing interesting in this hallway. Lana tries again to patch her wounds, but she is unsuccessful.

Room 1 - Ground floor

Nothing of interest again, Lana tries again to apply some bandages to her wounds, but she is very clumsy and fails.

My first aid skill is at 32 (42 if I use bandages) if you were wondering.

Hallway 2 - Ground floor

The trend persists, nothing of interest and Lana cannot heal herself.

Room 2 - Ground floor

A possessed person, an entity known as a Bhuta rushes towards Lana, but is too slow, she can shot at it as it approaches and later on slash the Bhuta with her knife, but luck is not on her side, and misses it for a cm.

Lana has another chance to attack, but she fails again, the bhuta does the same and the attack is identically dodged.

The tiredness begins to kick in and the Bhuta scores a hit on Lana, but she manages to get a hold of her strength and attacks the creature, the knife rips the creature’s skin, then although no longer human, the creature’s body gets paralysed because of the trauma.

Lana uses her advantage over the paralysed creature to kill it.

Looking around the room, Lana’s attention focuses on some marks on the ground, some chunky stuff was dragged to the nearby shelve. Looking closer there is a secret panel hiding a strongbox. Lana uses her lock-picks to try to open it up, but fails. Perception, Lockpicking

Lana tries again to heal her wounds and succeeds.

Hooray!

Hallway 3 - Ground floor

An old man of dangerous looks, covered in tattoos of the names of the entities that he has melded with crosses Lana’s path. Upon closer inspection, Lana is sure, this man is an Ancient, and it is as dangerous as it looks. The man changes to a battling pose. NPC reaction: hostile

Well, even if he is dangerous, he is still an old man and Lana is quicker, so she manages to sneak out of the battle.

She manages to patch up her wounds a little more and takes the stairs down.

Hallway 4 - Floor -1

An Adept with an symbol on her jacket that Lana cannot recognise greets her with a grin and draws her dagger. Occult knowledge NPC reaction: hostile

Lana attacks her with her knife without losing any second and avoids the adept’s dagger, then she scores a very well put swing and the adept falls to the ground, paralysed by the pain.

I rolled a 1, this is my first time ever. (While I was writing this post I realised that a 1 is a failure instead of a critical success)

Lana then uses her advantage to score another critical hit and the adept dies.

Then I rolled a 2, if this keeps going I would even take a failed chimera without breaking a sweat.

Lana loots the corpse, taking its dagger, a P226 pistol and a Healing Concoction. Then she looks for anything on her pockets and sees a BDSM ball gag, she wonders why the hell would someone carry that out of their bedrooms and drinks the Healing Concoction.

Parking loot - Floor -1

It doesn’t seem to be anything of interest there at first, but then she hears some noises coming out of one of the cars. She breaks the window of the car with her elbow and sees a blindfolded and handcuffed woman. After releasing her, the woman tells her that she is Kaira Duran, a Cameroonian alchemy researcher. NPC traits: drifter, fame, fragile

Lana has successfully located the hostage, but now they both have to escape to safety.

Hallway 4 - Floor -1

Going back to the hallway where the stairs are a Hunter crosses their path and draws his knife. NPC reaction: hostile

The hunter is quick and swings his knife towards Lana, but she manages to avoid it. Then both she and Kaira escape from the hunter using the stairs.

Hallway 3 - Ground floor

A Yōkai appears next to the pillars that support the stairs, it seems to be a Sakabashira. It attacks first but Lana is able to dodge its attack and attempts to escape. The escape is unsuccessful, but in the next turn Lana tries again and succeeds, the two women leave the yokai behind.

Room 2 - Ground floor

Nothing appears in this room.

Hallway 2 - Ground floor

After going through the room with the strongbox the women arrive at the long hallway that makes a turn to the entrance. A Orisha agent crosses their path, but they keep their cool and continue walking. NPC reaction: ignore

Hallway 1 - Ground floor

A Guard dog appears. Lana manages to shoot at it before it jumps on her, then dodges it to quickly stab it with her knife. The dog falls to the ground, stands, and comes back, but then again, Lana manages to dodge it safely. Lana stabs the poor animal again and it dies.

Lana uses more of her bandages to heal her wounds.

Entrance - Ground Floor

Another Sect Adept from an organisation that Lana cannot recognise crosses the women’s path. Occult Knowledge NPC reaction: hostile

Lana misses her fist shot, and the man attacks her with a sword, she is left paralysed by the pain. The adept strikes again. Lana is hurt. Then it strikes again, and again; the situation is dire. But this time Lana moves first and she and Kaira run away.

I hope that Lana can defeat one of these guys one day to get one of those swords.

Out of the building

Lana and Kaira are now safe and sound out of the building and in a nearby street. Lana can now calmly speak with Kaira, and she asks her whether she would be willing to join the Causa Cientiae Order.

Kaira answers that she is not interested in joining an order with people as weak as her; Lana answers that she cannot join any order yet, and Kaira replies “Rightly so”. Persuasion check

Kaira is so mean.

Mission recap

I am so happy that we survived this, it was very tough!

  • 500ø
  • +10 Order points
  • 75 favour with Causa Cientiae

Lana needs to buy a bunch of stuff, including bandages, in the next session.

Note on the rules

When you roll an Adept there are four different sect variants, so you definitely know which sect the adept is part of, but I wanted to check if my character also knew, so an Occult knowledge check seemed appropriate.

When you encounter a Yōkai you only have a general description of what those entities are. However, there are hundreds if not thousands of different types of yōkai, each one with different looks and features, they may look like humans, animals, mythological creatures like dragons, but also like everyday objects (not nowadays objects, but 17th century Japan’s objects, like paper umbrellas and tatamis) and many other things (human souls, fire). So, since Lana encountered a yōkai near an stairway and I could imagine a stairway with small columns on the side a yōkai of that would be great, and know what? There is a yōkai that looks like a column.

I might be considering writing a small table with some different yōkai that you could encounter at each different site to have more variety.