More than a week of magic ritual training

Seekers Beyond the Shroud

Play report of the 7th through 14th sessions of Lana Vanne’s ascension to the occult campaign using Seekers Beyond The Shroud.

You may want to read the first, second, third, fourth and 5th & 6th parts of the campaign.

Sunday, first quarter - Day 7 at the Omphalos

An enemy has followed Lana from the industrial complex that she visited yesterday, it is a Failed Chimera. Daily event: attack

Sh*t. Well, I won’t encounter any more enemies today and she’s at full health, let’s give it a go.

Lana prepares herself for the fight, she hates these creatures so much and she believes to be in an advantageous position, so she intends to kill it. The chimera is quicker in the first round, but Lana is able to fire a shot (that fails) before it comes any closer; then the chimera attacks, and Lana deviates its claws granting her an opportunity to use her knife against the creature, then is her turn to attack but fails.

The chimera comes for a second round, but Lana is quicker, and very clumsy, her knife falls to the ground, the chimera uses this time to bite her, the saliva destroys Lana’s kevlar armour and the pain paralyses her.

Buffffffff…..

Lana gets a hold of herself and picks the knife from the ground, the chimera attacks again an makes more damage. Now Lana is armed again, she parries the chimera’s attack, but fails to connect her swing to make damage to the creature. The chimera goes again, but Lana has learned her lesson an critically parries the blow, doing some damage to the creature, then fails her attack. The chimera’s attacks go on an on, she parries them but is left too tired to connect her attacks. She manages to be quicker than the creature, successfully attacks and parries the chimera’s blow. She is quicker again, but fails her attack and the parry, the pain paralyses her yet again. The chimera attacks, she avoids the blow. The creature attacks again, but it fails to hit her, Lana makes a critical blow that paralyses the creature, and in the next turn she kills in making a desperate last attack.

I was this close to losing her. I hereby declare that I will not attempt to fight anything with +20 on the attacks. Holy moly. She is at 7HP now, I could have lost her, now that I have a lot of grimoires! I need to be much more careful. Holy cow.

(One minute later) I FREAKING KILLED A FREAKING CHIMERA

Lana arrives to the Omphalos bleeding profusely and almost death, but somehow she is proud of herself.

There is a big crowd of people near a supplies shop, but she doesn’t care anymore. Encounter: celebrity CHA test

She heads to the alchemical and ritual supplies shop, where she buys some Frankincense for 100ø and then rents a ritual chamber for 200ø. Before entering to the chamber she also buys another Light kevlar armour for 1000ø, this is the second time that a Chimera destroys her armour.

At the ritual chamber she tries to consecrate the athame aaaaaand… fails. Magic liturgy check

She has done enough for the day and heads home.

Monday, first quarter - Day 8 at the Omphalos

There are more people walking around by the Omphalos today, no wonder, the alchemical labs and ritual chambers are free for the day! Event: free services

Lana heads to the ritual chambers but she sees a suspicious headed figure, she decides to follow them, and somehow it seems that they’re planing some shady business indeed, some kind of attack to the Omphalos. She reports this fact to the security guards and the culprit sect, the Covenant of the Glorious Dawn, will surely remember her name. +50 favour with all orders Antagonist: Covenant of the Glorious Dawn

I need to re-read the rules regarding antagonists.

She buys a Frankincense and tries to perform the Tool consecration ritual once again aaaaand… fails. Magic liturgy check

I rolled a 11, not that bad. There is still hope.

Tuesday, full moon - Day 9 at the Omphalos

Ezra, a famous mind healer, is in town, but Lana doesn’t require his services. Event: Ezra the mind mender

Since Lana hasn’t taken any missions in a couple of days, strange rumours are flying around, she takes some time to speak about her most recent deeds and exploits, she now owns a powerful magic relic, she has recently defeated a chimera and she is going to reach Rank I with the Causa Scientiae soon. Event: rumours CHA test

She buys another Frankincense, rents a ritual chamber and tries to perform the ritual aaaand… fails. Magic liturgy check

Wednesday, full moon - Day 10 at the Omphalos

There is a ruckus when Lana arrives early in the morning, everyone is agitated, an Order sent some people to a mission yesterday and they have just arrived, badly injured. One of them is Mary, the woman with sun burnt skin from the Kadmonites. One of her colleagues tells Lana that they need her to perform some first aid before the medic arrives, otherwise Mary would die. Lana takes a pair of bandages from her rucksack, but it is futile. Mary dies. Event: wounded First aid check

Even if a miracle would have happened, Mary was at a great disadvantage hoping to be saved by my luck on First aid checks…

I have a separate sheet where I keep track of the NPCs that Lana is encountering, I had 7, so I rolled and Mary showed up.

Lana stays a couple of minutes with the companions of Mary, trying to console them and then heads for the ritual chamber, when she realises that someone has taken advantage of the chaos and has stolen 100ø from her. Encounter

She buys the frankincense and rents a chamber, lights some candles, performs the incantations aaaaand… the ritual fails. Magic liturgy check

Regardless of the failure, I can now make a skill roll-up, which is successful! Magic liturgy is now at 11.

Thursday, third quarter - Day 11 at the Omphalos

Yesterday’s death has made some problems to arise, so all the Orders are assembled in a private meeting. Event: order dispute

Some idiots from the Kadmonites are criticising Lana’s performance regarding yesterday’s events, but Lana is able to shut their mouths. They apologise and lend her their ritual chamber for free for the day. Encounter: taking offence INT test

She buys a frankincense and tries the ritual again aaaand… fails.

Friday, third quarter - Day 12 at the Omphalos

The merchants of the Omphalos need to readjust their prices since there is too much stock and not enough people buying, so everything is 10ø cheaper. Event: lower prices

Lana takes advantage of today’s prices and buys 10 frankincenses and 10 bandages, she will eventually need all of those.

The idiots from the Kadmonites order have not learnt their lesson and are still criticising Lana, but she has the upper hand and wins the argument. They let her use their research facilities as an apology. Event: taking offence INT test

Lana uses one of the already bought frankincenses and performs the ritual in the Kadmonites ritual chamber aaaaaand… fails.

Saturday, new moon - Day 13 at the Omphalos

It seems that today is an special day at the Omphalos, everybody is summoning and doing rituals, apparently the timing will be perfect. Event: the Omphalos at work

Is good to know that this event exists.

Cecil, Lana’s friend from the Causa Scientiae Order, greets her, it’s been a long time since she has seen her, Lana tells her that she’s been trying to consecrate some tools for a summoning ritual, but that it hasn’t been going well. Cecil invites her to a ritual, that way Lana may gain some experience. Lana joins her and learns something. Encounter ceremony INT test Magical liturgy +1

This is also good! Now Magical liturgy is at 12.

She goes yet another day to the ritual chamber, pays the rent fee, takes one of the frankincenses from her rucksack, performs the ritual aaaaand… it fails.

Sunday, new moon - Day 14 at the Omphalos

Today is a calm day, nothing is going on. Event: calm day

There are some people that are speaking badly about her since it has been a while since she has taken a mission. She cannot say anything about it. Encounter: taking offence INT test

This is the last time that Lana can attempt to consecrate one of the ritual tools, she would need to run some missions to get more obols tomorrow. She rents the ritual chamber, recites the words aaaaaand… fails.

Well, it isn’t that bad, I can attempt another skill roll-up when the next ritual attempt is made. I’m aiming to get this skill higher without using the Magic Relic that Lana has (which gives a +10) to preserve it for something more important. It will take a while but that is the best plan that I have.

Week +1 day recap

  • Defeated a Failed Chimera.
  • Went up two points in the Magical liturgy skill.
  • Bought a lot of bandages and frankincenses at lower price.
  • Mary from the Kadmonites died.
  • Lana is now an antagonist of the Covenant of the Glorious Dawn.

She needs to take more missions to fund her ritual research activities, she is running low on obols, and maybe she can reach Rank I with the Causa Scientiae Order soon.