11th Session
Someone: Last session was the end of Season 1.
Reforging Group Bonds
Martin decided that he needed to have a talk with Joyce.
MP: Martin is more hungover than he ought to be for talking to Joyce, but he's a coward, so that's the only way he can do it.
He found her in her room, packing. (We figure the group has a suite set up with multiple bedrooms around a common area.)
He made it clear that he still assumed she would be coming to Bangkok.
Joyce: I thought my expertise was no longer considered an asset.
Martin: Vito's obsessed with the King in Yellow, and it's pissing me off, to be honest, and I don't know what we're doing, and Lillian doesn't know what we're doing, and my sister doesn't know what's going on -- which makes her the smartest of all of us. You realize you're our fearless leader.
Joyce, flustered, denied she was any such thing.
Martin: Oh, you're being self deprecating now. It's very sweet.
He explained his fears regarding Bangkok in particular.
Martin: I was fine with everyone running in with guns blazing because it all seemed to work fairly well and wasn't terrifying to anyone but me.
Bangkok, he said, was different. It was a hostage situation, and not even an ordinary one where, say, Jeremiah was tied to a chair. There, Martin could untie him, try to carry him out, and probably fail, but at least, that was something that fit into a relatively normal worldview. But, here, they were dealing with a brain in a jar.
Martin: In fluids, or whatever they put brains in. I need to get control of that machine, and then we need to kill them all.
Joyce: Now you're talking my language.
Martin said that he realized he had absolutely no ability to make anyone, including Joyce, do what he wanted.
Joyce: I think you underestimate how annoying you can be, Marty.
Martin: I'll look sad at you.
Joyce: It's proved effective in the past. Would you trade your life for Jeremiah's freedom?
Martin: Yes.
Joyce: I'd expect no less of you, Marty.
Marty: Why? Because (I forget how this ended -- I think it was something about him being a romantic?)
Joyce: No. Because the one thing you can still do, Marty, is love.
Martin spat out his coffee.
At this point, I have something illegible in my note about something that elicited this reaction:
Martin: Ew -- that's my little sister.
He and Joyce finished patching things up.
Joyce: I'm sorry I tried to drive your boyfriend crazy. Crazier.
Martin: Apology accepted, grudgingly -- with some reluctance.
Like Lillian, Joyce was distinguishing between Martin's current boyfriend and his love. The former was Samson Trammel, as Martin seems to have made his break up with Samuel Jenner stick this time.
After Martin left, Vito visited Joyce, asking, iirc, how she was doing. She hadn't realized he'd bee approached by Nyarlathotep.
Joyce: Oh, you saw him?
Vito: Oh, we had -words-.
Joyce: You're probably gonna regret that.
Vito: Probably.
Joyce: You and I, we're creatures of darkness.
After all, both had been shaken by previous encounters with the mythos, hers with Nyarlathotep, his with Hastur and losing two of his comrades in arms to Carcosa, where they still dwell. Vito still hoped to rescue them some day, particularly Amelia.
Joyce: You know the Messenger could do that for you.
Vito: Yeah, but it would be betraying everything she taught me.
After all, Amelia sacrificed herself to protect the Earth from Hastur.
Joyce, incredulous: She went -willingly-?
Vito confirmed this.
Joyce: Why would she do that? Because I feel if there were some way I could go back and not have gone to East Africa (again, I don't know how the sentence ended).
Vito: I have to respect her choice.
Joyce: But don't you want to protect her?
Vito: You see, that's the ironic thing. She wanted to protect -me-. She wanted to protect the world.
They turned to current matters.
Joyce: If something happens -- you have to get the rest out of there.
Vito: Bangkok -- that has you written all over it.
Joyce: No more wildcatting -- for either of us.
Vito: Physician, heal thyself.
Joyce: I had a talk with Marty. He's not as crazy as he seems.
Vito: How is he?
Joyce: His boyfriend has his brain in a jar.
Vito (not having gotten the memo): What?
Joyce brought him up to date. She also vented about Amelia Earhart's flight in progress.
Vito: If you want something to happen to her plane, I've got some boys who know what to do.
Lillian found a note from Joyce.
She was touched. She also had a letter from Richard, which she reread. she made a decision and found Martin.
Lillian: I think I'm going to break up with my boyfriend now.
Martin: You need any help?
Lillian was tempted, iirc, but decided she'd better not accept the offer, at least not as far as the actual break up was concerned. Afterwards was a different story.
Lillian: I may want to be with people and make some bad decisions.
Martin: People like these people, or people like the people I usually hang out with when I'm drunk?
Lillian: Yes.
Martin (calling to Darla): Hey, little sis, Lillian's going to break up with her boyfriend.
Lillian went to Joyce and told her about the plan to break up with Richard.
Joyce: And after?
Lillian admitted she wanted to make some bad decisions.
Joyce: Meet me at the airfield at 3.
Lillian: Joyce, are you hitting on me?
Joyce: Dear God, No! You really need to get laid!
Lillian: That's kind of the idea.
She also made it clear that she accepted Joyce's apology.
Lillian: You're perfect.
Joyce: Me?
Lillian: You're the perfect Joyce.
Lillian went to meet Richard at the Observatory. Meanwhile, Martin went to talk to Vito, iirc.
Martin: I've got a plan for what we at going to do when we get to Bangkok that people are going to squawk about.
I don't know what they talked about in any detail, but I remember this:
Vito: Like you're planning your first hit! (to Joyce as she comes in) Look at this!
Joyce (about Martin): Yeah, she's beautiful.
Martin: I speak Italian like a Florentine.
Vito: Yes, you do.
I forget the context of this:
Joyce: Lillian's my number two.
I think it had to do with figuring chain of command among the PCs, ala mafia ranks? Anyone recall? I think I heard something about a consigliere?
Chris's explanation for at least some of it: I don't remember the exact comment, but Vito was struck at how ruthless at how Martin was in rescuing the love of his life and planned explicitly to rub everyone out to do it.
Getting Lillian Laid
Lillian broke up with Richard as planned. Mostly. He made I clear that he planned to wait to her. She tried to convince him that this was unnecessary, that she wouldn't change her mind, and that, really, she was not the right woman for him.
He showed more passion and initiative than she'd ever seen him show before, as he tried to convince her he was wrong. But, it wasn't quite enough passion or quite the right kind.
I forget the details, but I do remember that Lillian tried to get Richard to explain what he wanted on a wife. If I understand the term correctly, he was looking for something akin to the 1937 version of what Martin's player called the manic pixie girlfriend.
What is the definition of that term, again?
Lillian returned to her friends.
Vito (to Lillian or Darla): Welcome to our crew of dastardly villains.
Martin: Yes, we are dastardly.
Lillian: Lillian can't even break up with her boyfriend, d*mn it. Gimme a drink!
Darla (handing her a box): This is from the best bakery in the city. Eat some. It's chocolate.
I think folks got a little giddy.
Martin: We're saving the world!
Joyce: Kali-ma! (or was that Lillian?)
Martin: My boyfriend's a brain in a jar -- G*d f*cling d*mn it!
Lillian told Martin how it had gone with Richard.
Lillian: ...and he said he'd wait for me.
Martin: I've been that guy once or twice.
Folks went to Eddie Mars's Casino (from The Big Sleep). I think this is where Joyce and Vito got into a poker game, which their players figured Vito would win. Joyce tried to convince Vito to let the winnings ride on something random, but he wasn't interested.
Martin flattered guys to try to get them to buy drinks for Lillian.
GM: If you can find one willing to tick off Vito.
Josh: That's why Darla is sitting in the corner hoping no one will notice her.
Darla was drinking soda, not alcohol, being 16.
One of the men did eventually buy Lillian a drink. They went outside. Alas, matters did not go as well as he had planned. Lillian returned without him.
Lillian: He said (something I forget, I think about introducing her to a couch or bed in his apartment?). So, I decided that no one had introduced his face to the pavement.
She had rectified that oversight.
What Lillian wanted, she explained, was hot Spanish men.
Vito: You'd do better with hot Italian men, but Spanish men are all right.
Someone: We're with only disrespectful people.
Joyce (to Lillian): Honey child -- I need a lot more to work with than just bad decisions with this room.
But now that she had more details, she could set things up. She arranged for a number of handsome male flamenco dancers to come to their hotel, and said something about olive oil to rub on someone.
Martin: Wait, why do we rub olive oil on people? Should I have olive oil rubbed on me?
Joyce: Rub it on yourself!
They left the casino for their hotel suite, which soon filled with flamenco dancers who understood that one or two might be asked to provide extra services for extra money. Lillian chose not the handsomest man, but the most graceful dancer. Martin, seeing that Vito was keeping an eye on Darla to make sure that she was okay, found a flamenco dancer willing to provide similar services to him.
GM: Oddly, ninjas do not crash into your room and try to kill your kid sister.
MP: That's great! I love when that happens!
The next morning, Martin and Darla's sister, Isabella, came in, oblivious of the past night's happenings.
GM: Has Martin locked the door, and is the flamenco dancer still there?
MP: Martin is amazingly self-destructive, so the door isn't locked, and the flamenco dancer is still in bed with him.
Isabella walked into her brother's room, did a double take, and backed out, though I think she remembered to close the door as she left. She and Darla had a brief discussion, Darla not particularly sympathetic to Isabella's conviction that Martin just needed to meet the -right- woman.
It was time to go to Joyce's plane.
Cat: Fortunately, this early in LA, the roads are empty, which is good, because Joyce is driving.
Alden: Lillian -likes- Joyce's driving.
Darla: Lillian, are you a size 3?
Lillian: After that cake? Yes.
I have a reference to Vito's boys from Nepal. I don't recall what that meant.
I handed out letters for Joyce, Lillian, and Martin. Cat noted that Joyce could get a Stability refresh from the one from Douglas Henslowe.
Arrival in Bangkok and Martin's Plan
Joyce did a careful walkthrough of her plane, which would carry herself, her co-pilot Fred, Lillian, Martin, Vito, Darla, Isabella, and Lillian's aunt, Anne. Joyce explained a few things about the plane, including that there was no smoking aboard of.
Joyce: Now, you may ask, "Why do you suddenly care about smoking?" Allow me to introduce you to the Wayfarer!
She explained about fuel tanks and cigarettes, iirc.
Joyce: Your baggage allowance is 100 pounds. If you go over that, I will throw -you- out and keep the baggage.
Alas, I forget the rest of this; it was a lovely speech. I also forget the beginning of the following quote, though I think Joyce was saying something to Martin about rescuing Jeremiah, and even if an actual rescue might not be possible,
Joyce: ...no one will ever hurt him again.
Martin: Thank you, Joyce.
Joyce: You're welcome, Marty.
Folks landed in Bangkok after a long flight, with many stops, I suspect. Joyce made a Credit Rating spend to hire mercenaries to watch over her plane.
As she finished, she was hailed by an acquaintance on his way home from Bangkok, Richard Rogers. He thanked her for her help the previous year with some details about Russian mobsters for the musical On Your Toes and talked about how fascinating Siam was. If only he could figure out how to convey that in a musical some day!
Joyce: Why don't you tell the story of that schoolteacher?
He said he'd think about it, and he bid her farewell.
Folks checked into their hotel and reviewed the situation. There were two things they needed to do.
1. Investigate the Nectar ring. This included the fighting ring, and probably involved Lillian.
2. Retrieval --
Vito: Of the brain.
Joyce: Of Jeremiah. He's not a brain. He has a name. And, much as it pains me to say it -- Martin has a plan.
Martin (clapping): Thank you, thank you.
He started explaining his plan.
Martin: These people are very obsessed with knowledge. I know that this is going to make everyone shout. But, I have a lot of knowledge. I probably know more about what's going on than they do.
He opened his coat, revealing that it was lined with notes written in what his player referred to as "creepy-ass shorthand".
Chris to GM: You do understand that his coat is now a mythos tome.
We dubbed it The Locksley Overcoat.
Darla: Oh dear, Brother, you truly are insane.
Martin: Yes.
His plan involved approaching the cultists openly, and saying something along the lines of "I really don't like you because you stabbed my boyfriend, and I hope all of your Nectar goes down in flames, but my highest priority..."
Again, I forget how the sentence ended. But I do know that the plan then revolved around the idea was that Martin would secure the brain and his friends would come in and kill everyone else,
Joyce: Before we open up the floor to comments -- This is a terrible plan -- before we make it less terrible...
How did that sentence end? Or was it "let's make it less terrible"?
Darla: I have to say this is the worst plan I have ever heard. And, Isabella has come up with many terrible plans.
Joyce: The floor recognizes Lillian.
Lillian (shouting): You are a twisted genius! (normal volume) You did say it was going to make us shout. I have a quibble or six billion.
Folks discussed using Darla, perhaps disguised as Martin, as bait.
Darla: I like that much better than giving them Martin.
Martin: No. No.
Vito: -My- quibble with your technicolor dreamcoat --
Joyce: Hey, that would make a good title.
There was some question of how obvious they were already being or wanted to be, I think.
Lillian: How often do aviatrixes arrive?
GM: Well, Amelia Earhart's due in this evening.
In our world, Amelia had come and gone from Bangkok before that game date, but we'd agreed that we didn't care -- we wanted her and Joyce to meet as both were flying around the world. Someone, possibly me, floated the idea of Joyce being disguised as Amelia Earhart.
Joyce: I wouldn't be this b*tch!
Martin: Darla could be Amelia Earhart.
Darla: I can't fly.
Everyone else: It's okay -- neither can she.
Lillian: That lets me out. I can fly a little.
One flaw that was pointed out was that Martin's knowledge was not just in his head; it was in his coat as well. What was to keep someone from just killing him?
Martin: People who aren't me can't read this. It's shorthand, and it's mine.
Lillian: They could torture it out of you.
Someone said something about Lillian's unusual way of perceiving the world. She looked at Martin, and pointed out another of the six billion flaws in his plans.
Lillian: You don't want to see what could happen to that particular cylinder.
Joyce: Send the key to you're shorthand to Remy.
Martin agreed to do that. Lillian had a suggestion.
Lillian: Let Mr. Fauche know Mr. Locksley is in Bangkok and wishes to open negotiations.
However, they had essentially done that in Los Angeles and didn't even know whether Fauche or Beetle Tattoo Guy were in Bangkok. Martin sketched both.
Folks discussed various plans, including having Lillian, Martin, and Darla to find occult dealers in Bangkok, taking higher society, while Vito and Joyce worked contacts on the ground. Martin had the names of relatives of people who'd done (friendly) business with Jeremiah, and that would give them a starting point.
As Nectar was a drug, Vito suggested looking into rival pushers. I suggested a1 point Streetwise spend, which Chris made. So, Vito realized that they could also look into finding rivals on the death match front.
Darla asked about the fights and learned that the local Nectar inspired rage, not lust.
Darla:Then, perhaps we don't want to put Lillian into one of their fights.
Lillian: I can handle it.
I think the conversation turned briefly to Nyarlathotep. Vito heard, or perhaps hallucinated, Amelia (Burroughs, not Earhart) tell him that he should look closely at whatever Nyarlathotep was trying to keep folks from paying attention to.
Chris asked if he could change one of Vito's Sources of Stability to Amelia. As he had never named Vito's mistress, and as the mistress had never come up in play, I had no issue with this. It continues the theme of PCs having one source far too connected to the mythos:
- Joyce: Douglas Henslowe
- Martin: Samson Trammel
- Lillian: Edgar Job
- Vito: Amelia Burroughs, aka Amelia of Carcosa
Darla does not yet have a Source with obvious mythos connections.
Someone: We are the crazy train.
Joyce repeated what she'd told Vito about Nyarlathotep.
Joyce: If he wants to get Amelia back in a second, he could do it.
Vito: She's probably gone. I don't want to undo what she's done
Darla: You think it's best she's gone?
Vito: I don't know. That's the best I can do. I don't know.
Martin looked utterly miserable as he listened to Vito and considered various letters.
Meanwhile, since there were objections to using Martin or Darla or Lillian as bait, someone had the brilliant idea of using all three of them as bait!
Lillian said that if she attacked cultists and left some alive, the others should not kill them.
Lillian: If a brain can be removed and placed in a cylinder, it seems to me that it can be placed in another body.
If my read of the group is correct, her statement left Martin conflicted, didn't bother Joyce or Vito, and left Darla some combination of skeptical, disturbed, and curious about how well that would work.
Investigation in Bangkok
Lillian, Martin, and Darla walked around Bangkok openly, as themselves, asking about the fights. They accomplished the following:
- making it clear they were in Bangkok
- confirming what they already knew about where the fights were and what the passphrase was
- learning that the fights were every three nights, and the last one had been the previous night
- blowing the fact that Darla was there.
Apropos of that, we decided that Martin's older sister, Isabella, and Lillian's aunt were off together starring in an adventure of their own.
Joyce and Vito pounded pavement. They accomplished the following:
- Joyce looked up Martin's contacts, aka Jeremiah's contacts. They didn't know anything useful, but they would be willing to help the group in small ways. (1 point of Oral History)
- Vito found someone who had tried to start up rival death matches, but had backed down upon being threatened by an American man who lived in the townhouse from which Savitree Sirikhan's letters had been sent. The locals called him Warn, which means "glasses", because he wore glasses. Physically, he was hardly imposing, but the man took his threats of having competitors ripped limb from limb seriously. (1 point of Streetwise)
- When everyone met up in a family run curry noodle shop, Joyce, on a first name basis with everyone, was impressed with one of the children who worked there. Realizing how inconspicuous children are, she got the child to get his relatives and friends to be an information network and way to pass messages back and forth between the PCs. (1 point of Oral History)
I forget how they got on the subject of Sherlock Holmes.
Joyce: You never read Conan Doyle.
Vito: It's a book about a cop! If I were Moriarty, I'd have popped him.
The next day, they decided that Joyce and Darla would take s look at the townhouse from which Savitree's correspondence was mailed, while Martin tailed "Waen", with Vito and Lillian keeping an eye on Martin.
Vito: If he notices you, I'm pulling you out.
Martin: If he notices me, -I'm- pulling me out!
Martin followed Waen, who was accompanied by two bodyguards. Waen had a covered basket under his arms. He went shopping, paying in cash. He also spotted Martin.
Martin didn't realize that he'd been made, but Lillian did, and she signaled him. He wisely made himself scarce.
Lillian and Vito tried to tail Waen, but he noticed, so they pulled back as well. By now, Waen was definitely jumpy.
Joyce and Darla watched the townhouse. Two local men dressed like lower class workers came to the house and banged on one of the doors, calling for "Lowman". They got no answer. They tried peering into windows and eventually left, dissatisfied. After they were clkearly gone, Darla picked the lock on the back door, letting herself and Joyce inside.
They knew that "S.S." was Savitree Sirikhan, a Siamese woman, but there was clearly only one occupant of the house, the American man called Waen or Lowman. He was clearly a Nectar addict, as his stash was in a box under his bed. Half was in one type of bottle, half in another -- but Lowman clearly preferred one kind over the other, as half a dozen vials of his preferred kind were empty. He also had a phonograph on which he clearly played the de La Luz recording frequently, as that was the only record that wasn't a bit dusty.
The women concluded that he listened to it while taking the Nectar. They discovered that the drawer in the nightstand had several stained handkerchiefs monogrammed with the initials DL. They had a pretty good idea of what the stains were, and guessed, correctly, that Lowman's preferred Nectar was not from Bangkok.
We broke here, figuring Lowman could arrive the following session.
