Hollow Earth: Sword of St. Joan

GM: Brandon Purdue

Scott Jones: Connor Dupree, womanizer, fairly lazy

???: Reed Rutledge, "coarse", but useful, even if Delphine does think she senses negativity from him

Jeffrey Hetzel: Brandon St James, two fisted adventurer, young, capable of seeing what's in front of his eyes (or so thinks Delphine)

Mark Rosenberger: Erich von Dietz, capable, though my notes don't say at what. Certainly at holding his own in a pulp adventure.

Me: Delphine Dupree, self-proclaimed psychic with no actual powers, Connor's sister, good with a cavalry saber

Our heroes were at Tremain College. As there were only 4 players, Dr. Dexter Flynn and his assistant, Rebecca Stewart were NPCs. The action opened in the auditorium. As Dr. Flynn was being honored for the latest expedition he and the PCs had gone on, gentlemen in dark suits, carrying guns, attempted to kidnap him. Naturally, the PCs went into action, starting with the Brendan, with his camera.

Brendan: Hey, you guys on stage! Smile! <FLASH>

The men were all either captured or driven off, iirc. The DuPree siblings started bickering. I forget exactly what set it off.

Connor: Every time you [do whatever it was], I die a little inside, Sister.

Delphina: Every time you open your mouth, women around the world die a little inside.

Connor: How could you know that? Sister?

Brendan was contemplating the next headline.

Brendan: I'm thinking, "Heroic Civic Minded Citizens Save the Day!"

Apparently, the armed men were interested in something sent to Dr. Flynn which he had not yet received. No doubt it was in the college's mail room. The college's locked mail room.

Connor: The lock's broken. It's not letting me in. There, see, now it's working.

Delphina turned her back while he picked the lock so as not to be able to see for sure that that's what he was doing. After all, the (37-year-old) woman didn't want to be able to tell their parents about this.

Once Connor "fixed" the door, everyone searched for the doctor's package. The DuPrees found it at the same time.

Connor: _I_ found it!

Delphine: <Tug!> <Tug!>

Connor: Oh, wait. It could be dangerous. You can have it, Sister.

GM: It's kind of heavy.

Me: So, I topple over --

Mark: -- into one of those bins.

Connor: Picture. Of. Grace.

Delphine soon recovered her poise and her footing.

Delphine: I sense no hostility coming from the package.

Connor: There's no hostility coming from the package. Just like there's no hostility coming from my big toe.

As the group was examining the package, a more capable opponent, a man named Louis, tried to claim it from them, demanding "the sword". They all went into action, Delphine drawing her saber.

Someone: Nothing like a woman swinging a cavalry saber around in the dark.

Brendon: Yep. That's why I'm on the floor.

Delphine: He wanted a sword! I'm giving him a sword!

Connor: I am going to get on the ground and crawl behind something.

Delphine: ...

Getting the worst of it, Louis turned off the lights and started limping toward the door.

Reed: As soon as I see him silhouetted in the moonlight, I fire.

This finished the man. Delphine cleaned her bloody saber on his clothing, and I received a style point for it.

Reed (whisper): What the hell's she doing?

Erich: I don't think I want to know.

Reed: All right.

Clearly, there was Much Afoot!

Brendan: I smell a story!

Connor: Quit wriggling your nose like that!

The package contained a sword hilt and about a third of the blade. It also contained a letter from Dr. Oliver, Professor of Medieval Studies at the University of Paris, saying that he was being followed by suspicious looking men, and so was sending the package to Dr. Flynn. Off to Paris!

At the University of Paris, the department secretary, Nadia Belrose, said that Dr. Oliver was not there, but directed the PCs to his office, which was locked.

Connor: I think this lock needs to be broken. Delphine, look over there.

GM (as Delphine obliges): All those locked doors you guys keep running into...

Inside was a typical messy college professor's room. In a vase, there were roses, just starting to wilt

Connor: Oh good. I can take them to the secretary.

Delphine: Connor, she said her name. Do you remember it?

Connor: She was attractive.

They found an invitation to a party being held that very night by Francois Pernot. He also sent a note thanking the professor for showing him something, presumably the sword hilt. "C'Est magnifique," he had written. And, there was a reference to George Bernard Shaw's play _Saint Joan_.

Connor: Picked up enough of the notebook's distress.

I forget the context of that, but it probably had to do with Delphine displaying her psychic powers in the usual manner.

The PCs were interrupted by Professor La Chapelle, who asked if he could help them. I think they gave him some explanation of why they were in Professor Oliver's office, but I don't recall what it was.

Connor: There's something I have to ask you. Is Nadia single?

Professor La Chapelle: To my knowledge.

Scott got a style point for that. La Chapelle returned to his office, and Connor asked Nadia if she were free to accompany him to Pernot's party.

Nadia: I think I can get away.

Connor asked Brendan to follow La Chapelle.

Brendan: Why do I have to follow him?

Reed: Because you're stealthy.

Connor: Because he's male. I'm checking out the Nadia angle.

Brendan: You can ask her when the professor is due back.

Delphine: Ah, you can actually be useful!

Connor: Ooh!

Still, Connor stuck to his guns. After all, Nadia could coach him in foreign etiquette.

Connor: Make sure we don't break any French faux pas.

Delphine: I think I feel a faux pas coming on now.

Brendan stayed outside, just outside Professor La Chapelle's office. He used his zoom lens to watch the professor through the window.

GM: He seems to be wary of being watched.

Indeed, he made a phone call, and, on seeing someone outside the window, even someone who was, by now, watching a bird through the lens, not spying on anyone, nope, not at all, the professor turned away from the window and covered the receiver so that Brendan couldn't see what he was saying.

Delphine: Much though I hate to encourage action against a tenured professor...

Mark: This is funny because he [Scott] is a tenured professor.

Reed, Brendan, and Connor went to talk to Professor La Chapelle, for definitions of "talk" that include brutish and brutal interrogation. I think Reed punched him in the nose, breaking it. But, after all, the man was just so obviously suspicious!

Connor: Who did you call?

La Chapelle: My sister.

Connor: I have a sister and would never call her!

Erich: You call her all the time. Just nasty things.

Connor: So, strange people are poking around your college's office, so you rush off to call... your sister!

Reed opened a draw in the professor's desk and told them man to put his fingers inside.

La Chapelle: Must I?

Three men and, I think, at least one gun, persuaded him that he must. Reed did not slam the draw on the man's fingers, but told him to remember what might happen, and to say nothing about the little visit. La Chapelle agreed, and the bullying thugs -- er, PCs, heroic PCs, yep -- left him in peace.

Connor: You enjoy that too much.

Reed: Enjoy what?

Connor: Never mind. Get me some flowers for Nadia.

Reed: Why do I have to get flowers for Nadia?

Connor: Do I have to do everything?

Delphine: If you want to get into Nadia's pants.

Someone (reminding me of the period): Is she wearing pants?

Someone pointed out that St Joan D'Arc was the patron saint of cats, but I don't think that became significant.

Getting into the party was a little tricky. Nadia, oddly, had her own invitation, and Connor got in with her. I'm not sure who, if anyone, used the missing professor's invitation. The footment didn't let in the others, who wound up going around the back entrance and sneaking in.

Nadia and Connor went upstairs, where she took a small sword tip that was prominently mounted on the wall. I think she gave it to Connor to hold, but I'm not sure. Then, there was a noise.

Connor: Nadia, quick, let's make them think we're here for other reasons!

Delphine (in absentia): Smooth, brother!

Connor: The sacrifices I make!

Delphine (still absent): Ah, I'm touched!

Someone: No, Nadia's touched.

Reed (also in absentia): Ah, so that's what it sounds like when you finally get laid.

The player got a style point for that.

Someone tried to break in through the bedroom window, but Connor and Nadia stopped that. Delphine and Reed came upstairs, following Pernot himself, and Connor managed to tell Reed and Delphine privately about the sword tip.

Soon, all of the PCs were talking with Pernot upstairs, telling him everything, except that they had his sword tip. They let him think that someone else had stolen it.

Delphine (to herself): Don't say I never did anything for you, brother.

Pernot knew that the third piece might be found in a small church, just outside Lyon. And, the sword was rumored to have some kind of magic about it. He thought the Nazis might want it.

Delphine: So, the sword has Mystic Powers, as we have long suspected.

Brendan: We have?

Delphine: _I_ have.

Pernot was willing to help them as best he could, under the delusion they'd help him get the sword tip back, and they did nothing to enlighten him. They did agree to work with Nadia, who was very interested to know that they had another piece of the sword.

The next day, Connor approached Reed.

Connor: Reed, can you keep a secret?

Reed: Yes.

Connor: We seem to have acquired the missing tip of the sword.

Reed: Can you keep a secret?

Connor: Yes.

Reed: You told me that last night in the stairwell.

Connor: Don't tell anyone.

Reed: I won't tell anyone, except Delphine, who you told last night.

Me: I tell Erich and Brendon.

Erich: We know -- we can _do_ the math.

Everyone headed off in Pernot's car.

Connor: You know how to drive?

Brendan: Yeah, I know how to drive.

Connor: That's good. You disappoint me, that's all.

I don't recall why that made sense.

There were armed guards, including a machine gun nest in a truck, but the PCs deal with all resistance, and found the third piece of the sword.

Erich: We're Americans. We're here to save your ass. Again.

Brendan: Lafayette, we are here!

Once inside, the PCs confronted La Chapelle, whose nose was still broken. He admitted he had been working for the Nazis, but he had no intention of continuing to fight the PCs. The sword, I think, was glowing or something.

Delphine: See -- I told you it had mystic power. I told you!

Brendan (camera poised): Smile!

Erich: I get my wallet. (hands money to Brendon)

Presumably, there had been a wager about whether the sword did have magic powers or whether Delphine would gloat if it did.

Nadia now grabbed Connor's gun and demanded the sword. Connor bemoaned the unexpected-but-inevitable betrayal.

Delphine (to Nadia): I'm sorry my brother's an idiot.

Nadia gave a nod of agreement, but continued to demand the sword.

Someone: We would never give Connor a gun with real bullets.

Delphine now attacked, if I recall correctly, triumphing. A nun came out, asking what Delphine intended to do with the sword. Delphine asked if the nun could keep it safe from those who would steal it. The nun said that she could, and Delphine handed the sword over. Brendan took pictures. Everyone figured that Pernot would understand.

I'd been afraid that the PCs would wind up to slapsticky or anti-heroic, but I think, apart from the scene in La Chapelle's office, that did not turn out to be the case. We also had the right sort of in-character bickering, enough to spice things up, but not so much as to slow anything down. And, the players were sufficiently detached from their PCs that we didn't feel the need to have our own PC "win" the bickering matches.