Sophomore, Fifth-Seventh Week, Spring Quarter
Altclair is Naomi's campaign, set at the college of Altclair, which is somewhere in Minnesota, although modeled on the University of Chicago between the years 1987 and 1993. Think Pamela Dean's Tam Lin, GURPS Illuminati IOU, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Other source material (that Naomi's not familiar with) might include Elizabeth Hand's Waking the Moon and most of Charles de Lint. Players are me (Justin Thorne) and Josh (Michael Conoway). Manny (Jim Gaffney) dropped out, and Beth (Diometra) lives in Chicago, and is only an occasional player.
Naomi moved to Chicago, but I'm behind in my write ups, and she's run a few sessions since moving and hopes to run a few more via phone, email, and visits before I have exhausted my supply of material.
Quick summary: Justin's half-sister, Sarah, is Poseidon's granddaughter, and land queen to Michael, who is land king. They are concerned about a hill which is really Griaule, a sleeping dragon. Jido, a young weredragon, being raised by two mages, Jennifer (who has a history with Michael) and Ash (Michael's teacher, currently dying of cancer), is afraid of him and refuses to talk about it. Sarah has two children, Richard (fathered by Justin) and Tempest (fathered by Michael). She's taking care of the former, while Michael is raising the latter. When Justin tried to raise the matter of Tempest having a siren's voice, delicately, he suggested that Michael might want to do something, so that, um, well --
Michael: So that she doesn't get raped before she's five. I know. I'm going to take her to Iris so that she can put a curse on her.
The idea is that Iris will take away Tempest's siren voice until the child is 16.
From the Desk of Justin Thorne:
Fifth Week, Spring Quarter, Sophomore Year
Poseidon is angry with Michael. I don't think I can elaborate, and I don't have time to get sick. (1) But Michael and I were stupid again, though in a way that I don't -think- we could have forseen.
We were doing experiments with earplugs during the break, and Michael decided to try immersing them and himself in saltwater. We created a large saltwater pond by dumping a large quantity of salt into a pre-existing puddle. This was a mistake. Not only did it not improve the second set of earplugs, it also left a gate for things from the sea. (2)
As if that were not bad enough, there hadn't been any rain. Poseidon's work again. Sarah's used some of her blood to irrigate the fields the old way. She says that in high summer, she and Michael will be stronger, strong enough to fight the drought. I hope she's right, because if she is not, it will take a lot more blood. (3)
As for the saltwater pond, Michael spoke to Pantheus, who told him to get a unicorn. Pretty tall order for this crowd. Still, I managed to find a virgin, and I asked Apollo about where a unicorn might be. Fortunately, both are within the county. And, this means I'm out of Sarah's debt. (4)
Mother reminded me that I'm spending a summer on the coast, so I need to be careful. (5) I can't help Michael fight Poseidon, which means it's a good thing I'm not staying here this summer. Somehow, all the places I was thinking of visiting are on the coast. And, of course, Ken's going to be in San Francisco.
I may be trying to lock the barn after the horse has fled, given the unicorn business, but it is possible that Apollo will protect me. And playing Everyman may help me blend. (6) Sarah and Michael can't afford to worry about me on top of everything else. But I hate being a liability.
Seventh Week, Spring Quarter, Sophomore Year
Sarah has just given me what she calls my first homework assignment: Bring Marcel Tobriani to campus to give his first performance in North America since his wife died and he vowed he'd never so much as set foot on this continent again. I've written to him, but I don't think this is something I can pull off, which means Sarah will make my life hell. Of course, if I succeed, she'll come up with something even more difficult, but at least I'll get to see Marcel perform again. (7)
I'm corresponding with his son, Antoine, at a rapid pace, thanks, I suspect, to the Postal Mages. I've got a few theories, but at the very least, I'd say Antoine's on good terms with them. Just as well--it confirms what I said all along about not being Postal Guy, and it takes me down a peg, which I needed, since I was beginning to believe it anyway. (8)
Antoine wants to know all about The College Experience. I told him what I could and sent him Fall Quarter's run of the paper. I still think perhaps he should talk to other people to get a baseline for what's normal, though, as he says, spending one's formative years with a travelling magic show, complete with tigers, tends to blow any chance of developing a sense of the normal in the first place.
He said that the weird stuff sounds interesting. Now, what -I- find interesting is that he said it before I had told him any of the weird stuff. Of course, he could just have meant that the fact that there is weird stuff sounds interesting.
I've been keeping my head down as far as Poseidon is concerned, but this isn't helping where the dragon is concerned.
I started getting nightmares, which isn't usual. And they were strange nightmares. I woke up in a cold sweat, remembering only that someone was trying to convince me of something. I didn't know who or what, nor why that should be so frightening. My usual ways of banishing nightmares did not work. (9)
I went to talk to Jido about gargoyles, trying to see if Dicey were correct about using them against the dragon. (10) It wouldn't work unless a mage channeled the dragon's magic into the gargoyles. But this did give me an opening to find out about the dragon. (11)
Jido thinks it's evil, and I am now inclined to agree. It sends him dreams when he sleeps at Michael's farm, telling him that he's evil and is just like the dragon. I told him that he wasn't and that he didn't have to do whatever the dragon wants him to do. I don't know how much he believes this, but positive reinforcement can't hurt. I left my earplugs with him, since he said that he'd have to not hear.
I don't know what the dragon wants Jido to do. For that matter, I don't know what the dragon wants me to do. Maybe he wants me to interview him. Jido said that the dragon liked to talk.
I told Jennifer, and we agreed that having Ash poke around in my head might not be such a good idea. Ash isn't very strong--he didn't have the energy to hypnotize Jido. I spent the night in Canada, and I had no nightmares.
I brought Sarah up to date on that, and on my "progress" in bringing Marcel to campus. She agreed to wait for Michael before taking action, unless it became necessary to act earlier. (12) I spent the night in a tent, at her request, outside of Burnham County, but physically closer to the hill that is the dragon than I was at the dorm. No nightmares. As Ken pointed out, this is almost certainly a declaration of war by the dragon.
A sleeping dragon, mind you, and one who's been leaving Michael philosophical notes on those rare occasions Michael sleeps at the farm. (13) The dragon is attacking us in our weak spots.
Michael suggested using my carpet to find out what the dragon wanted. (14) This turned out to be ill-advised. The carpet caught fire, and so did I. I may need to check my priorities. After extinguishing the flames, my first reaction was anger that the carpet was gone. My second was to realize that Daniel would be furious that I'd changed my hair. I asked Sarah if she could help with damage control. Only then did it occur to me that I should ask for something for the burns. I don't know if this was due to adrenaline, idiocy, shock, or insanity.
Michael made the worst of the pain and burns go away and got ointment and bandages for the rest. Sarah gave me a haircut. Daniel was just as angry as I thought he would be. When he cooled down, he sent me to Jessica so she could improve Sarah's work.
We still don't know what it wants. Maybe it just wants some of Michael's strawberries. If so, the dragon will have to ask Michael. (15)
Michael, Tempest, and I made a short trip to Oxford. Michael almost went into convulsions after teleporting us there. I do not know how he'll be able to handle Australia. (16)
Mary got us inside, and while Iris put a spell on Tempest to keep her from seducing someone into raping her before she's five, I talked to Mary about mind games. (17) Then, Michael's mother showed me Oxford.
Oxford has gargoyles. They waved, sort of.
Getting home was amusing. I held Tempest, and Michael decided he could breath the water of his lake. Unfortunately, he was mistaken. Fortunately, he came to what passes for his senses before he started to drown.
Then the local horses tramped into the water to pay their respects. Michael let them know he wanted to get out of the lake, and they got into a military formation on the spot. Dad would have loved it.
Then I started shedding butterflies, and they all decided that they had to be near Michael. He ordered me to stop it at once, handing me some grass and telling me to make something. He took Tempest, and I wove her baby boots. This got us thinking of the seven league boots I never did make. While the idea of seven league baby boots of grass is frightening, a collaboration on adult footgear might be possible.
All of this will have to wait until at least the Fall--hopefully, by then, Poseidon and the dragon won't be problems, and Michael will have a gold medal. I can dream--so long as I do it outside of Burnham County. (18)
Footnotes
(1) Michael went to Hades to bring Sarah back from the dead. As a Siren, however, Sarah was with Poseidon in the ocean. Michael went to her there and invited her to come back with him. She accepted the invitation. However, Michael neglected to ask Poseidon for permission. Big mistake.
The reason Justin can't explain this is that he is magically prevented from doing so. He got violently ill for two days when he tried to write down Sarah's secrets.
(2) Justin and Michael here hoping to create earplugs that would be capable of blocking out a Siren's song. Specifically, neither of them were comfortable with the erotic effect Sarah's children, Richard and Tempest, had when they sang. Sarah assured Justin that she'd make sure Richard was looked after, but she considered Tempest to be Michael's problem.
(3) Justin had hinted about this to Michael, as he is the local land king, and Sarah the land queen. Michael asked Justin to just say what he meant, and, given permission to be blunt, he said "It will be your blood that irrigates the land."
(4) Relevant gamequote:
Sarah (who knows damned well he's not): Are you a virgin?
Justin (warily): Why? Are you planning a sacrifice?
Sarah: Maybe.
Justin (with alacrity): No. Uh-uh. Nope. Absolutely not.
Once Justin understood why a virgin was needed, I said that he had just the person in mind. Naomi thought I meant Annmarie, the ghost of the Theater department. This hadn't occurred to me. She wasn't generally solid, she was bound to a very limited area, and Justin didn't know she was a virgin.
Justin was thinking of Helen, an Anthropology major he'd dated before realizing that he was gay. Their breakup was friendly, and Justin had no problem telling Helen that he wanted to ask her questions that she might decide to slap him for asking. Helen took him to her room, closing the door.
Justin: Are you still a virgin?
Helen (slaps him, then, cheerfully): Yes.
Justin (pleased that the conversation is going so well--a fair price for the information): Would you mind staying one for a little while?
Helen: For HOW LONG?!
Justin explained what he could, i.e., that Poseidon was angry with Michael, that a unicorn was needed to close the gate formed by the salt water pond, and that a virgin was needed to ride the unicorn. He called Sarah to tell her he'd found a virgin but couldn't guarantee her remaining virginal indefinitely. On learning whom Justin had in mind, Sarah said that she doubted there would be a problem. Justin considered this unwarranted nasty pettiness, but, as Helen hadn't overheard, contented himself with saying, "How nice," in a tone making it clear that he didn't find it nice at all. What he didn't know, not having the advantage of hearing the GM's explanations, was that Sarah was feeling vulnerable and threatened by Delilah, and was venting her nastiness on other women in general.
As for the unicorn, Justin knew that it was one of Artemis' creatures. While he didn't dare contact Artemis, he was told that she likes her brother Apollo, one of Justin's patron deities. He asked Apollo for help, and a ray of sunlight shone into a section of forest.
Diometra's reaction to Justin's story, as played by Naomi, was: How do you people manage to offend so many gods?
(5) A case of NPC used well as GM mouthpiece. Message understood and quite in character for the NPC.
(6) Justin is playing Everyman in A Man for All Seasons. This is actually a bunch of small rolls.
(7) Why is Sarah giving Justin homework? Glad you asked. When Justin got back to campus after having been kidnapped by terrorists, Michael told him that, as a maker and a director, his best medium was people. Justin was dubious that he would have survived trying to do serious manipulation of his captors, but he figured that Michael's idea was worth looking into. He talked with a few people, including fellow Theater major Matt Denkla, who said that Justin might be able to finagle teaching a seminar on the topic. He also pointed out that for advice on mind games, Justin really ought to talk to Sarah Lacey, who plays them all the time and very well.
Since Justin would need to run the idea of teaching a seminar by Sarah anyway--she's the power behind the Altclair's Theater Department--he took a deep breath and walked into her office.
Justin: Teach me how to do what you do.
Sarah: You don't have the equipment.
Justin (flustered): No, that's not what I meant--I don't mean I want to have what you have. I want to be able to do what you do. (hastily) Some of what you do.
Sarah: Are you asking me to teach you seduction?
Justin: No! (wonders briefly if he's being too hasty, gets back on track before that thought goes anywhere): I mean mind games.
Sarah: All right. (goes back to work, ignoring him completely)
Justin: Thanks! (after a few minutes) So what do--(catching on) Oh, right! (leaves happily. A few minutes later, realization sinks in) I just gave Sarah blanket permission to play with my head!
Sarah did get around to suggesting a few books to read, such as Machiavelli's The Prince. Some time later, she invited Justin to lunch.
Sarah: You're going to do me a favor.
Justin (warily, but not about to risk a fight unless he has to): I am?
Sarah: Yes.
Justin: What favor am I going to do?
This was when Sarah gave him his first assignment. Justin had to admit that it was something that should be done, and something he should have thought of. After all, he did know Marcel, and getting perhaps the greatest traveling magician of his age to perform at Altclair while he was on the same continent ought to have occurred to Justin.
Naomi commented that Sarah is the kind of person who loves her school and who, 30 years from now, will still be calling alumnae and asking for donations. It's one of many things Sarah and Justin agree on.
(8) Naomi had me make a perception roll to see if Justin spotted the postmark on Antoine's letter. I flubbed it, but this was something she wanted Justin to notice. Since Justin's lover, Ken, was in the room, he served as GM mouthpiece, pointing out that the letter had been mailed from Italy the day before.
(9) During his freshman year, Justin made a dreamcatcher and a Snoopy hat to help someone with nightmares.
(10) Justin's been on good terms with gargoyles since calling the ones who'd been bound to Altclair back to their home in Notre Dame. Since Michael and Sarah are the land rulers of Burnham County, Justin pointed out to Dicey, "I have to ask the King and Queen if it's all right for the gargoyles to sit on the dragon. I don't believe I just said that."
Michael nixed this idea, feeling, correctly, that Justin didn't know enough about what was involved. Sarah and Justin had an interesting talk. I forget the specifics, but one thing Justin had been concerned about was calling the Notre Dame gargoyles for help, getting them, then having the gargoyles want to go home while Sarah decided that she wanted them to stay. I don't believe he ever explained this to Sarah, but at one point, she said something about being the last one to hold folks, or at least critters like gargoyles, against their will. I think this not only relieved Justin of his anxiety on behalf of the gargoyles, but also made him trust Sarah more in general, as her ethics are similar to his on this point. Sarah suggested Justin make some gargoyles that wanted to stay at Altclair. After all, there were these odd architectural gaps without gargoyles. Justin agreed to see what he could do, and Sarah agreed to see that he got school credit for it.
(11) Jido, a child who can turn into a dragon himself, albeit a relatively small one, got hysterical when brought to the hill that is the big dragon. He wouldn't say why, and got hysterical when Michael tried to press him on the subject. Justin knew better than to raise the subject directly.
Amusing gamequote about Justin's syntax:
Jido: We're learning all about subordinate clauses in school. You used six in your last sentence.
Naomi commented in email that Justin got along well with kids because, while he didn't treat them as adults, he did treat them as people. I emailed:
I suspect the reason Justin treats kids as people but not adults is, in part, because that's how he dealt with the local bullies. Adults they ain't, but if you patronize them, they can tell, and that's when they pummel you into the ground.
She replied:
Interesting, yeah. Justin's got enough geek in him that he'd have had to work out a bully strategy. As far as I can tell, Michael never did--he only faced them for one semester, and that one he had no defense skills and handled it, if you want to call it handling, by being abused and miserable.
(12) That is, Sarah agreed not to take action against Justin unless it became necessary. Ken suggested the phrasing. On the one hand, Justin felt that, as land queen, Sarah had better know about the potential threat of Griaule getting into his mind. On the other, he didn't want Sarah to be overly hasty, having no desire to get squashed.
(13) Actually, someone else left the notes.
(14) Justin made a carpet that looked sort of like a ouiji board. A person standing on it, holding a wand, will find the wand spelling out answers to questions he asked. The answers will be the ones the wand-holder considers the truth. Justin and Michael have used it to talk with their subconscious minds.
(15) That is, when Justin made a joke about the dragon maybe wanting strawberries, Michael responded seriously and angrily that the dragon couldn't have any and he ordered Justin not to give the dragon any if the dragon asked. Justin pointed out that if all the dragon wanted were strawberries, they were doing well. Michael modified his position, conceding that he might be willing to give the dragon strawberries, but only if the dragon asked him. Nicely.
Sometime before the end of the quarter, Justin and Michael noticed that the strawberries were in bloom on the farm, and very good strawberries they were, too.
There was definitely something magical in the air, and Anactoria, one of the Good Folk, appeared. Both Justin and Michael owe her a debt, but she hadn't come to collect. Instead, she told Michael that, as land king, he could call the local unicorn and ask it to cleanse the saltwater puddle. Anactoria was providing this information in return for watching the wonder the unicorn produced, particularly in Justin, IIRC. Justin did double check to make sure that the emotion wasn't being taken from him; he had no particular objection to Anactoria's voyerism per se in this instance. The unicorn showed up, very shy, as the land king had summoned her. Anactoria got her money's worth, especially as Justin got Helen, who was visiting Delilah at the farm. Helen rode the unicorn, Justin made a quick sketch to have something to work from later, and the unicorn sealed the gate to Poseidon's realm. Anactoria and the unicorn left. Helen said that she'd stay a virgin for the rest of her life. Michael tried to convince her that this was a mistake. While Justin privately agreed, he tried to get Michael to shut up, figuring nothing would reinforce Helen's position as much as the Campus Casanova arguing against it.
(16) Michael went into convulsions at the shock of so suddenly leaving his land. Australia is where the Olympics will take place, and Michael is on the USA fencing team.
(17) Mary recommended LeCarre'e Little Drummer Girl, and Naomi loaned me her copy.
(18) So as to avoid the dragon's influence on his mind. When a bus trip to Minneapolis for a Gay Pride march was organized, Justin's comment was, "Most people worry about things like being seen on national tv, or their families finding out. I'm worried about falling asleep inside county limits." He solved this problem by volunteering to drive the bus.
