Vincent's Card Tournament, 2nd Session
GM: Erik Hanson
Players:
Joshua Kronengold: Ipolitto Sforza, a 12 year old noble
Lisa Padol: Roggerio, a musician and ex-diabolist with an unwanted, but not entirely undeserved, reputation for intrigue, in Ipolitto's service
Lee Painton: Vincent di Giovanni, Venitian nobleman and Necromancer, spying for the Sforza while trying to take over the Florentine criminal underworld. Currently hosting a card tournament, with Sforza sponsorship.
David Siegel: Jebril, displaced Moorish architect with a talent for geomancy.
Matt Stevens: Rafael Marancini, Jewish Cabalist and advisor to Ipolitto.
Rachael Tang: Bella Ziani, midwife and visionary
This was an unusual session, as Josh and I were the only ones who showed up at Erik's apartment. This may have been just as well. Matt wasn't especially interested in the card tournament, making it a good session for him to miss. Josh and I were the only ones with PCs playing in the tournament, and having just the two of us there made for a smartly comic session that might have been harder to pull off with the full group. Certainly, cutting was easier with only 2 players besides the GM.
Vincent was hosting the second round of his tournament, with the patronage of the Sforzas. Although a compulsive gambler himself, he recognized that it would look bad to compete in a tournament he was hosting. His youngest brother, Carmine, decided he need have no such scruples. This was not a problem, as he was eliminated in the first round. Vincent's oldest brother, Mirko, had no interest in playing, while his middle brother, Benedetto, was a diplomatic enough host that if he did have a yen for gambling, he kept it well concealed.
There were 9 players this round, divided into 3 tables of 3 players each. Ipolitto and Roggerio had made it to the round. The other 7 players were:
Simon di Peruzzi: son of the head of the di Peruzzi family, proprietor of the Inn of the Four Winds. The di Peruzzis control the criminal underworld of Florence and hate the Sforzas.
Ciacco the Hog: Genoese merchant who earns his nickname. Boorish, gross, and ruthless.
Vitale Dorvinian: Young member of the Dorvinian family, famous for its wines. Vitale was impressed enough with the Sforzas to use his influence to ensure that the annual Dorvinian wine festival will be held in Florence this year.
Reineke Fuchs: German gambler who carries his own drink, a German beer. Vitale dislikes both the man and his beer.
Maria Gambioni: Professional gambler, not at all adverse to using her considerable beauty to distract opponents willing to be distracted.
Linoge d'Angelou: Quiet French gambler.
Duke Ferdinand Coranzon VIII: Spanish noble, raconteur, and gambler.
Also present were:
Nobby: Shapeshifting faerie who married a mortal woman
Mook: A mortal man favored by the faeries, part Grover-the-muppet, part Bab5's Zathros, and part Dustin Hoffman's Rainman. Roggerio and Ipolitto agreed to look after him in return for future faerie aid. Mook drives Roggerio to distraction and is one of the few things capable of getting a reaction from Vincent, who, as something of a control freak, is easily annoyed by the chaos that is Mook. It didn't help that Mook, an absent minded kleptomaniac, stole his ritual censer. But Mook can also be extremely useful. He has a perfect memory for everything he sees, and he can use pre-prepared magic.
Ilya Ilyanovich: Russian swordsman in the Sforzas' service. He wields a sword possessed by the spirit of the Russian hero, Ivan Son of the Bull. The sword recently swallowed much of a demon's essence, a source of some concern to Ilya and his employers.
Quillmaster: He serves Duke Coranzon, writing down -everything- that transpires around him in complete detail.
Musicians: Tomasso, Enrico, and Bartolomeo. These are Roggerio's friends. Trying to do them a good turn, he suggested Vincent hire them to provide music. Vincent did. They showed up in their best, gaudiest, and above all, shiny clothes. Thanks to Mook, by the end of the evening, they were rather threadbare.
Ladies of Negotiable Affection: Two accompanied Reineke Fuchs, and one accompanied Ciacco, it being quite clear that she was there strictly for the cash.
Conspicuously absent were:
Renier: A diabolist, charming, enamoured of Bella.
Brother Cedric: English monk lending occasional aid to the Sforzas, a Renaissance Sherlock Holmes.
Repeating Quote of the Session: That's Vincent's problem!
Vincent, played as an NPC by Erik, asked Roggerio if there were anyone with whom he wished to be seated for this round of play. Roggerio said that he had two requests for people he did -not- wish to be seated with. He did not wish to be seated with Ciacco, as the man was disgusting. He also didn't wish to be seated with Ipolitto, given the diplomatic issue that might be raised by playing against his patron. He was seated with Maria Gambioni and Simon di Peruzzi.
To Roggerio's amusement, Ipolitto was seated with Ciacco. Duke Ferdinand was the third player at the table. The final table held Linoge, Reineke, and Vitale.
The Duke explained that he had brought his Quillmaster to record everything that happened. Later, he would consult the Quillmaster's description so he could remember all that had happened and tell stories about the evening's events to amuse people, including the ones who had attended the party and wished to remember certain incidents. The duke added that some guests might wish to forget certain incidents, which they were welcome to do, but they would know that, thanks to the Quillmaster, he remembered them.
At the last round of the tournament, Mook had absentmindedly stolen Simon di Peruzzis favorite silver dagger. It had made its way to Vincent, who now had Bella return it, knowing of Simon's fondness for her. Simon accepted the return of his property, placing it on the table and keeping a hand on it. Roggerio realized that it could be used as a reflective surface, if Simon wanted to cheat. Come to think of it, Maria Gambioni's fan was large enough to conceal a card.
When Erik summarized the session for him, Lee commented that, if he had been able to make the session, Vincent would not have allowed Simon to wave his naked dagger around. It was rude. Erik noted this for the future, but, as Lee wasn't there, Vincent had allowed it.
Mook began to cause trouble and never really stopped. He eyed Simon's shiny dagger, so Roggerio gave him a shiny glass of Dorvinan wine to distract him. Mook was mightily distracted, dipping his fingers in it and flinging the wine around. Some of the drops hit Vitale Dorvinian, who was horrified at the treatment of his family's vintage, and gave an impassioned lecture and demonstration of how Dorvinian wine should be treated. Much of this was lost on Mook, who later mixed Dorvinian wine with a lesser vintage. Once again, Vitale got up from the table to yell at Mook. He returned in a thoughtful mood, and proceeded to win more than he had before.
Ciacco asked just who Mook's patron was, saying he had a bone to pick with said patron. He emphasized his point, shaking a bone he'd been gnawing at Ipolitto, spattering he young noble with grease. Some time later, Ciacco began winning more consistently than one might expect.
Reineke took a brief break from the game to refresh himself with the company of one of the ladies of negotiable affection. He returned alone, and shortly after, discoursed on Linoge's name.
Linoge was French, yet d'Angelou was of English derivation, meaning "of the angels", while Linoge was an anagram for Legion, the name of the demon or demons whom Jesus cast out of a man. Legion of angels, a strange combination of the Heavenly and the Infernal.
Linoge: You haven't touched your drink.
Reineke drank, while Ipolitto and Roggerio exchanged a glance, wondering if Linoge were the diabolist Renier, cleverly disguised.
I have no idea if the linguistic discourse was 100% in tune with our reality, but it doesn't matter. In Mystic Florence, it is correct.
Mook bumped into Simon, causing the cards he was shuffling to go flying into the air. Roggerio palmed one, and tried to see if the others did as well. He didn't catch them, but was sure that they had.
Simon shouted at Mook.
Simon: You want shinies? (tosses coins at Mook) Here! Take them, and go bother someone else!
Mook (taking coins, walking away, chanting): Go bother someone else! Go bother someone else!
At which point, all the players at all the tables took a break. Ipolitto had prepared a talisman to get warm if someone were cheating. It was now quite warm, but also, as Erik firmly pointed out, non-directional.
Ipolitto went to talk to Mook, while Roggerio went to talk to Nobby. Nobby said that Mook was making quite an impression, would do anything for a shiny, and was quite literal in his interpretation of instructions. Roggerio noted that not all attention was positive, and Nobby allowed that he might let Ciacco have a word with him. Unspoken, but understood, was that Ciacco might not like the results.
Ipolitto asked Mook what he had said to Vitale. Mook said that he had told Vitale what the cards were. Ipolitto discovered that Mook remembered exactly what cards had been played, and could predict with high accuracy what would be dealt next. Ipolitto asked if Mook had noticed anything about Ciacco.
Mook: Sticky fingers.
Ipolitto realized that Ciacco was using food to mark the cards. This explained why the cards were getting more gross as the evening wore on.
Vitale came over and tried to get Mook alone, telling Ipolitto he wanted to try explaining Dorvinian wine appreciation one more time. Unimpressed, Ipolitto fended him off until Mook disappeared. No magic this, just Mook's natural talent.
Roggerio approached the Quillmaster and asked if he might read what the Quillmaster had written. He was handed a few pages which described perfectly everything in the main room: who was there, what was said and done, who was wearing what -- everything. Amazed, Roggerio asked to see more. The Quillmaster refused, politely, explaining that he did not want to fall behind. The man never stopped writing, except to dip his quill in the inkpot, and maintained a slow, steady speed.
Roggerio then made his way to Maria Gambioni, intending to stumble into her so that she dropped her fan. As he walked towards her, Mook re-appeared, repeatedly tossing what seemed to be a white ball into the air and catching it. The ball turned out to be a skull. Mirko moved in on Mook, menacingly.
Ipolitto reached Mook first, caught the skull on the way down, and handed it to Mirko. Mirko accepted it, but made his irritation clear.
Mirko: I don't care -who- his patron is.
Ipolitto went to talk to Mook while Roggerio staged his collision with Maria, using the incident with Mirko to lend verisimilitude. Maria did indeed drop her fan. Roggerio picked it up to return it. No cards were concealed, but the look of relief on her face made it clear that there had been a card, and she had removed it from the fan and concealed it on her person just in time.
Pretending nothing out of the ordinary had happened, Roggerio and Maria agreed that Mirko was frightening, Maria adding that this was one man she had no interest in even flirting with.
Ipolitto offered Mook 3 coins for 3 favors. I forget the first two; they were probably requests for information. Mook took a coin before each request. For the third, Ipolitto asked Mook to lie if asked what cards he'd seen. Mook sadly returned the third coin. He has his own code of honor, and he considers lying wrong. Ipolitto tried to explain that Vitale was cheating by asking Mook for information, but I'm not sure how successful he was.
Roggerio too spoke privately with Mook, explaining that Maria, Simon, and he himself had cards they shouldn't have. Would Mook please take them? And give them to someone else who wasn't in the game?
Erik: You had him right up to the part about giving them to someone else.
Roggerio hastily retracted that part, not wanting to confuse Mook. Mook, relieved, gladly agreed to take the cards.
Roggerio then found Horatio, telling him about the Quillmaster's astonishing talent and about Mook's willingness to follow instructions in return for shinies.
All players returned to the table. Roggerio's table started with a fresh deck, Mook having scattered the last. All decks in play had the same back. Roggerio searched for his palmed card, but it was gone. He assumed Mook had gotten the other two as well. Nevertheless, as the game continued, it was clear to Roggerio that his fellow players were cheating, Simon with his shiny dagger, Maria probably with her fan.
Erik asked whether Ipolitto would call for a fresh deck. Josh said he wouldn't. Erik agreed that Ciacco, who hadn't stopped eating or drinking could quickly mark a new deck. Ipolitto decided to mark the cards himself, solely to negate Ciacco's advantage, not to give himself one.
By the next full group break, Vitale no longer had an advantage, and Ciacco was losing. Reineke went back to the private room where he'd left one of the ladies of negotiable affection. Roggerio told Ipolitto about the cheating at his table. Ipolitto suggested Roggerio ask for a deck with a subtly different back.
Roggerio asked Benedetto if his table could be supplied with such a deck. Benedetto agreed.
Benedetto: I see why you are called a master of intrigue.
Roggerio: It is not intrigue! I only want a fair game.
Benedetto (conspiratorially): Of course.
As for Simon's shiny dagger, Ipolitto suggested that perhaps it could be made less reflective. As Roggerio made arrangements for a new deck, Ipolitto went to talk with Nobby.
Ipolitto: It is amazing how many things holding a silver dagger can mean. It can mean "No one is taking this dagger away from me." Or, "I have a shiny silver dagger," or, "No one had better give me any trouble." It is truly amazing how many different layers of meaning such a dagger can contain.
Nobby: Yes, indeed, and I think I take yours.
Nobby noted that Mook was wearing out his welcome. As Ipolitto and Roggerio had kept their part of the bargain about looking after Mook, Nobby decided to solve 2 problems at once.
As the games recommenced, the Quillmaster attempted to dip his quill in his inkpot, only to realize that the inkpot was gone. Sighing, but without missing a beat, he pulled out another inkpot, and kept writing.
Shortly after, Mook walked through the room, repeatedly tossing what seemed to be a black ball into the air and catching it. The ball turned out to be the missing inkpot. Then Mook slipped on a wine glass someone had left lying on the ground, and the inkpot went flying, spilling its contents all over Simon and his dagger.
Nobby rose, informing Mook that this was quite enough, and they would be leaving now. He assured Simon that suitable recompense would be made. Simon knew who Nobby was, and wisely pronounced himself content.
Ciacco, out of the game and in a foul mood, unwisely announced that he wanted to talk to Nobby about Mook's behavior. Nobby, Mook, and Ciacco went outside. And, for weeks after, Ciacco stayed in his room at the Inn of the Four Winds, ordering food in. Eventually, the pig's snout Nobby gave him will vanish.
With Ciacco gone, Ipolitto called for a fresh deck. He and the duke got down to serious card playing. As Maria pointed out to Roggerio, the duke is a true master of intrigue, being so open about his apparent motives and goals, and such a pleasantly enthralling storyteller that one forgets to look for hidden agendae, or looking, is not likely to find the truth. Roggerio noted silently that Maria was a fairly skilled master of intrigue herself.
Meanwhile, Reineke returned, apparently with a bit of a headache. He drank glass after glass of his beer, and the drunker he got, the better he played. He wasn't cheating, though. Linoge played in such a way that Vitale would win. Essentially, Linoge was throwing the game to defeat Reineke, rather than attempting to claim victory himself. Vitale was surprised, but quite willing to accept the help, which, Ipolitto and Roggerio realized, would put him in Linoge's debt, the more worrisome as Linoge might be Renier.
Vitale won, and Linoge stood up to leave. At the door, he turned and addressed Reineke.
Linoge (In English): Good game. I look forward to playing with you again.
Reineke (In Italian): What?
Roggerio translated, as Linoge left. Then, it slowly dawned on him. And on me as well -- Erik and Josh had to point it out. Reineke's earlier discourse on Linoge's name meant that he had to speak English, yet his bafflement at Linoge's statement seemed genuine.
We figured out that Brother Cedric had been disguised as one of the two women accompanying Reineke. When Reineke went into the guest room, Cedric gave him a knock out drug and came out disguised as Reineke. It was Cedric, then, who had given the learned discourse on Linoge's name. Cedric later returned to the room to revive Reineke, who came to the table with a headache, but automatically picked up his cards and started playing. And Reineke genuinely plays better when drunk. However, unlike Cedric, he doesn't speak English.
At Roggerio's table, Simon was out of the running once his dagger was no longer reflective. Maria noticed the different back. She did not cheat. However, she was easily the best gambler in the room, and she won the round handily. In a fair game, unless I had rolled amazingly well and Erik had rolled amazingly badly, that would always be the case.
The game over, Roggerio asked if Maria might be willing to accompany him to one of the private rooms. She agreed. The obvious happened. Roggerio is now infatuated with Maria.
Lisa: He's in love -- or in something.
Erik: She may not be Miss Right, but she's at least Miss Right Now.
Maria thinks Roggerio is a sweet young thing, charming, in his way. As they dressed, he asked her why she'd been cheating. She pointed out that he had also cheated, and he said that this was only because he knew his fellow players were cheating. And anyway, he hadn't used his hidden card; rather, he'd acted to ensure the game would be fair. Maria had no objection, and said that Roggerio was honorable, in his own way.
Ipolitto had a hand which he believed would give him a telling advantage in the game if he played it well. However, he was interrupted, first by Ilya, then by Bella.
Ilya had gone to another of the private rooms with the second of Reineke's women, the one who wasn't Cedric in disguise. He now shouted that the woman had drugged and robbed him. The woman in question was nowhere to be found, and she had taken Ilya's sword.
Bella suddenly cried out and fell, caught by any male in the vicinity who could reach her before she hit the ground.
Roggerio (running out, hastily finishing dressing): Ilya! (as Bella falls): Bella!
When Bella recovered, she said that she had had another vision, or series of visions. She saw Renier and his fellow diabolists. Then, she saw an angel. The angel's wings were sliced off by a shadowy figure.
Ipolitto and Roggerio concluded that Linoge had indeed been Renier, and that the woman who had robbed Ilya had been working with Renier. They did not yet realize she was a member of Renier's circle, well known to Roggerio, and could now use magic to change her appearance.
They also knew that Renier had dire plans for the angel Mutuol, and that Ilya's blade was a viable weapon to use against the angel. It was possessed by the spirit of the Russian hero, Ivan Son of the Bull, a pagan. It had recently swallowed much of a demon's essence.
We really like this sword. It follow Robin Laws' guidelines about creating interesting magical weapons, for it has a unique personality.
Josh: It's a +1 sword.
Matt: Yes, but it's a +1 sword with an Ego of 12.
Erik asked if Ipolitto would finish the round or not. We decided that Ipolitto and the duke would show their hands to both the Quillmaster and Vincent, later retconned to the Quillmaster and Benedetto, when Lee couldn't make the next session, so Vincent was retroactively sent on a family errand in the middle of the session.
That basically wrapped the session, although, at some point, Roggerio and Ipolitto did examine one of the Quillmaster's quills. It was carefully gilded, and quite impressive. It was also magical.
Roggerio: Ah, it's the quill. (realizes that this is potentially insulting, and inaccurate as well) No, it's like my lute. The quill has power, but it magnifies his actual talent.
The Quillmaster confirmed that this was correct.
Erik commented that he was concerned about the next session. He wanted the diabolists to win this round, but he also wanted the players to have fun. We figured things would probably work out.
First, while he intended to rig the odds in the diabolists favor, he wouldn't cheat. It the PCs managed to win, so be it. He'd roll with it.
Second, as he explained, the diabolists currently had no intention of killing or necessarily corrupting Mutuol. Their present goal was simply to cut off his wings. This, I said, increased the odds in their favor, as the PCs expected the diabolists to go for a full sacrifice or attempted corruption, viewing the wings as an interim goal.
Third, Bella's vision was of the angle getting its wings cut off Her only other in-game vision had been of a demon being summoned, and summoned it was. The PCs managed to defeat it, but this established a precedent for her visions coming true.
Also, we now knew the PCs were supposed to lose. I know that some players would find this kills the enjoyment, but for me, it has the opposite effect. Knowing what Erik had in mind gave me enough aesthetic distance from my PC that Roggerio's lack of fun would not be mine, something that came up in Naomi's Middle East war in the Altclair game. I become a collaborator, an equal of the GM, and I am empowered to seek out types of roleplaying opportunities I would normally avoid. The GM and players conspire against the PCs, as opposed to the player competing with the GM for the fate of the PC. Or perhaps I wax over rhetorical.
There were some bumps in the next session, and, as I pointed out to Erik, at some point, the PCs should start winning, the diabolists so far having won every round. Nevertheless, the next session was enjoyable, and in no small part due to the GM's heads up.
