Message-Id: From: Joe Boerjes To: "'imperfect@mit.edu'" Subject: Summary of last run: rough Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 12:56:06 -0700 this is a summary mostly for No, since he wasn't there, but also for others, who may have forgotten how far we got...or your characters did. The party teleports from Mars to Earth using Mara's box, narrowly escaping from the Big C and arriving just outside of Rome. In the distance, Rome and more visibly, the Vatican, rise over the hilly Italian countryside. The party heads off on foot after deciding to try and walk their way to a road or home \where they can get a ride into the city. However, after an hour of not getting anywhere but more woods and hills, they decide to expedite things by using up the second of the three teleports that Mara can access. Aiming for Rome, the party instead lands inside a large ornate structure that they guess to be the Basilica of St. Peter. Four large rooms meet in a center rotunda, which is dimly lit from the ceiling. Moving off into the other chambers, the party discovers first a church or chapel (pews, altar and such) in one section, a large ornate reliquary and two empty chambers leading off to the "east" and "west". Splitting up, the party decides to tackle both chambers at once. Lars and James find that to the east, a large fight is brewing outside, which upon examination appears to be being lost by Swiss guard protecting the entrance to the eastern chamber from a large number of "civilians", wearing normal, even ratty clothing. Mara and Kev and Brother Michael find that their chamber ends in a locked door. However, footsteps coming from behind that door send Mara and Kev into hiding. Out stomp several churchly Knights, armored and armed to the teeth. They march off to the east, heading ultimately out the door Lars and James were surveying. The battle outside soon seems to turn toward the Swiss side. In the meantime, a priest stands before the western door, recently the portal for the knights. His head is bowed, praying and gesturing toward the east. Mara and Kev remain hidden for the moment. The party decides to re-gather. However, since Mara and Kev are "pinned", Lars, James and Ed decide to move to their end and see if they can help. James is the first to attempt contact with the priest, who doesn't seem to notice him until he is nearly standing before the priest. Lars helps with the translation and soon the priest is convinced (with some aid from Brother Michael) that perhaps the party should in fact meet with his holiness, the Pope. The priest heads away to try to secure an audience, leaving the party in the western chamber. The fighting to the east is suddenly punctuated by sounds of gunfire. Many bursts are heard and soon the fighting sounds stop. Returning to the center rotunda, the party sees black BTU wearing individuals toting guns and rushing squad style toward the Rotunda. Hiding themselves as best as they can, the party witnesses the arrival of Prince Albert, flanked by over a dozen soldiers. There is no sign of the Swiss Guard or those that they were fighting. Lars steps forward and identifies himself to the Prince. Lars seems to answer enough of the Prince's questions that he and later James and finally the rest of the party are brought into the Prince's party. Following behind the Prince and flanked by his guards, the party heads off to try and meet the Pope, who now has two sets of visitors. Going out the Western door, the party finally reaches the Popes audience chamber, led in by swiss guardsmen. What follows is a short meeting wherein the Prince reveals himself to be the Big C, rips off the Pope's head, and proceeds to try to do the same to the 3 bishops. When one of them escapes out a back door, the Big C chases after. The party, somewhat the worse for wear after a short battle with both the Swiss guards and the Prince's/C's soldiers heads after both of them. The path of devastation is easy to follow. The party ends up chasing the two out of the Pope's palace/Basilica, over a walkway, and into the towering Pyramid, which quickly distinguishes itself as a vault ... which seems to contain an immeasurable immense horde of art and artifacts that appear to be magical. The Big C is seen to be chasing the bishop through the maze of catwalks and stairways inside the pyramid, heading upward. The party finds a mobile "crane" and begin heading upward as well trying to catch up to the rabbit-and-haring pair. Arriving near the top of the vault, moments before the two should reach them, the party finds a row of black pyramids, which as the run ends, they begin to move toward. Lars and Ed both head down stairs headed toward the Big C.