THE CONCLAVE OF EMERALD

GM: James
Transcribed by James
In Game Date: September 26, 2006
Episode: 20

After the group dropped him off SILVIO KHLORES moved immediately to a small garden and transported a horrifically wounded and unconscious VITALY KULIKOVA through the Nevernever to CAPITOL HILL. He reappeared in a garden just a few blocks from AUNT B’s. Before he could even move though he was speared by a bright light and a shaky voice demanding he “Freeze!”.

The rookie cop was obviously very young and freaked out at the sight of a ghoul in its true aspect especially one whose legs were stripped nearly to the bone. The distant sounds of the battle with riot police could be heard from miles away in the UNIVERSITY DISTRICT echoing down the streets. He demanded that Silvio tell him what the hell he was doing and what the fuck was he carrying! Silvio used a glamour to make Vitaly appear less threatening and explained that he was simply helping a friend and suggested that the young officer call it in and get back up if he was so frightened. The rookie readily agreed and while reaching for his radio Silvio used a Glamour to simply vanish. The officer was completely freaked out and got in his car and took off at full speed. Silvio used a seeming of a wheel chair and wheeled his charge toward Aunt B’s. Vitaly was semi-conscious and muttered something about “I must warn them”.

When he arrived at the Edge of Circle Books the Duke of Flowers found the alleyway being used as a triage staging area with changelings, fae and other supernaturals waiting to be treated for a variety of wounds. Some quite severe. CLAIRE REDWOOD was moving from patient to patient noting the severity of the wounds in a little notebook. Silvio created a seeming on his ghoulish charge’s hands encasing them in metal to prevent any unfortunate incidents if he woke up in a panic. Vitaly woke up briefly and told Silvio that he needed to speak to the old Warden. It was important. He then lost consciousness again.

Silvio turned to leave but was confronted by Aunt B herself. She angrily demanded that he and his friends help out. She wasn’t made of money and after treating them so often in the last few weeks she felt that they owed her. She wanted them to help out with community service or the like. Silvio blew her off and left.

He then hitched a ride with a passerby and convinced him to take him to Lynne’s Den in WEST SEATTLE to hook up with the rest of the group. During the drive Silvio was able to counsel the driver on how to handle everything from his failing marriage to his step mother. The grateful driver dropped Silvio off and drove away with haste once he realized the dangerous neighborhood he was in.

Silvio arrived at Lynne’s Den just in time for DOZER’S victory celebration which was in full swing. He met with ZEBADIAH EINAR and the rest of the group and explained that Vitaly apparently had some big news. OSAMU NISHIMURA turned to GYPSY and asked her if they could borrow some transportation. After a bit of sexual tension and flirtation she gave them the keys to an old work van that was well used and they made their way back to Aunt B’s.

Claire was still struggling to heal the various wounded under her charge and when she saw Zeb and STACY KEENE she was obviously unnerved. After all she was still under the Doom of Damocles for her past actions. Stacy was able to sooth her fears though and even got her to laugh. They went into the main operating area and saw several severely wounded patients being treated. It was clear that some were just being made as comfortable possible as there was no hope of them surviving their wounds. A large changeling made his way to a curtained off area with a full side of beef. He dropped it off and the party saw Vitally’s silhouette rip into the beef with insane fury. He made short work of it seemingly being all claws and fangs. After a very loud burp Aunt B explained that that was his third side of beef and he should be strong enough to leave soon. Which was remarkable given how terrible his wounds were. She did extract a promise from them to help out when they could in exchange for her services.

Vitally sat before them with strangely baby pink looking spindly legs and a hugely distended belly that was a bit unnerving. He told them that his clan of Ghouls along with CYRUS GREY had been investigating attacks on the Children’s Hospital. There was a psych ward there and they knew that SAWNEY BEAN was drawn to madness. They followed him from there to BEULL HALL on the campus of the UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON. It was there that Bean ambushed them. He somehow knew Grey’s true name and nullified his great power easily. His CANNIBAL THRALLS then overwhelmed Vitaly’s clan killing them and scattering them with superior numbers.

Grey used to be a mortal and was raised in a strict Puritan fashion at the lost colony of Roanoke Island. It was unknown what brought him in touch with OUTSIDERS or if they had anything to do with the colony’s disappearance. He became a powerful servant for them for over 150 years before he defied them and became the OUTER DARK’S most implacable enemy. The reasons for his changed allegiance are lost to time. He has been a guardian of the SEATTLE UNDERGROUND where the veil between worlds is at its weakest for over 100 years.

Bean needs a conduit that has been tainted by the OUTSIDERS as a sympathetic link to their reality. He can provide that link himself but it would utterly destroy him. There is only one other who lives in Seattle who can be used in Bean’s place: CYRUS GREY. And Bean has captured him.

Bean will use a Ritual to open a doorway to the LEVIATHAN. Once he has gained enough victims he will sacrifice them all and channel their life energies through the CONDUIT opening the passageway. This has to be done in a place of power that has been tainted by madness and death.

Vitally says the ritual will be done in the underground passages of BUELL HALL. It was an insane asylum at one point and it is said that horrid experiments were done in the holding cells beneath the building in the 30s. He suggested that they must figure out some way to distract Bean’s defenses while they rescue Grey. Vitally can lead them to where Bean is doing the ritual through the NEVERNEVER passages in the SEATTLE UNDERGROUND. But they need to convince the Conclave that Montague had called to unite and launch an attack distracting Bean’s forces while they sneak in.

At that they left to meet with the Council. They arrived to a government building on the SEATTLE WATERFRONT that had a large lecture hall with tables that went around the room allowing everyone to face each other. Silvio was right at home with the trappings of power and enjoyed politicking with all the various FACES of Seattle that were in attendance. He proceeded to send the players to lobby for support for an attack on Bean’s forces by the various groups before the meeting began. Great strides were made and they gathered quite a bit of support for the plan. However it was while Osamu was speaking to REVEREND CHARLIE that they came across a potential problem. It seemed that there were some questions about the group’s actions being raised by TREVOR RADCLIFFE. The Reverend suggested that if the party’s actions were found to be justified he might be amenable to the actions that they proposed. But until the charges that Radcliffe raised were answered he could make no promises.

It was then that the meeting was adjourned. After a brief speech from LORD MONTAGUE he introduced his daughter DELILAH MONTAGUE who provided a detailed briefing about the bleak situation that faced the city. Once again she pointed out that the National Guard was being mobilized and that could expose the entire supernatural community to the outside world in the worst way possible. If the Sawney Bean situation wasn’t resolved before the Guard were deployed then drastic action would have to be taken by Montague. And that could be disastrous. With the stage set Delilah introduced Trevor Radcliffe.

Trevor Radcliffe blamed all the problems that the city was facing on Zeb and the group.
It was Zeb’s apprentice who stole the BOOK OF OUTER DARKNESS and unleashed Sawney Bean he said.
In fact it was Stacy Keene who lost the book in the first place. He continued:

“And where is JACK YOUNGBLOOD? We all know of his rather sullied reputation. He could be the one behind all of this as well. Or maybe he is just in collusion with Zeb his master. He is obviously too old and incompetent to be allowed to have any say. He is just trying to cover his own ass.

In fact given the desperate situation of the White Council in the unjust war against the Red Courts it is obvious that he was seeking allies to aid them. He was willing to kill or destroy anyone who got in the way."

TREY WELLINGTON immediately agreed and cited the many victories the vampires had had recently.

Zeb and Silvio along with the rest of the companions answered these charges defeating them rather easily even though they did gain ground with some of the members of the council. It was then that Radcliffe called on his most damning witness:

“I would like to ask OSAMU NISHIMURA a question. Please tell us what ZEB did to KAROLYNN KENNEDY.”

Osamu stood before the audience and explained that he disagreed with Zeb’s decision to kill Kennedy. But he understood why he felt it necessary. It was an act of compassion because she was suffering after her possession by BLACK AGNES. Her mind had been hollowed out and the only thing she was experiencing was pain. So while he regretted that Zeb chose to kill her he acknowledged that he was doing his duty as a Warden of the White Council.

This speech had a great impact on the Conclave and at this point they were firmly behind the companions. But WILLIAM WEST had some additional information about the true culprit behind this whole mess. He pointed out that Radcliffe tried to buy the CAULDRON OF STONEHAVEN from him twice. He also noted that KAROLYN was a Radcliffe scholar. So he would have ties to her as well. It was clear that Radcliffe had a lot of questions to answer. LUCY SMITH-EINAR, who had accompanied Radcliffe to the meeting stomped angrily out of the room giving her father an apologetic look.

The Conclave voted with an overwhelming majority to back the party’s plan and attack Sawney Bean’s thralls at Buell Hall to provide the distraction they would need to prevent him from summoning the LEVIATHAN. Trevor Radcliffe left quickly and his passing was noted by Delilah Montague and her father. He left in a limousine…

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