Wednesday, September 11, 2013

The Path of Kane - A Solomon Kane Actual Play Volume 3



Unfinished Business

The Winthorpe party set out for Conners’ home, hoping to raid his books and find out what he may know about the Gems of Power. As they approached Conners’ home, a sound from around back drew their attention. Checking out the grounds, they found a barn, from which a rough sound was emanating. Jonathan told Tenzan to be at the ready as he carefully approached the barn…

As he came closer to a knothole, the doors were busted open and a massive black stallion with glowing red eyes and barbed wire being used as bit and bridle emerged! The group was momentarily taken aback…then Roger drew his pistol and fired, dropping the horse dead!

Jonathan was taken by surprised at the single lethal shot! He ordered Tenzan and Roger to examine the barn closer, while he and his sister checked out the house.

Inside the home, the siblings rifled through some very expensive art pieces, but they were really interested in knowledge…which they found in the study. Jonathan found that Conners had been studying “The Castle of the Devil” in the Black Forest of Germany. Jonathan read with great interest about Baron Von Staler, his descent into madness and cruelty after hitting his head and losing his sight, locking the Baroness away, battling Solomon Kane and then regaining his sight, murdering the Baroness believing her to be an imposter! Conners has apparently come to believe that Von Staler’s bones are still in his castle, and has dispatched men to Germany to seek them out for some dark end!

Jonthan read on, discovering that Conners had been financing his studies through selling all kinds of dark items to dangerous and desperate people, and that he had actually created that horse in the barn, through some manner of demonic infusion!

Tenzan and Roger joined the twins in the house, and Jonathan asked what took so long, to which Roger replied by informing him that the horse kept trying to get back up!

Examining the house closely, they found a hidden room where Conners was performing dark studies, as well as parts and remains from human and animal victims he had been studying on!

The decision was made to make their way to London, gain passage to Germany and seek out the Castle of the Devil for themselves! To finance the trip, they rather looted Conners’ home, in hopes of unloading the items in London.

The Winthorpe party rode out across England in their cart, stopping at an inn a couple of days later. Through this all, Jonathan had been studying the book he found at Dr. Hapgood’s…and as he was settling in for the night, something clicked! Jonathan was momentarily overwhelmed…because he had discovered the secrets of raising the dead!

Shortly thereafter, a strange pot crashed through the window and began filling the room with smoke! Jonathan tried to keep his feet, but stumbled out of the room where he saw Tenzan and Christina under similar assault! Then darkness came…

Jonathan came to sometime later, being smacked repeatedly by his sister, who was trying to wake him up. She told him that Roger has missing, but she had found tracks leading away from the inn. The twins and Tenzan mounted up, and headed out to rescue Roger!

A short ride later, they saw Roger tied up in a clearing, surrounded by half a dozen men, and a figure on a black horse that appeared to be Conners! They rushed to save Roger, but the henchmen moved to intercept them! One struck Tenzan with a surprising blow, crumpling him to his knees! Christina charged Conners, but one of his men tried to block her.

The others surrounded Jonathan, who quickly cast spells to protect himself, and then to enhance his fighting skills. They paid off just in time, because he was surrounded by some vicious thugs!

Conners went at Christina as well, and she was battling viciously to fend off both men.

Jonathan bloodied his kodachi, as Christina brought down Conners and his henchmen, then rushed to save Jonathan.

In mid battle Jonathan was hit with a revelation: He knew a couple of these men from Wyndham Keep! This puzzled him, but he kept fighting and he and his sister held off the thugs!

Tenzan was wounded, but not killed, and was embarrassed to be taken in such a way. They freed Roger, and went to Conners…to discover it wasn’t Conners at all, but a frightened soldier named Terry Roth! Roth explained that he was only here because his daughter had been bitten by a wild dog, and a man offered to heal her: Life for a life! Roth would do anything to protect his own, even kill another, and that’s why he ambushed Roger! A slip of paper fell from his cloak and Jonathan read it: A note, addressed to Roger, from Conners! Citing certain beliefs that items on your person follow you into the afterlife, Conners left this so Roger would know who killed him, and that it was done because Rogers “chose the boy”. Conners then promised in his letter that he would come for “the boy” when it was least expected, and would take his life!

The Winthorpe party gathered Terry and Roger agreed to try to save his daughter. They went to Terry’s home, and after a long night of hard work, Roger managed to help her illness subside.

Soon back on the road, the Winthorpe party arrived in London early the next day, riding along the coast, when they caught wind of sailors hauling a body onto land and one yelling out “Again?! That’s the fifth one this week!”…

Notes: The encounter with the demon horse was supposed to be way more than a one shot finish. The horse was trying to escape and would inadvertently lead them back to Wyndham Keep, where Conners had escaped after getting into the heads of some of Lord Wyndham’s men and getting them to turn on Nicodemus.

Oops.

Jonathan’s player played the Enemy card in this session, and so I made sure to establish that Conners would be coming back, and back for blood, while also hinting again at the hidden past of Roger Therrien.


Next adventure is a Savage Tale from the book involving a giant rat…did I mention Jonathan is afraid of rats?

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