Scions of the Divinity [IC] [Game]

[Jay 2K Winger]

OOC THREAD

The Tapestry of Fate is a complicated thing.

It tells the tales and charted destinies of everything in Creation. Of gods, Titans, the World, and all the things and peoples upon it. When people say that "our destinies are intertwined," it's not entirely a metaphor.

To those with the knowing of it, reading the Tapestry can literally tell you the story of a person's life, from birth to the present, and perhaps a little into the future if one's careful and crafty.

Let us look now upon some of the stories woven into the Tapestry...
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Riley Thorsen - Harrah's Casino, New Orleans

When one becomes a professional poker player, and has also been banned for life from the biggest casino close to home in Detroit, one must go where the games are in order to earn money. So one Riley Thorsen, also known to people as 'Ace', has found herself in Harrah's in New Orleans for this $25,000 hold 'em poker tournament.

It's not a huge tournament, though a win here will certainly put her on the map to get one day into the World Series of Poker. So it's a big deal for her. And she's found herself in the finals of this tournament, with two players remaining besides herself. One is a British man called Baz Moran, a very stoic individual with an ex-military haircut and nerves of ice. The other is a local, judging by the Cajun accent, playing with an ever-present smirk on his face, like the whole thing was a joke to which only he knew the punchline. His name was Mattieu Carrefour, and he was a very slick customer, really hard to bluff. Baz was the small blind, and Riley the big blind.

The flop: 3 D, J H, 5 H
The turn: 4 S
Current Bet: 500
Riley's hole: 7 D, 7 H
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Lupo Virtus - Robinson's Gym, Chicago

The life of a fighter, a boxer just starting out his career is not an easy one. Besides having to put in some serious training and getting decent partners to make sure your skills are up to scratch, one then has to find fights to get money. When you're still relatively unproven, this means having to deal with some seriously unscrupulous promoters. One or two of Lupo Virtus' fights had ended up paying very little when the promoter forked over a token amount and then drove out of town with the rest of the gate.

The last fight, though, had been a good one. Marshal Virtus, Lupo's father, had found a good promoter, and the money had been enough to make ends meet and then some. The fight had been good, too. Lloyd Hennessey was an endurance fighter, who banked on his opponents tiring themselves out, but he'd been outclassed by Lupo, who had taken everything Hennessey threw out, and instead wore him out, until it was a simple enough matter to land that one last right cross to the jaw that put him down for the ten.

That was a couple of weeks ago, however, and there were still bills to pay. Thus, Lupo was back at the gym, putting in some work, while his father was out trying to find another fight. And thus, Lupo was more or less by himself when a man walked in and regarded him for a moment or two. "Lupo Virtus?"

The man was relatively average looking. "Name's Paul Brighton. I understand you're looking for a boxing match? I might have one for you, down in Branson in a couple of weeks."
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Kiki Toshioto - Tailing a subject, Chicago

The life of a private detective isn't a simple one. One is usually asked to find evidence to affairs that may or may not be taking place. Telling the client something they don't want to hear usually meant that they didn't want to pay you all that much. One has to be suspicious of almost everything, and be careful not to push the boundaries of the law too much, lest one attract attention one doesn't want. And one often finds oneself trying not to stand out from the crowd.

At least that last part came easy enough to Kiki Toshioto. Even in a crowd of one, it was hard to pick her out sometimes. And that came in handy when she has to tail this subject. The client, a housewife named Lena Mooney, was concerned that her husband, Art, was having an affair. He did travel a lot, but even when he was home he was distant. There were phone calls and emails he tried to hide from her, and so she'd come to Kiki asking for help.

Art Mooney was in a coffee shop right now, reading something on an ebook reader, when Kiki sees him pull out his cell phone, which is buzzing. With a sigh, he gets up and goes back to the pay phone, which, as Fate would have it, is not too far from where Kiki ensconced herself to keep an eye on him. He drops in the coins and dials a number.

This is what she overhears him say: "It's me... because my wife's checking my phone for strange numbers now... what?... are you sure?... no, I'll be there... look, you know I can't keep this up for much longer... because of Lena, that's why." There's a longer pause this time, and then he rubs his eyes with one hand as he sighs. "All right," he says softly, "one more time, but only because it's you... I'll meet you there... don't worry about Lena, I'll make it right... love you, too," he finishes, before hanging up.

He lingers there by the phone for a few more moments, then sighs again and shakes his head as he pulls out his cell phone, dialing a number. "Yes, I'd like to book a room in Branson, Missouri, please," he says. "When? That'd be..." he pauses a moment to think, and then gives the date in two weeks' time. "Just for the weekend... two people will be in the room..." And that's all she manages to hear as he heads back to his table and collects his things, walking out the door.
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Liam O'Keefe - Between jobs, St. Louis

It has been some time since Liam O'Keefe had left the service, and a few weeks since his last bodyguard gig had concluded. The previous client, a Southern white rapper called Devil Anse, had been willing to extend the contract, but... well, let's just say to someone with Liam's moral compass, just being in the same county as Devil Anse was bad. Oh, nothing illegal was happening apart from buying and using some drugs, and even that wasn't anything more than huge amounts of weed, but it was the principle of the thing. Devil Anse was just a morally bankrupt kind of person.

The money from that contract was getting thin, though, and Liam needed something to bring in some more. Which, as Fate would have it, is when the phone rings. When Liam answers, he hears a voice with an Irish accent speak up. "Is this O'Keefe?" When Liam answers in the affirmative, the voice goes on, "Good, wasn't sure if Hanretty had given me the right number." Dan Hanretty was one of Liam's old contacts at the Emergency Response Unit. "The name's Mac Dubh, and I need your help."
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GM NOTES

And away we go!

[Chanlin]

Riley - At The Poker Tourney in New Orleans

Riley makes a show of looking at her hole cards good and long. Many of the possible outcomes have already played through her head. She has a decent chance at a straight and already has an ok pair. The odds of someone getting a flush are small but there. It at least can't hurt to see the final card before deciding whether to fold.

"I'm in." she says, and places down the necessary bet.

Liam - On the Phone in St Louis

"I'm listening..." is his only reply.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Riley Thorsen & Mattieu Carrefour - Poker Tournament - New Orleans

When Riley places her bet, Baz regards her levelly from behind his sunglasses, as unflappable as ever. He'd already called "check" and put in his own bet. Mattieu's own smirk hasn't faded either as he regards his cards, then nods. "Check," he nods, tossing in his own chips.

The dealer nods, sweeping his little scoop around the table to pull the chips into the central pile, then turns the river card.

The flop: 3 D, J H, 5 H
The turn: 4 S
The river: 7 C
Current Bet: 500
Riley's hole: 7 D, 7 H

At that revelation, Baz does the same thing he's done every hand when the turn and river cards are dealt. He clicks his jaw from side to side. It could be a tell, but it's just as likely he's throwing out a false one. For all his inscrutableness, he's low on chips. If he doesn't win this hand, he won't be able to afford the ante for the next hand.

Then he shakes his head. "Fold," he declares, sitting back and folding his arms.
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Liam O'Keefe - On the phone - St. Louis

Mac Dubh takes the short response in stride. "I'm doin' some undercover work for the feds, and a name came up I think ye might be familiar with, you bein' ex-Emergency Response." After a pause, he says: "Morgan MacBride."

Liam would recognize the name. One of the most dangerous men to come out of the Troubles, an ex-IRA rogue element, MacBride is wanted by law enforcement groups throughout Europe and Stateside as well. "I got wind that he's in the US, and that he'll be in Missouri in a few weeks. I could use some help down here prepping for a possible takedown. Hanretty pointed me to you."

[Mytical]

Lupo

"My father handles the matches, speak to him. Me..I'm just the muscle." he chuckles. "Personally, you put anybody in front of me, I'll go through them." He shrugs. "One way or another." Lupo doesn't stop practicing the whole time he is talking. "Just like he wants me to go by Mike 'The Wolf' Hammer during the matches. I don't know why, and don't ask."

Kiki
Thinking to herself 'Just like a man.' She gets ready to go on a trip, she will follow him wherever he goes..come what may.

[Chanlin]

Riley Thorsen & Mattieu Carrefour - Poker Tournament - New Orleans

Riley looks the cards over keeping a neutral expression, glances at her chips and... "Check" She looks to Mattieu waiting to see how he reacts.

Liam - The Phone Call - St Louis

"That's a dangerous man by all accounts. But if you need help, then you can count me in. And tell Hanretty he owes me after this."

[Jay 2K Winger]

Lupo Virtus - Gym - Chicago

Brighton just nods to him. "I'll talk it over with him, then. Personally, I don't see why there's any need to change your name in the ring." He chuckles. "I certainly know a man named 'Lupo' doesn't sound like anyone I'd wanna fuck with."

He nods to Lupo and starts heading toward the exit. "Look forward to seeing you in Branson. Be a hell of a fight." He pulls out his phone and makes a call as he leaves. "Yeah, it's me. ...yeah, he's in, I'll talk to the father and-- yes, of course I mean that father, not the other one, come on..." and then he's gone.

Over the next couple of weeks...

Lupo's father gets the call from Brighton, who arranges the fight against an opponent called Mark "The Meat" Cleaver. Cleaver's a man with a pretty dangerous reputation, with only a couple of losses, all due to judges' decisions. Otherwise, all of his victories have been knockouts.

Come the weekend of the fight, Lupo and his father and anyone else on their team arrive in Branson, where they're put up in the Hilton, also where the fight is scheduled to take place. They're met by Brighton, who shakes hands and helps them get settled in their rooms (Lupo is in Room 630) before heading off to "make sure everything's all set."

Lupo might be aware of a faint... kind of itch in the back of his head, not anything physical, just a kind of feeling like there's something going on he hasn't been told about, but it'd be difficult to put words to it. It's when Lupo is by himself in his room that there's a knock on the door, finding Paul Brighton on the other side. He looks a bit grim, as if he has to tell him something that he doesn't want to really get into, but must. "Lupo. Can I come in?"
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Kiki Toshioto - Coffee Shop - Chicago

Even if Kiki follows him outside, Art Mooney is gone pretty quickly after he heads outside. Kiki's good at blending in, but this guy seems like he just vanished into thin air.

Over the next couple of weeks...

Lena Mooney makes a call to Kiki every couple of days, asking if anything has come up, and it's all Kiki can do to persuade her to let her do her job, maybe follow her husband to Branson and see if she can get concrete proof of this illicit relationship that Art is having. For his part, Art is clean after that phone call. Any checks to his credit card show that while he did pay for travel expenses at first, the money was refunded, and an email can be found showing that the ticket and accommodation were covered by an A. Green at Hays Investments. A little research turns up an employee of the same named Anna Green. The room is at the Hilton Hotel in Branson, but no further details about the room itself can be turned up, not even the number.

Art himself is dutiful to his wife in the intervening weeks, as well, careful to come home on time, attentive to her needs and everything, and the excuse he gives her for his trip is a "business meeting." Lena, of course, has her doubts, and is horribly confused by the apparently conflicting behavior.

Kiki is able to get a room of her own at the Hilton, and even a seat on the same flight to Branson Airport. Once there, he meets a woman in the lobby, clearly Anna Green, whom he embraces warmly, but... it seems more like a familial hug than an intimate one. They chat for a moment or two, and he does give a bit of a furtive look around as he talks. She frowns at something he says and she looks around as well, and her gaze does sweep over the area where Kiki has hidden herself, but doesn't seem to notice her.

The two check in at the desk, receiving their keys and then leaving in an elevator. If Kiki checks, it stops on the 5th floor. The clerk at the desk when she checks in is friendly, and then tilts her head. "Oh. I see there's a note here for you, Miss Toshito," (yes, the clerk says the name wrong) "here you are." And with the key for her own room (room 419) is an envelope addressed to "K. Toshioto."

The message inside says "I know you've been following me. Meet me in Rm. 510 & I'll explain. --Art Mooney"
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Riley Thorsen & Mattieu Carrefour - Poker Tournament - New Orleans

Mattieu looks at Riley with that smirk, which widens into a bigger smile, and ... it's like she can feel he's trying to turn on the charm. He tosses a couple of chips onto the felt. "Raise ya a hundred," he drawls.

There are a couple of back and forth raises as neither one of them backs down. Until finally, they call, and their cards are turned over. First Riley, putting her up with three of a kind: sevens. As soon as that comes up, Mattieu just clicks his tongue, sighs, and turns over his own cards: 3 S and 5 S. Two pair, fives high. Riley Thorsen has won the tournament and $25K. She shakes hands with her last two opponents, Baz Moran just giving a curt nod before turning and leaving, while Mattieu gives her a charming smile. "You play a good game, chere, I get you next time, say true?" He winks, and then it's a few interviews and she's left on her own.

But already there's another tournament on the horizon, the Midwest Poker Championship, with a $75,000 grand prize, being held in Branson, Missouri.

Over the next couple of weeks...

Riley is left to her own devices, though she does exchange correspondence and phone calls with one Himy Holtzman, who is arranging the Midwest Poker Championship. Holtzman's company is putting up the competitors in the Hilton in Branson, and even chips in to help with airfare.

When she arrives in Branson, there's a cab waiting for her, and she's dropped off at the Hilton, where room 909 is waiting for her. She's no sooner settled in before there's a knock on the door, and Himy Holtzman is standing there, not at all what she was really expecting from the name. "Ms.--" he coughs a bit and clears his throat before hoarsely continuing over the name, "Thorsen-- (so sorry) may I come in? I have some things to discuss with you."
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Liam O'Keefe - The Phone Call - St. Louis

"Aye, he thought you'd say that," Mac Dubh chuckles. "See ya in a couple weeks." He gives the dates in question which, although he doesn't know it, are the same time as the Midwest Poker Championships and the boxing match.

Over the next couple of weeks...

Liam finds some money is sent his way by Hanretty, who explains it's to help cover expenses. This comes in handy when he has to book a hotel room, and as Fate would have it, he gets a great deal on a room at the Hilton.

After he arrives in Branson and checks in at the hotel (Room 728), he gets a text message from Mac Dubh, asking him to meet him by the Ripley's Oddities museum. Once there, Liam eventually runs into Mac Dubh himself, a heavyset bald man with a rather impressive beard, dressed not unlike a biker. He nods to Liam when he sees him. "O'Keefe," he says. "Glad ye could make it. There's some new information ye should probably be aware of..." Even as he says it, it's evident that Mac is a bit worried about how well Liam's going to take it...
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GM NOTES

Next update will be a big one, when the Truth comes out...

[Chanlin]

Riley - At the Hotel - Branson, MO

Riley frowns momentarily at the man. "You could at least let me settle in before bribing me to throw the tournament..." she throws up her hands and sighs with a slight smirk on her face leaving the man to wonder if what she said is a joke or not. She steps aside and motions with one hand to indicate that it's ok for him to come in.

Liam - Outside the Museum of all things Odd - Branson, MO

"Oi swear to t'e gods Mac Dubh if you go telliin' me t'at MacBrides not here after all or t'at he has a small army wit' him O'im gonna flub ya somet'in fierce." He beams a big smile at the man despite the fierce tone of his words.

[Mytical]

Lupo

Lupo lets him in to talk. "Come on in. You know if you are here to talk about the purse or anything like that..you're talking to the wrong person .. right? My dad handles the business end. I'm just the meat in the ring." he chuckles. He knows his father doesn't feel that way, but keeping the business parts apart lets him concentrate on what he does best. Fight.

Kiki
Kiki goes up at this..go to a strange guys room all alone, with nobody knowing where she is or what she is doing? No. So she sends a text to one of her police contacts that if she has not gotten back with them in a couple of hours to open the next text called "Where I went." which includes ALL the details of who, what, when, etc. THEN she heads to the room.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Riley - Hilton, Room 909

Holtzman laughs a bit. "Hardly, my dear, I wouldn't ask that of you. One has such a thing as pride." He steps into the room and waits until the door is shut before the somewhat nebbish behavior he'd been using fades and he straightens up. "Tell me, Ms. Th--" again, that cough and clearing of the throat, "Thorsen (so sorry), what do you know of ..." he hesitates, then says, "Norse mythology. I mean, the actual stories, not the bastardized crap that Hollywood puts out?"

Liam - Outside Ripley's Oddities

Mac Dubh shakes his head and indicates with a jerk of it to move somewhere out of immediate public eye. "Funny ye should mention t'e gods, O'Keefe, 'cos it's of 'em as I wants to talk to ye." Then, after a pause, he looks Liam in the eyes and says, "What d'ye remember of yer mother?"

Lupo - Hilton, Room 630

Brighton shakes his head. "Nothing like that, it's just..." He sighs. He steps inside and runs a hand through his hair. "You read much mythology, Lupo?" he asks, looking around the room, even moving to the window as if concerned that someone would be listening outside it, even on the sixth floor.

Kiki - Hilton, Room 510

After she takes her precautions and goes to room 510, Kiki is let into the room by Anna Green, who seems to be aware of Kiki's wariness, and takes pains to show both hands. She's wearing short sleeves, too, so there's no concern of anything being hidden. Art Mooney is in view as well, likewise with his hands in plain sight. The room is a double, two beds.

"Ms. Toshioto," Art says as he sees her. He has a weary look on his face. He looks tired. "I'm glad you came. And I'm sorry you got caught up in all this." He clears his throat a bit. "Let me introduce you. Anna, this is Kiki Toshioto, a private detective my wife hired. Ms. Toshioto, I'd like you to meet my sister, Anna Green."

Now that Kiki has a chance to really look at them, there is something of a resemblance there, though... it would be hard to put a finger on it exactly. Kiki would know from her research, however, that Art Mooney doesn't have any siblings. He seems to see the doubt on her face and explains, "Now might be the best time to explain that... in a way, I'm adopted, as is Anna." He sighs then. "Ms. Toshioto, I said I would explain, and I will, but the explanation might be a little hard for you to believe. But I swear by all the gods that I would never do anything to betray Lena." He puts a hand on his heart. "May my Mother strike me down if I'm lying."

Strange that he'd say that, especially given that Gertrude Mooney died several years ago.

"Ms. Toshioto," he continues, "what do you know about Greek mythology?"

[Chanlin]

Riley - Room 909

"You want me to get you something for you cough?" She says with a grin as she flops down on the bed staring up at the ceiling.

"I know my adoptive parents thought somewhat highly of the gods." She pauses a moment, "I took a class on it in college before I dropped out. You mean Odin, and Thor and all those crazy dudes hell bent on death before dishonor and all that crap right?"

Liam - Ripley's... an Odd Place for an Odd Conversation

Liam's eyes narrow briefly, "Oi know t'at oi always suspected my da' of beatin' her ta' death. Oi ne'r could prove it t'ough." His voice get's real quiet at the last part and he stares at the ground as if even speaking ill of the man that beat him daily makes him uncomfortable.

[Mytical]

Lupo

"Not much of a reader to be honest. I spend from twelve to fourteen hours a day training, and a lot of the rest fueling up for the training." He sort of chuckles to himself, his father had told him that he was a bottomless pit, but when you worked as much as Lupo you need fuel. "I am a plain person, so lets skip the dance and get down to why you are here?" He was a man who appreciated saying outright what somebody was going to say. "Your as nervous as most of my opponents when I get in the ring."

Kiki

"Pardon the expression, but what has that got to do with the price of rice in China?" Kiki did not trust Art, she didn't like Art, and she would make no bones about it. Even if his story was true, and she doubted it, he still lied to and hid things from his wife. "Why should I believe a word you say?" She might be inclined to listen to Anna, but unless Art could pull a heck of a rabbit from his behind, she would not believe anything coming from him.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Riley - Room 909

Holtzman shakes his head. "It's just a sort of... speech impediment, you could call it," he says.

"But yes, I mean that kind of thing." He hesitates a bit, then says, "Ms. Th--*koff* Thorsen (so sorry), the gods are real. They always have been. All of them." He pauses. "And the tales of their children, who become heroes and battle monsters... those are also real."

Holtzman grimaces slightly. "The monsters are still out there, hidden among us, and it's up to the children of the gods to stop them. Children like me." He then looks at her, meeting her gaze unwaveringly. "And you."

Liam - Ripley's

Mac nods a bit. "I heard about that," the biker grunts. "Nasty piece o' work, that one. But... well, might be good news, might not be, depending on how ye want ta look at it... but what if I tol' ye t'at the woman he beat ta death wasn'a yer mam?"

He pauses to let Liam digest that a moment, then continues, "The gods ye swore by, O'Keefe? They're real, boyo. Real as you or me. And there's heroes out there, the gods' children, fighting the same old war against the monsters of myth." He strokes his beard a bit, and says, "People like you and me, we're those heroes, Liam."

Lupo - Room 630

Brighton nods a little bit. "Straightforward man," he says. "I like that. Cut right to the quick." He sighs. "In the stories and myths, the gods oversaw the world, and there were monsters in it. But the gods couldn't fight all of mankind's battles, and so they had children with mankind, and those children became heroes: Hercules, Jason, Achilles, all them."

He sighs. "Things haven't changed since the days of antiquity," he admits. "War's still going on, it's just the battlefield that's changed. Maybe some of the tactics, too." He spreads his hands. "We're the children of the gods," he says to Lupo.

Kiki - Room 510

"It's tea." That comes from Anna. "It's 'the price of tea in China.'" She sighs a little bit. "It has everything to do with it. But... you know how, in the stories, the gods would have children, who grew up and became heroes and everything?" She nods. "Yeah... those are all true. And it still happens today. Heroes battling monsters."

Art sighs, and looks about to speak, but Anna shakes her head at him, speaking instead, "We're children of the gods," she says, and laughs a little. "Gods, that sounds so insane, doesn't it?" Then, after another moment, she says, "Art and I, we're children of Artemis, the Greek goddess of the moon. Well, her adopted children. Mother is a virgin. We were children of some other god who relinquished their claim over us, and she adopted us instead."

"When I had to leave all those times," Art said, "it was because I got called in to hunt down monsters. Anna and I are siblings, in the grand scheme of things, and I'm married. Lena and I had an evening wedding, under the light of the full moon, in the eyes of my Mother," he says. "If I were to betray the vows I took, I'd be facing literal divine wrath."

Anna speaks up again. "I called Art here because there's something big going down around here in the next few days. The gods are calling in a lot of us to make sure our numbers are strong."

"And," Art adds, "that's one reason I made sure you heard the call I made to Anna so you'd follow me here. You're the child of a god, too, and--"

He breaks off and turns his head slightly, as if he hears something. His eyes flick to Anna, who has a similar look, and then both are moving, and much faster than you'd think. Art is diving away from the windows behind him, as Anna swivels as she rises, hands moving as though drawing a bow, and with a shimmer of light, a silvery bow appears in her hands, looking as though it is crafted out of light, an arrow appearing as well. Just as she's drawn it full, two winged figures crash through the window, talons flashing. They have talons and wings, but they have the body and head of ugly, filth-smeared women.

"Harpies," Anna snarls, and then releases her arrow, which slams into one harpy's throat, sending it pitching back out the window, shrieking in pain. The second beats its wings as it shrieks as well, and the stench off the harpy is disgusting. Anna's drawing back her bowstring again, another arrow shimmering into being, but then Art stands and swings his arm, a silvery sword like Anna's bow flashing as it cuts the harpy's head off.

As the harpy's body falls, Art glances out the shattered window. "Looks like the other one's dead." He nods to Anna. "Nice shot." He lowers his sword, which shimmers and fades out of view. Likewise, Anna eases the draw, and arrow and bow likewise shimmer out of view. Art looks at Kiki. "Um. Sorry for the shock. We didn't know those harpies would turn up so soon...

[Mytical]

Lupo

Lupo can't help but laugh. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh at you, but you have to admit it sounds a little crazy. Me I'm just Lupo. I ain't nothing special. Just a man who loves a good fight. My father had always told me I was adopted, never hid anything from me..but even he doesn't know who my real parents are.."

Kiki

Kiki just sits there stunned for the longest time. She saw those..things..and she still couldn't believe it. She had witnessed the two of them pull something out of thin air..and she still didn't believe it. Heck she didn't believe her own eyes..finally she just sat down. "I .. what...thats...this is insane..."

[Chanlin]

Riley - Room 909

Riley says nothing but breaks out in gales of laughter.

Liam - Ripley's

"Really... ye drop a bombshell like t'at on me in front of a museum of oddities and expect me to believe ye?" He gives Mac Dubh a pointed look. "So what, does this mean I'm supposed to have super powers. Like Cu Chulain?"

[Jay 2K Winger]

Riley - Room 909

Holtzman sighs at the laughter. "Yes, I rather expected that kind of reaction..."

Which is about the same moment there's a knock on the door, before it's forced open, the lock shredding apart as two men shoulder their way into the room. Or... man-shaped creatures. They look decidedly ... decrepit, almost mummified-- in the sense that their bodies had been leached of moisture, not wrapped in linen. Incongruously, they'd been somewhat haphazardly dressed in bellhops' uniforms, but this was fitting badly over what looked like leather-and-plate armor. These zombie bellhops brandished hatchets and lunged forward with a rattling cry.

Which is when Holtzman suddenly flicks his arm out, and with a rainbow shimmer, two throwing daggers have materialized and flung themselves into the zombies' heads. They collapse to the floor, and he quickly steps over to them, grabbing one of their hatchets and cutting their heads off. That finished, he retrieves the daggers, and with another shimmer of rainbow light, the blades vanish. Holtzman sighs. "Draugr," he mutters. "They must be aware we're gathering in town." He sticks his head out into the hall, then drags the draugr into the room and shuts the door. Though the main lock is wrecked, he puts the chain up. The draugr don't smell any better in the confined space.

With that finished, Himy Holtzman turns back to her. "Now. You have anything to say?"

Liam - Ripley's

Mac Dubh shrugs. "I'd stick out like a sore thumb if I were ta go anywhere near t'e Hilton. As it is, I'm takin' a risk meetin' ye in a public place. But aye, that's the kind of thing yer supposed ta have." He scratches his beard a bit. "Least, ye will now, I s'pose. There's a lot more of us t'an ye'd think. But not everyone receives the call, as it 'twere."

He thumps his chest. "Me, I'm t'e son o' The Dagda, an' from what I hear, ye're supposed ta have quite a high up Mam." He looks to continue, but then both men would become aware of a sudden stench... like seaweed and salt water and mud... and then a very large man-shaped creature lunged around the corner toward them. Mac moved, shoving Liam out of the way as he squared up. The attacker had huge eyes like a lungfish and a mouth bristling with teeth like a lamprey. Its body was of mottled brown and green, and seaweed clung to its hair as it reached out with webbed and clawed fingers.

The creature hissed a challenge, which Mac met by baring his teeth and thrusting a hand into his leather jacket. From within it he suddenly draws a huge length of wood, a proper shillelagh, far too big to have fit in any pocket, and then Mac ducks under the creature's sweeping arm, swinging the knot on the end of the club into the creature's jaw. It goes over with a gurgling cry, and then is silenced with a wet crunch by a downward club from Mac.

"Bloody Fomorians," Mac Dubh spits, wiping off his shillelagh and putting it away in his coat, where it vanishes. He looks to Liam. "Come on, let's get inside. Less likely they'll make trouble around t'e mundies."

Once they're inside the museum, Mac turns to Liam again. "So, boyo, still don't believe what I'm tellin' ye?"

Lupo - Room 630

Brighton nods a little bit. "You're probably right to disbelieve me. Lord knows I wouldn't believe me if I were in your shoes. But it doesn't make it any less true. Your mother was your mother, gods love her. And your father... well, he's your Dad, if you take my meaning. But your father, if what I've been told is correct, is Mars." Beat. "I mean like the Roman god of war, not the planet, obviously." Off a look from Lupo, he spreads his hands, "I've had to make the distinction between planets and gods before, don't give me that look."

He sighs a bit. "I hate being the one they make tell people these things. Here's the way it works: there's lots of people like you out there-- people who were born to one of the gods and don't know it. A lot of them live their lives without ever knowing about the... well, call it the bigger picture. Far as the World and Fate are concerned, they're mortal. Maybe they have a knack of some kind, but nothing too out of the ordinary. But there are a few of them, like you or me, who get tapped for something more. They learn the truth about their heritage, and ... things change.

"They find out about the War, for starters, between god and Titan, over the Fate of the World. The gods are busy keeping the Titans in check Above and Below, which means the task of protecting the World itself falls to us. And word came down from on high that you've been tapped for something more." He points at the floor. "Right now, something big is going to go down here in Branson soon-- we can't find out the details-- but they're calling in folks from all over the country to make sure that it doesn't go sideways. I know for a fact that several of the Titans' agents and soldiers are probably already in town, and I wouldn't be surprised if we get--"

He pauses as some raucous laughter can be heard getting closer in the hallway. It has the sound of drunken revelers to it, which is not too uncommon to hear, but it seems to stop right outside their door. Brighton narrows his eyes a bit, gesturing for Lupo to stay back as he heads over to the door, as a shimmer appears in the air before a golden chain seems to slide out of his sleeve, looking like it's made out of golden light.

Brighton cracks the door, and then jumps back as someone kicks it open the rest of the way. In the hall and rushing inside are a trio of women. Or at least they look like women. They are dressed like club-goers, and the smell of booze is strong around them, but so is the scent of blood. If Lupo didn't know better, he'd have just looked past them altogether, but now... he can see the jagged claws their fingernails have been warped into, see the sharpened nature of their teeth, and see the bloodlust in their eyes.

"Godsdamn Bacchae," Brighton swears as he swings his chain out, which wraps around the neck of the one nearest to him. He yanks her backwards as the chain glows brightly, until sunfire erupts from it, engulfing the Bacchae in its coils, which shrieks as she's burned to ash. The second comes at him and pins him to the wall, claws flashing, as the third leaps over the bed and rushes toward Lupo with clear intent to kill.

Kiki - Room 510

Anna and Art look at one another, and then Art busies himself with grabbing the decapitated harpy and dragging it to the broken windows to dispose of it. Anna approaches Kiki. "Sorry, this can all be a bit much to take in, I know," she sighs. "Heaven knows, there are days I kind of wish I hadn't found out the truth, either. Especially since it often means I'm away from my own family." She smiles sadly. "Not married, no kids, but I have a mortal family. Brothers and sisters to my mortal parents, the ones who raised me." Then she chuckles a bit. "...though the adventures can be fun."

"If a bit undignified," Art grunts as he heaves the harpy's body up to the lip of the window, grimacing as he hurls it out, then following this up with its head. His clothes are now covered in the harpy's filth. "Ugh."

"At any rate," Anna continues, "that's one of the reasons we asked you to come up here. According to the word we've gotten from on high, you're the daughter of the rainbow goddess Iris--"

"Which probably goes a long way to explain how you can blend in so well," Art interjects as he tries to clean some of the filth off his hands.

"--and," Anna continues, "you could do great things for us in the War against the Titans." She pauses, then stands up, holding out her hands. "I understand this is all a bit much to take in, and truth be told, you have the right to say no to all this. You can go home, deliver your report to Art's wife however you like, and we won't stop you, and you can go about living a normal life.

"Or, you can say yes, in which case your life will get considerably more... interesting."

GM NOTES

Hmm, gone a little lopsided in terms of action and events, but we should level that out soon.