Dark_RP

Session Seven:

Long Dead Voice of The Resistance.


Surrounded by ghostly Legionnaires of the Grim Legion, and watching the mysterious Pembroke/Elizarov disappear off into the Parisian streets, the covert circle of Loyalists just in from Berlin cast one last look over their shoulders at Captain Mansheim and the LZ-4, and make for the house owned by Stinger's sister in order to use it both as a hideout in the Insurrectionist city, and their new Haunt.

The streets of Paris at twilight were bustling with its living residents and they had to dodge and weave to avoid being walked through by the unknowing living residents.
Things seemed chaotic there in places as they pass numerous sick houses for those dying of the Spanish Flu epidemic that was sweeping across Europe and swelling the Skeletal Lord's ranks, and yet in the skinlands the mood there seemed considerably less depressed than in the defeated city of Berlin.
Through the shroud of the shadowlands however the city was still rife with decay, and from time to time small groups of Grim or Emerald Legionnaires can be seen on patrol, or stood near open nihils, watch over them, as well a troops of chained withered looking wraiths being led away toward the looming Citadel.
As they walked in the direction Stringer roughly remembered her living sister's house to be, a pair of Emerald Legionnaire noticed them among the crowds and called for them to halt. The senior of the two proceeded to question them in a variety of ways, with only Hughcastle giving suspect answers, however backed up by Stringer they managed to assuage any serious suspicions. Hughcastle could however not escape, the confiscation of the rather obvious relic riffle that he openly carried over his shoulder, despite the many faux objections that he raised.

Stringer's sister's house was a classic Belle Epoque Parisian town house, well appointed, fairly large and luxurious with a few servants. After some explorations around the place the came to the conclusion that the best place for an undisturbed Haunt would be the large and unused attic at the top of the three storey building.
Shortly afterwards they left the house to make contact with their connection to the loyalist underground, the Pardoner that peddled his wares on the Rue D'Avron in central Paris, well outside the Necropolis area.
Not long after finding the correct road they noticed a Pardoner's lantern hanging in the Shadowlands outside a boarded up Skinlands shop, casting a dim glow about itself.
Not quite sure what to expect they stepped though the old wooden door and into a dusty and empty old shop. Inside sat a pale fellow on one of two relic chairs. He was caped in black and wore a wide brimmed hat of the same colour as was the custom among his Guild. He looked up at them from under the brim of his hat while fiddling with a relic knife when they entered, and asked them what he could do them for, and Hughcastle replies that he has heard there is fine dinning at midnight".
Th Pardoner, who went by the name of Bertand, freezes for a moment, examining them, before the expected round o questions and answers passed between him and the circle. The most important information he relays to them is that they should return at the same time the next night, and he will then take them to the Loyalist resistance. They agree, and begin to discuss the arrangements when the Bertand's lantern begins to audibly clang around outside, and with the rising of a whistling wind an alarm bell begins to toll in the distance atop the Citadel.
Maelstrom! Cries the Pardoner as he leapt to his feet and ran straight through the wall and away.
Knowing that a skinlands structure would provide them with no protection against the ghost-storm they quickly decided to make for the basement of Stinger's sister's house, seeking safety bellow ground in the absence of any shadowlands structure. And with that they set off through the wall themselves, dashing madly down the street in a growing, painful wind.

Meanwhile, in the neutral Silent Legion's small Paris barracks one Legionnaire Franks is unexpectedly summoned before a Centurion named Arnaud from External Intelligence. The Centurion was tall and of medium build, appearing in a smart but anachronistic French Officer's uniform. Franks is greeted formally upon entering entering the small and dimly lit room, before being told that what he is about to hear, the orders he is about to receive, are considered top secret by the Legion on pain of the Forges.
In the locked room of the fortified relic burned down warehouse that is the Silent barracks Horace Franks is then briefed on the outline of the mission of a circle of Loyalists arrived in the city from Berlin, and that he is being assigned to assist them as a point of honour as the group had come to the Silent Legion's aid in the past. If captured or questioned by the Grim, Emerald, or other Insurrectionist forces, he is told to inform them that he is of the Pauper's Legion, and forthwith not to report to anyone but him on this matter, including even others within their Legion. He was told he would be joining up with the circle at the haunt of Pardoner Bertand in Paris centre the next night, and then dismissed.
Not long after he to noticed the wind beginning to howl outside, and then was called to the defence of the Silent barracks from storm-ridding spectres along with his fellow Legionnaires.

As the circle ran the winds increased to what Von Dekker estimated was Force 2 or 3, and s they turned a corner not far from Stringer's they saw a large nihil tear through the fabric of the Shadowlands in the air down the road behind them, and a troop of spectral gas masked cavalrymen come charging out on moliated steeds of former wraiths and into a nearby detachment of Legionnaires, followed by a surge plasmatic gas.
Von Dekker turns with his relic pistol in hand, thinking to help the embattled Legionnaires, only to see the the form of the sudden maelstrom, a roiling wall of almost solid black descending on the city in the shadowlands and surging through its streets.
He quickly thinks better of it, despite his shadow's urgings, and turns running to catch the others up.
Upon reaching the house they run straight through the front door, cellar door, and then hit the deck as the howling winds and eerie shrieks pass over above, and continue for around 10 hours before the storm passes and the marauding spectral units are fought of by the local Legions.

After the ghost storm had receded once more to the Tempest both the Berlin circle and Legionnaire Franks made ready for their rendezvous at Bertand's, having still heard nothing of Elizarov/ Edward Pembroke.
They meet in the old abandoned shop front, and Bertand, who has met Franks before, introduces him as the Silent Legionnaire explains why he is there and that he will be assisting them in any way he can.
The Pardoner then takes them as promised, takes them to meet with the Loyalist underground of Paris, who just happen to be, literally underground.
He brought them to an old stone tunnel mouth on the banks of the Siene, an entrance to the Paris catacombs, before leaving them with instructions to tell the Loyalists that they are "Louis' butlers".
The narrow but widening tunnel leads down into darkness, winding through changing passages before noises and a voice in the darkness orders them to stop. The circle does so, and gives the code phrase before a soulfire lantern was uncovered ahead of them shedding blue light on the now wider stone tunnel, and a group of mixed Legionnaires, heavily armed and moliated, ahead of them with swords drawn and relic riffles levelled at them. They are asked for their names before the weapons were lowered and they were led down yet more winding tunnels beneath Paris before coming to a large lit chamber, a staging area of some kind, where other Loyalists were gathered for various reasons. One Marshall Etienne of the Skeletal Legion, the local commander, thin, in piecemeal relic armour,with limp curling hair hanging down his face and dark shadows under his eyes speaks with them and hears Centurion Von Fenrig elaborate on their mission. He replies that he and his men will provide what ever back up they need, but that they must put the plan together themselves, and make sure that it is full proof, he will not put his men's souls in danger for a fools errand.
He tells them that he himself knew only that an important party from the Empire of Jade are to hand over an Important Loyalist commander to the Grim Legion, and of the aledged area where it is to take place, run down Park Du Parisii in the poor southern part of town.
He says they need to obtain detailed information as to the exact timing of the exchange, only then he will provide support from a cohort of Loyalists to aid in the rescue.
Commander Etienne then tells them they are free to requisition any thing hey may need to get this done.

When they get back to their temporary haunt once more, this time with Franks, Edward Pembroke/ Elizarov is waiting in the attic, still in full gentleman's evening wear, sat down and reading a small relic notebook of some kind.
He stood as they entered and commented on their new friend, accepting his introduction graciously, and asked for an introduction before saying, in more sombre tone, that he had been speaking to his contact in the Haunter's Guild here in Paris, the one that captured and interrogated the spectre that had had a hand in the corruption of Xian Tsung. He continued saying that more had been learned... Intensely disturbing information, far worse than that he and his contact had previously uncovered.
He said that it was best that they come and meet his friend in person so that he can relay these things to them himself, so they can all pool their thoughts and decide what course to take.
Though disturbed, they agree, Pembroke then left after telling the to meet him behind the Cafe Blanc later that night, and telling them to beware patrolling Legionnaires on the streets as there is a curfew outside the Necropolis area after dark.
They spend the intervening time performing a brief recognisance of the park in question, the once sumptuous but now decrepit and deserted Park Du Parisii. They discovered but one thing of note on the trip, in the Tempest of the area was a large black unexplained mound that seemed to radiate angst and dispear, they almost sought to investigate the anomaly further, but in the end thought better of it at the time, and left the area with all due haste.

After they left Stringer's for the meeting later that night they saw a group of Grim Legionnaires carrying cauls out of a local sick house where a Reaper awaited complete with relic scythe to reap them before the should-be members of the Skeletal Legion are taken away in chains toward the Grim occupied Citadel.
All of the circle were enshrouded as was wise, save for Raj and Stringer who did not possess the ability, they were spotted by the remaining guards and told to stop for questioning, which they duly did, but when one of them tried to take Raj away a violent confrontation suddenly ensued, and their shadows came to the fore.
Shots were fired, swords of Stygian steel rang out and shadow strove against psyche as friend turned against friend on the cobbled Parisian streets. Darkness had come into the eyes of both Von Fenrig and Hughcastle and Raj seemed to dive for cover into the very soul of one of the confused and ambushed Grim Legionnaires.
Their mission momentarily forgotten, the circle now turned on each other at that most inopportune of times, with all the duplicitousness and ferocity the darkest parts of their own souls could muster with only a few among them remaining level headed enough to dispatch the Grim shocked Legionnaires into harrowings.
If their true enemies were have been watching, they would have laughed with glee...