PARALLAX, Session 13: The Pallid Mask

Scene setup

Scene Expectations

This feels like a narrative dead end. This is what Mythic GME suggests in this situation:

However it happened, The Players find themselves at a loss for what to do next. This is the point where a savvy Game Master will make something happen to get the PCs back on track. You can simulate this intervention with Mythic by choosing to make the next Scene an automatic Interrupt Scene. Skip the roll against the Chaos Factor and go straight into generating a Random Event. This will create something new to interact with and should be enough to get you back in the groove.

If you want to take it a step further, you can also skip the Event Focus Table and make the Focus an automatic Move Toward A Thread. This guarantees that the Scene will bring your PC closer to resolving an open goal, thus moving the adventure forward.

Expected scene test

Automatic interrupt scene: Move Toward A Thread
Threads list roll: Hastur & Associates
Character action roll: Threatening + Deceive
FQ: are they still searching for the book?
A: yes!
My interpretation: we are contacted by Hastur men. They threaten to kill Jo unless we agree to a meet, but it’s clearly a deception. A trap. They do not have the book and think WE do.

---

Playing the scene

The heavy silence is broken by the ringing of the room’s phone. I share a stern look with my teammates before answering.

Placebo: “Hello?”

Man: “1403 Washington Ave at 12:00. All three of you. Bring the book.”

Placebo: “What? Who is this?”

Man: “You heard me. I’m looking at your detective friend right at this moment. If you don’t show up or if you play any tricks, she drowns. Is that clear?”

He doesn’t wait for an answer and ends the call.

Shit.

Placebo: “It was one of Hastur’s men. He said he’ll kill Jo if all three of us don’t show up at 1403 Washington Ave at 12:00. With the book.”

Pariah: “So they don’t have it!” There is a flash of hope in her eyes.

Phalanx: “But then where is it?”

Placebo: “First thing that comes to mind… maybe LaRoux, Baptiste’s colleague, took it the night he was murdered. After Kaminski bolted. She might have been exposed to the Yellow Sign.”

Pariah: “Could be. But right now we have to decide how to deal with Hastur’s men.”

Phalanx: “Wait, did they specifically say ‘all three’ of us must go?”

Placebo: “They did.”

Phalanx: “Well then. Maybe they’re not expecting a fourth.”

Pariah: “Robertson! But can we trust him?”

Placebo: “I don’t know, but it seems to me our goals are aligned. I say we trust him.”

Phalanx nods.

Placebo: “Does anyone know what the book looks like?”

Pariah: “No, but Robertson probably does.”

Placebo: “Maybe we show up with a similar-looking random book. That could earn us some time.”

Phalanx: “Time to do what?”

Pariah: “We should assume at least two unnatural users are involved, maybe more. But they would have to split up if they are really watching Detective Mouton.”

Phalanx: “You think they’re bluffing?”

Pariah: “Possible. In a situation like this, the threat alone is enough to force us to do their bidding. I certainly wouldn’t show up alone to a meeting with three enemies. So either they have more men, or they are bluffing.”

Phalanx: “Their mission was likely to take the book from Kaminski. I’d think two unnatural practitioners is overkill for that.”

Pariah: “I agree. I’m leaning toward a bluff. The detective is in no real danger; they will both show up at the meeting. One of them will probably be hidden, ready to take a shot at us.”

Placebo: “That’s a damn risky assumption you’re making.”

Pariah: “It is. But what other choice do we have?”

Placebo: “We send Robertson to protect Jo.”

Pariah: “And if both show up at our meeting, we’re done. No way we survive against that kind of threat.”

Phalanx: “Placebo, do you have a way to contact Mouton without Hastur’s man knowing?”

Placebo: “Possibly. Why?”

Phalanx: “The kind of ritual those guys used usually requires line of sight.”

Placebo: “So?”

Phalanx: “So just warn her to stay out of sight. Close the damn window shutters. I don’t think a man can walk into a crowded hospital and start throwing magic around, however powerful he might be. He’s likely looking at her from afar, if at all.”

Pariah: “That makes a lot of sense.”

Placebo: “Calling her cellphone is too risky; they might intercept it. But I know the officer standing guard. I could ask him to do it, saying there’s a sharpshooter or something.”

Phalanx: “That works for me.”

Placebo: “I don’t know… we are making a lot of assumptions here.”

Pariah: “Educated guesses are the best we can do.”

Placebo: “But if we think they’re bluffing, why show up at the meeting at all?”

Pariah: “They are dangerous. We cannot afford to have them on our heels. We have to take them out, then we’ll go for the book.”

I am unconvinced. The risk for Jo is still high, but I don’t see any alternatives.

Placebo: “Okay.”

Pariah: “Okay then. Robertson is a Ranger; I’m assuming he can use a rifle. We need to know more about the location so we can place him in a convenient spot.”

She takes out her laptop and looks up the address.

FQ: what place is it?
A: Ruined + Block
My interpretation: an abandoned building in a scarcely populated block

It’s a building in ruins in a scarcely populated block.

Pariah: “A building in ruins, low population area. Good place for an ambush. For both parties.”

She smirks, then takes a New Orleans map from her backpack.

Pariah: “We assume two enemies with unnatural abilities. If I were them, I would place someone on this rooftop. Clear view of the entrance. We’ll place Robertson here. Line of sight on the meeting point AND the enemy’s likely position.”

We all nod and move out.

---

At 11:56, we walk onto Washington Ave. We stop at the entrance of 1403, trying not to look at where Robertson is hidden. We don’t have to wait long. A man emerges from the building in a dark trenchcoat. One of the casters.

Man: “Weapons on the floor, gentlemen. All of them.”

Phalanx: “I don’t think so.”

Man: “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. For the detective’s sake.”

We look at each other, then drop our weapons. The man looks pleased.

Man: “Now, let’s cut this short. Where is the book?”

I reveal the fake book we borrowed from a library. It’s a fantasy novel with strange runes on the cover. The best we could find.

HUMINT opposed roll, Lawrence (10) vs Hastur’s man (60)
Lawrence: [D100]: [8] <10 => success
Hastur’s man: [D100]: [66] => critical failure => he believes that is the book, and mistakes the symbol on the cover for a yellow sign. He thinks we are already compromised.

The man believes it. He even mistakes the symbols on the cover for the Yellow Sign. He thinks we are already compromised.

Man: “Ah, there it is! And I see that you have had the opportunity to admire its… engravings?”

He smiles cruelly and pronounces words in a strange, guttural language. He expects a reaction, but nothing happens. Shock flashes across his face. Pariah acts immediately, taking advantage of his distraction.

NPC: Hastur Cult Celebrant
Stat | Value | Rating (Stat × 5)
STR 09 45%
CON 10 50%
DEX 11 55%
INT 16 80%
POW 17 85%
CHA 15 75%
HP: 10
WP: 17
SAN: 0 | Breaking Point: N/A
Key Skills
Unnatural: 25%
HUMINT: 60%
Persuade: 70%
Occult: 50%
Alertness: 50%
Athletics: 30%
Hypergeometrical Rituals
Breath of the Deep (Cost: 3 WP): Fills the target’s lungs with seawater. (Opposed POW vs. POW)
The Yellow Sign (Cost: 1 to 6 WP): If the cultist has a physical copy of the Sign (a ring, a drawing, a brand), they can “activate” it. Anyone who looks at it must make a SAN roll (1/1D6). On a failure, they are “marked,” and the cultist can track their location or cause them to see hallucinations of the “Pallid Mask.”
The Voorish Sign (Cost: 1 WP): A hand gesture that allows the caster to see invisible entities or the “true” form of something hidden by hypergeometry.
Combat & Gear
Unarmed: 40%, 1D4-1 damage
Small Caliber Pistol: 30%, 1D8 damage

Combat begins

Pariah’s turn
Pariah performs a surprise attack => automatic hit
Damage: (1D4) + (+1 DMG bonus for STR+CON): (1+1) => 2 damage

Lawrence’s turn
Lawrence tries to hit the man with the book
Unarmed Combat roll
(D100): (83) > 40 => miss

Hastur Cult Celebrant’s turn
Uses The Yellow Sign
target: (D6): (1-2)= Lawrence, (3-4)=Pariah, (5-6)=Phalanx
(D6): (2) => Lawrence
Lawrence (1/1D6) sanity check
(D100): (96) > 68 => failure
(D6): (4) sanity lost (unnatural) and starts hallucinating

Phalanx turn
He reaches for the gun on the floor and shoots the cultist
Firearms roll (-20% because weapon was not in his hands)
(D100 + 20): (28 + 20) < (80) success
Damage roll
(1D10): (7)
Enemy took 9 damages and has 1 HP left. He’s ou of combat. Pariah finishes him off with a blow to the head

Pariah performs a surprise attack. She catches him with a right uppercut, but it only deals minor damage. I attempt to strike his head with the book, but I’m out of my element and miss entirely.

The cultist recovers and pulls a parchment from his pocket. It’s the real Yellow Sign. He shoves it in my face. Reality shifts. I see a giant white porcelain mask, larger than the buildings, closing in on me. I crumble to the floor, screaming.

Phalanx dives for his gun on the floor. Despite the rush, he fires and hits the man full in the chest. The cultist falls, unable to breathe. Pariah finishes him off with a powerful blow to the head.

FQ: Are both Hastur’s men here?
A: Unexpected Random Event
PC negative: Neglect + Needs
My interpretation: I neglected Jo’s need for protection. One of the men is actually watching her.

We look around, expecting a second attacker, but nothing happens. I’m still on the ground in a fetal position, trembling. Pariah checks my vitals with professional care. My heart is racing, pupils dilated.

Pariah: “Look at me, Lawrence. It’s okay, you are safe. Listen to my voice. Take deep breaths. Good. Another one.”

Placebo: “The Pallid Mask is here for me…”

Pariah: “No, it’s not. Breathe. Again.”

I start to calm down. Reality reasserts itself. I slowly get up, my hands still shaking.

Placebo: “Jesus… oh, fuck… oh, fuck.”

Pariah: “It’s okay, it’s over. But the man was alone. This means…”

Placebo: “JO!”

Cold fear brings me completely back to reality.

Phalanx: “We have to get to the hospital. I’ll take the car. We need to move the body—lucky nobody saw this, but they likely heard the shot.”

While Phalanx gets the car, I reach for my phone frantically. I try Jo’s number: no response. We load the body into the trunk and speed toward the hospital. We might still have time. We have to.

---

Scene bookkeeping

Chaos Factor

Chaos factor: 8 (+1)

Character list

One more entry for Jolene LaRoux

Thread list

One more entry for Jolene LaRoux