Part Two: Tête Plate
Friday, August 6th 1790
Virginia didn’t find Flathead that morning. Neither did she the night after. Manx spent Thursday trying to decipher the french code in the book with the help of someone else. They were not at the house. Robert waited. Most nights he was a caged animal waiting to get the word to get the job done, but not wanting to do anything else. He was often afraid of what he’d do if he went to see Lizzy. She thought he was dead. Burned away with their lives.
The House was a nondescript home, two stories with an attic, smashed against other homes on a street no one respectable would want to live on anymore since the tanneries and slaughterhouses were close by. From the outside it looked run down and from the inside it looked run down. The only difference is that the heavy curtains you could see from the outside were boarded over and nailed in place on the inside. Robert and the crew lived there. In squalor. Robert felt like he deserved it most nights.
Soon after he arose on the night of the 6th CL and Manx called a meeting with him and Virginia. Manx and whoever he was working with thinks they have part of the code cracked and might know where the first safe house of the french vampires was.
CL ordered Virginia and Robert to scout the area and report back. “Don’t be a fool this time Bobby”, he said to their backs as they left the house.
Nothing in the city was very far. Within an hour they walked across town to the address that CL had given them. A nice address. A town home fit for visiting royalty. They scouted the house. The front the back the sides and then set back into the shadows to watch for any sign of their prey.
Gather Information. 6+1 vs 6 and 5. A strong hit. +2 momentum and I discover something helpful and specific that shows the path we must take. I have no idea, so I Ask the Oracle by rolling on the action and theme tables in ironsworn. Restore and World. Ok this makes it a bit more vibrant than I thought it would be.
The house was well lit with lots of people. A party was going on. From the looks of it a very high dollar and socially astute party. Robert thought if Jefferson could see some of New York’s elite rubbing shoulders with nobility he’d burn the place down. Robert didn’t hate the french. They saved the states from losing the revolution. It’s just the french heroes of the american revolution were all on the other side of the world helping free their country from the likes of the people celebrating in america. It made his blood boil a bit.
Through the windows in the span of an hour he saw the blue man, now wearing red and blue, often. This was his party the way he flitted from group to group.
When CL arrived without Manx. Robert and Virginia filled him in. “you two are going to go in. If Flathead is in there we need to know.”.
Virginia looked like she was about to complain but turned to circle the block. Robert followed. “The captain can be an idiot sometimes.” she said as they turned to come in the servants alley. Robert just nodded.
The alley, like the side streets, are filled with carriages and their drivers waiting on their masters to get done at the party. “No use sneaking past all these eyes.” she says. The two of them move to the house. At its back is a man standing at the back fence. He seems to be in charge of who goes in and out. As they approach they see someone ask for a carriage and the man sends a younger boy down the line of carriages calling out for the one being asked for.
Robert has no way of sneaking in here so I’m going to see about playing up his history. Ask the Oracle 50/50 is the man of revolutionary war age? Yes. Ask the Oracle, does he hold himself like a soldier? 50/50 nope. Well let’s just see.
Robert walks up to the man like he is supposed to be there, putting on his military face but keeping his hat on and hoping to angle away from the light from the house. His face never looks completely human up close. The man’s emotions are vibrant coming off of him. Robert thinks he could use that. Frustration makes things move quicker sometimes. “Sir, would you do me the service of letting me pass without raising a fuss. I’m on an urgent errand for my master”
Compel. Hmm. He’s not lying yet. I’ll give him his +heart and the +1 from being able to see the emotional state of that man. 2+4 vs 1 and 7. A weak hit. It works but he wants something in return. I think he just wants Virginia to stay back. That’ll hinder Robert if he has to face danger.
As soon as the man sees Virginia his emotions shift. He looks at her for a long moment before hearing what Robert said. “Yeah sure, don’t delay, give it to the commander’s man and leave.” They move to go past but he puts his hand up. “She stays here.” The waves coming off of him says that he enjoys the view. Robert smiles, “sure thing” and winks as he walks away from Virginia who looks extremely insulted.
Robert moves toward the house looking around. He’s looking for any cellars or back doors. Anything that looks off limits while he walks toward the kitchens.
Gather Information. Ouch 6+1 vs 10 and 10. A miss with a match. Bad day for Robert.
He rounds the corner, just out of sight of where Virginia is staring daggers at his back when a man stands up from the steps to the kitchens and bows to him. “Bob, I presume.” he says in a thick french accent.
“Robert”.
“Pardon, Robert.” Sounds more like Robbear coming out of his mouth but Robert smiles. Leave it to the french to be kind about names. “You should not have come. Now we have to think of what to do with you, no?”
“Give me our man and I’ll be gone. No reason to disrupt such a fine party.” Robert replies.
“Ah, he is not mine to give. No, he is a prisoner for attacking the ambassador.”
“What does that mean?”
“The Ambassador? He is the man from the alley and he is very important.”
“In France. This is America.” Robert says. The man laughs. Robert has been sizing him up. He holds himself like someone who is used to being in control because they know they are hardly matched. His natural hair is pulled back and tied with a ribbon and the rest of him is what you would expect anyone in America to be wearing if they were serving someone with money. He also has seen that below the stairs to the kitchen was another door.
He stops laughing and looks right into Robert’s eyes. “In our world there is no France, there is no America. Not anymore. The revolutions are changing everything. Now there is only the Pacte de Sang.”
Robert doesn’t know what to say to that. He has been told very little about vampire society. The man can see Roberts’ confusion and smiles. “See, maybe we are not enemies after all! Maybe they will forgive your murders because of such ignorance.”
This is an unintended by product of me liking to keep things open while I play. I assumed that the vampires were coming from France to flee the revolution but it appears that Robert is being left out on vital information about his new existence. That, there is a larger group(s) talking and combining. This came about because I rolled so bad on gather information that I wanted to do something to make his life even harder. This leads some support to my choice to not put a ‘your truths’ section in this hack.
Robert, angry from a perceived deception from CL and McCallister, just sidesteps the question with “Is he down there?”
The man looks behind him and shrugs. “You’d have a hard time figuring that out friend.”
“I’m not your friend.” Robert says sliding a knife into his hand.
Ask the Oracle. Does this vampire share the same weakness as the others? Very likely. Yes.
“Now now, let’s stay nice.” he says as he backs up slightly.
“I don’t really do nice anymore.”
Enter the Fray. This guy is Formidable. I’m going to drop that to dangerous because of the iron in his vicinity. +heart 5+3 vs 4 and 5. A strong hit. +2 momentum and I have initiative.
Robert moves forward with the knife, his rage a calm sea in his eyes. The man loses his cool a moment longer giving Robert an opening.
Strike. +iron +knife fighter 4+3 for a 7. Vs 7 and 9 a miss. I really can’t live with that. I spend momentum. I have +8 which drops to +2 and turns that 7 into a hit. Now I have a weak hit. I do my harm +2 because I’m fighting with a lethal weapon. A dangerous foe takes 2 progress for every harm. He is at 4/10 but I lose initiative.
Coldly Robert plunges the knife into his side and up into his rib cage. The vampire looks like he is in pain for a moment and then Robert realizes that the pain was actually a laugh and he feels steel against his crotch.
Clash. +iron +knife fighter. +Blood Totalling +5 AD of 4 means 9vs 10 and 8. A weak hit. Do harm but pay the price my foe still has initiative.
Robert lets his vampiric nature give him speed. His hand moves quickly and pulls the knife out and plunges it back in but his foe must have done the same. They clutch each other silently each one stabbing at the others undead body to see who will fall or retreat first.
Endure Hunger. I gave Robert a +2 so he loses 2 control, bringing him down to +2 (control) 5+2 is 7 vs 9 and 3 a weak hit.
Robert hears the monster in his heart, hungry, but he can’t be bothered by it right now.
To those who are passing in and out of the kitchen, the two men in the dark might look like lovers. Their arms moving back and forth poking holes that are letting their stolen life drain away. Robert moves to try defense instead of attack and it is no use the monster is just too fast. He has to try something to throw off the attack. He drops his knife on purpose, the man smiles and doesn’t thrust. Pushing more speed into his limbs he pulls the second knife out and up at the man’s face.
Turn the Tide.into Strike. +1 +iron +knifefighter +2blood total of 6+6 vs 7 and 1. Strong hit. +3 harm so 6 progress 10/10.
The vampire’s face looks hurt. Almost comically so, like it never expected this to happen as the knife goes up under his chin into his neck and slices into his spine. Robert catches him as he falls forward.
End the Fight. 2 and 2 vs 10. The foe is dead.
Endure Hunger. Robert’s control is 0 now but he can use +bonds, which would be +2. 1+2 vs 2 and 6, a weak hit.
Robert drags the body back toward the door he saw, deep in the shadows. As he is dragging it he can see the shadows of people moving in the light of the house, reflected in the yard. He knows that he can go up there and take them. That he could wait here for one to walk by and take it. He knows that he must survive, but he also knows that he needs to find Flathead. He needs to fulfill this vow so he can make Lizzy safe. He can’t afford the distraction or the risk of satisfying his hunger right now.
He knows that he should let his body heal but even with his gift it is too risky right now. He tries the door and it’s locked. He searches the body.
Ask the Oracle. Does the body have the key. Likely. Yes.
He unlocks the reinforced door and opens it. Immediately he is hit with the smell of damp earth. He peaks in and sees that there is a faint light source around a corner. He moves toward it.
Ask the Oracle. Does he find Flathead. Likely. Yes. Is he alone? Unlikely. No.
A french voice speaks up as he gets near. This basement has been repurposed. It feels a bit under construction. There are rooms being made and the dirt floor is being dug deeper. Robert, in the dark, can’t tell exactly how or why. As he turns the corner he sees Flathead tied to a table with rope. He looks like a corpse. Sunken skin, hollow eyes. He has used or been drained of all his blood. Sitting in a chair across the room is a young man. The same clothing as the man outside. He is tossing a pistol up and down. It’s not loaded. The parts to clean and load it on a table next to him. He keeps speaking french as Robert fully turns the corner. Robert’s skin and eyes are a dark network of veins and his knife is just as black. He only sees Robert a second later and moves to take action but Robert can see the fear drifting off of him.
Enter the Fray. same as the last guy. Heart +3+2 5. Weak hit. I choose initiative. Which makes sense in this narrative.
Strike. +2+1+3 vs 2 and 7. A weak hit. Harm but loss of initiative.
Before the man is ready Robert launches himself up and over the top of the table that Flathead is on. He brings his knife down, cutting down the side of his head and into his shoulder. The knife stays in the man’s shoulder as Robert hits the wall behind him. The table and the gun parts go flying. Robert lands at just the wrong angle to be ready for whatever happens next.
He drops down and grabs the overturned table propping it up like a shield as the man turns around, fast just like the rest of them, fury in his eyes.
Face Danger. +iron +knife fighter (I keep using that because it’s all street level antics lately) 3+4 vs 7 and 6 a weak hit. Lose momentum is my choice.
The man is stronger than he looks.He slams into Robert, the table not a shield but a trap pinning him against the wall. The man says something else, most likely witty, in french. That just makes Robert more mad.
Clash. +iron +knife fighter 3+3 vs 6 and 4 a weak hit. Inflict harm but pay the price.
Robert brings his knives up, one in each hand and plugs them into the vampires armpits. The monster keeps slamming the table on top of him trying to break him with it. He doesn’t break him but it causes Robert to drop his knives as the table legs break against the wall and the full weight of the table really pins him down.
Robert is not the type to stop struggling. He grabs the table and tries to force it back and into the other vampire.
Clash. 3+2 vs 3 and 9. Another weak hit. That harm (only one for not being lethal) finishes the progress boxes for the vampire 10/10 but Robert isn’t in a position to finish him.
Robert shoves the table up into the man’s head. He hears the jaw either break or pop out of place. A tooth or two goes flying, but the vampire holds onto the table and looks back with a toothy gin.
Let’s Turn the Tide into a Strike again. It seems to work for us. +2+1+1+1 vs 3 and 4. A strong hit. Taking the momentum since the harm is full.
Robert lashes out with his feet into the vampires knee, it buckles sideways and it falls to the ground. Robert grabs the table.
End the Fight. 5 and 4 vs 10, strong hit.
The table feels nice going into the enemy’s head. Robert loses a bit of self control and hits it a few more times than need be. He picks up his knives and stabs one into the man’s head just to make sure.
He unstraps Flathead from the table and hulls him to the door of the lower level. He finds a coat filled with half a corpse from the fight earlier. Strips it, puts the coat around Flat head. “Let’s hope they just think you are drunk.” he says to him. Together they walk out the door.
Face Danger. +shadow .. so +1. 3+1 vs 3 and 1.. Hell yah.
Together they stumble out and down the alley. No sign of Virginia until they clear the row of carriages.
“That was not appropriate.” she says to Robert.
“It worked.”
“Yeah but look at you. You danced a bit too hard.”
“Not hard enough, look at him.”
“He’ll be fine, just might not be available for a while. Let’s get him back to the house.”
End of Part bookkeeping
I’m giving another progress to the end the vampire threat vow. Vampires are not a dime a dozen and he just murdered two more.