Convergence, Session 17

General Summary

SPOILER WARNING: This session describes some of the content of The Darkest House. If you ever intend to play it, it's best to avoid spoiling any of its mysteries.

Pursuing Different Goals

The Convergence Player Characters continue their exploration of The Darkest House, looking for an exit. Dvorak-46 is particularly melancholy, after their vision (described at the end of Convergence, Session 16).
Cyprian Kernow is determined to find the Wheel of Blood, to allow entry into the secret fifth area of the house. Toho "Ultrathem" Tanaka and Atreyu also want to follow this lead.
Dvorak doesn't want to deal with the Wheel of Blood - they instead want to pursue the set of special tools that may lead to an exit. They head back to the corridor with the checkerboard floor, following the Host's recommendation that another tool can be found beneath it. Taxi Varlik, Leofe, Trace and Iolo also follow this lead.

The Wheel of Blood Group

Cyprian, Toho and Atreyu quickly find the Wheel of Blood, following Cyprian's ceramic gargoyle. It turns out to be a corridor with four paintings, each featuring a strangely horrific scene and individual word. These words supposedly relate to the residents of the four "non-secret" areas of the house: Mater, Pater, Frater and Soror. The group realise that these are the Latin words for mother, father, brother and sister. Cyprian speaks the words aloud, in order, and disappears. Atreyu and Toho try to plan around the separated group and Cyprian being alone in a new area of the house. Toho leaves a note with instructions on how to follow before they both also speak the words and vanish.
The three find themselves in a vestibule room where they can see a storm outside the windows (though still no clear view of any scenery). Cyprian finds a bag that seems to have belonged to Phillip Harlock, with some notes about how to leave the house (a key for the Door Man's exit can be found behind the bar in the ballroom) and some more explanations of the strange phenomena.

The Tool-Hunting Group

The others make their way back to the checkerboard corridor with no issues. They find a hidden hatch in the floor - one of the sections of Dvorak's three pronged key opens it (without summoning ghostly, strangling hands). A long shaft leads straight down into a partly-flooded secret room. Dvorak and Iolo head down to investigate, finding a couple of locked boxes under the water. They attach them to Taxi's rope to be hoisted up, but are attacked by waterlogged zombies. Dvorak fights them off while Iolo finishes the hoisting, then they both climb to safety.
The boxes contain some valuables and notes, as well as a pair of pliers. The pliers come with a strange note describing a ritual for the use of the tools, which upsets Dvorak further - they had thought that the tools would lead to an uncorrupted exit, but the ritual seems too tainted.
Iolo gives the potion from one of the boxes to his catatonic goblin - it is completely revived and rejuvenated. He also activates a magical ring from the box, which causes this group to instantly teleport to the living room, where they first entered the house. They follow their initial route back to the elevator, stopping to explore the one room they didn't enter near the gallery.
Within this room, they find a pile of long-dead bodies (with a page of the journal hidden among them) as well as one body alone in a hanging cage. The caged body is grasping a gold and silver key - the group take these, thinking that the silver key may work for the Door Man's exit.

Reconvening

Taxi tries to lead her group to reunite with Cyprian et al. They find the Wheel of Blood corridor, and Toho's note, and eventually all follow into the fifth area of the house.
Reunited, the group set out to explore this area and find a way back to the Door Man. They become trapped in a time loop in the first room after the vestibule, repeatedly re-entering a room with a grandfather clock when anyone tries to move on. Cyprian has a fit of insight, understanding that they each need to call on the house as they leave the room. The rest of the group don't initially buy into it, but end up following suit after continuing to be trapped in the time loop a while longer.

Dealing with a Demon

The next room has no further exits. A young girl is stood within a circular diagram painted on the floor. Various ritual materials are in the room. The girl introduces herself as a demon and speaks with the group for a while. She offers to grant them a boon of their choice (within her power) if they release her by pouring the goblet of wine onto the diagram. The group ask for various benefits - Dvorak inquires about removing memories, others ask for an exit or some control over the house. The demon says she has no mastery over the house, but she could give them the information they need to escape. She says she can certainly alter Dvorak's memories as needed.
Cyprian and Dvorak argue over dealing with the demon and spilling the goblet. Dvorak rants about not trusting dark forces, but Cyprian snaps and criticises the awful regimes of the society that Dvorak is trying to return to. Dvorak tries to free the demon with the goblet alone, but Taxi puts them in stasis mid-spill. The rest have until the spell wears off to resolve the situation.

Cyprian and Dvorak Arguing Over a Goblet Sketch by Phoebe Herring

Cyprian realises from prior experience that there is likely a way to force the demon to speak the truth. He asks her about this and she sighs, saying that she will speak truthfully to anyone who spills their blood on the ritual skull. Cyprian does so. The demon says that she will honour any bargain with Cyprian, as long as the deal is struck before the wine spills on the diagram. They agree that she will give them the information they need to find the safest exit from the house and a way to return from the fifth area into somewhere they have been before.
When Dvorak's stasis wears off, Cyprian immediately receives the knowledge that the Door Man can be found in the cellar beneath the interior courtyard (he can be seen there with the Eyes of the Child) and that the fifth area of the house can be escaped by focusing on the pattern in the vestibule and calling on the house (which will return them to the great hall). Then the demon disappears.
Some members of the group aren't willing to call on the house any more than necessary (increasing their Doom) and want to find a way out of the fifth area on foot. Other members think that the group should pursue exit as quickly as possible.

Bonus Post-Game Scene

In relation to the Doom that he has acquired in the house, Cyprian receives a vision while travelling back to the vestibule:
"Your vision momentarily zooms out from your body and you see lights emanating from yourself and your travelling party - the light of life, magic, exploration, curiosity, goodness, energy. You sense that these lights are under immense strain from the cloying, crushing darkness of the house - they're guttering and barely keeping the shadows at bay.
Your vision then zooms out again, somehow exiting the house, and you see the great light of Perpetual Bernville, fed by its diverse citizenry and exploratory, mystical nature. You sense that even the dead have a sort of light about them - the traces of what they possessed when alive, now flickering dimly through a veil that exists separately to space and time as we can understand it. Some light even emanates from this veil and other dimensions, from things or beings that are incomprehensible - perhaps spirits, "gods", "demons", exerting will and meaning on the world.
Your vision zooms out further, somehow taking in almost the fullest extent of reality, beyond time, space and the veils separating existences. You briefly see the very borders of everything - the true, utter darkness at the edges. You immediately notice that it is creeping inwards, inexorably, snuffing out vast quantities of lights every moment. Even the brightest don't slow its progress. It is the darkness that the house is made of, but the house is such a tiny fragment of it. It hates light and it will ultimately destroy it. It is just a matter of time. Crossing veils will only take you closer and trying to understand it may speed its progress."

Character(s) interacted with

Demon with the appearance of a young girl

Convergence Session 17 Sketches by Phoebe Herring

Related Adventure

Campaign: Convergence, The Darkest House

Report Date

13 Jul 2021

Primary Location

The Darkest House