Welcome back to the Dragon's Den Actual Play Blog! For the next few weeks I will be playing the newest case in the Sworn by Ghostlight game by Matthew John! Long-time followers of the blog will remember the first case, the Ebonwood Effigies. My play through of 'The Wings of Rot' picks up a few years after the dramatic close of the first case, from the perspective of Assistant Detective of Occult and Ghostlight Mysteries, Selma Belright. What darkness will Selma discover in the Rift?
For this entry in my SbG series, I'll be using Starforged moves, Ironsworn Oracles, Ironsmith Expanded Oracles as well as the built in Oracles from the Wings of Rot tri-fold.
Begin a Session
Ada Tubblebottom bowed before the hulking frame of the Aspect of Dimuth. The figure’s pale bare skin rippled with muscles and black veins. Its eyes glowed a fiery orange in the darkness of the Rift’s lowest region. It’s aura, a shimmering, gauzy black, emanated only hunger—intense, insatiable, violent hunger.
Ada quaked internally, even while outwardly appearing stalwart before the object of her worship and terror. Dimuth, god of decay, chose her to lead his Moths, to be the harbinger of his return, to proclaim the gospel of decay. The moon would soon crack as the Gotelle’s finished their ritual. The Aspect had commanded her to allow their rivals this one success, even if it would render their magic unstable and, perhaps, unusable.
The Aspect reached out to her, its knife-sharp nails trailing gently along her chin and tilting her head up to look into his fierce eyes.
“Arise, my dear Ada,” the voice was smooth, almost like honey, in her ears. “The time has come for you to render your greatest service. From you, the great god Dimuth will be reborn.”
Case Progress Update
Resource Update
Selma Belright, Occult Detective
Personal Case Journal
18 July, 1340
The Depths - 100+ ft. down
The Vrykolaka hissed, its black serpent’s tongue flicking out as it eyed us both. Lenny stood frozen in place, a look of pure terror on her face. The creature’s eyes never left me, however, and I felt—despite my own terror—that Lenny was safe for now. I braced myself for the creature’s assault, assuming it would attack the way it had in the alley.
The attack never came. Without warning, the creature spasmed, its back arching, and released a blood-chilling cry of pain. From its chest, a large, carved spike of wood protruded. Its clawed hands groped at the stake, tugging. With each attempt, its cries became more panicked, until it finally fell to its knees and slumped over in a heap on the mossy ground. The body convulsed, and I could hear a faint mewling. The creature wasn’t dead, at least not yet.
A figure, shrouded in a black, hooded trench coat, dropped from the ladder and rushed the Vrykolaka. An iron blade flashed in my headlamp as the figure brought it down across the creature’s neck, severing its head from its body. Black ichor pooled on the ground, and the moss drank it up like it was parched. The figure stood and wiped the blade off on the creature’s gray coat.
“Hunter?” I asked, my voice a mere whisper.
“Ghosthunter,” the man replied, slipping off his hood and turning to face me. “I’m glad I caught up when I did.”
“So am I. Is it?”
“Dead?” Hunter smiled darkly. “Yes, this one is dead. Or what amounts to death for these monsters, anyway.”
“Thank you,” Lenny blurted out, breaking through the terror and rushing to my side. “What is that thing?”
“This,” Hunter began, kicking the corpse with his booted foot, “is a Vrykolaka. You might have heard them called vampires, but those are different beasts altogether.”
“Vrykolaka? Vampires? What the hell is going on?” Lenny stammered out.
“I’m not sure what you mean? The Vrykolakai have prowled the streets of the city since at least the time of the Ghostlight event,” Hunter spoke in that lecturer voice Selma appreciated so much. “At least that’s when the first records of them appear. I have researched these monsters for the last ten years and know them extensively.”
“What did you mean when you said Vrykolakai were not the same as vampires?” Selma asked. Something had clicked in her mind when Hunter began talking and she needed more information to confirm her hypothesis.
Gather Information
“They are not the same creature. The vampire is a shape-shifter who gains its abilities through the consumption of blood. It doesn’t have to kill to take the shape of its victim, though they often do. The vampire is not so common in this region, preferring the eastern mountains of the Continent instead. I have encountered only one vampire in my time as a hunter, and she was a kind soul who sated her instincts on animals and the occasional criminal. Vampires, also, are born and not made.
“The Vrykolakai are a creature of dark magic. They are corpses bonded with the spirits of the recently dead. The spirit is driven insane by the intensity of the reanimated corpse’s need for blood.”
“The spirits of the recently dead…”
“Selma, you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking? Right?”
“Unfortunately,” I paused, then continued. “I think the Lost are being used to birth more Vrykolakai.”
“There’s only one being I know of who has the power to cast that dark ritual,” Hunter said. “And I don’t think you’ll be finding her. She’s been eluding me for a decade.”
“What if I told you I think a warlock from the past is responsible for the disappearances and the Lost down here?”
“Anyone else would not believe you, but I’ve seen and read enough to know things are seldom what they seem. If you want to know if a mage from the past could perform the spell to create more Vrykolakai, I can say it's possible. They must have originated somewhere. But the spell isn’t entirely necessary anymore. The Vrykolakai evolved, and they can replicate by injecting their own brand of venom into victims. If they don’t suck them dry first, the victim will revive as a Vrykolaka.”
“Either way, we have to keep going. All the clues have led us down here. Whatever is going on, this is where we find our answers.”
“I will tag along, in case there are more of these monsters,” Hunter said.
Throughout the conversation with Hunter, Lenny was holding me, quietly sobbing into my shoulder. When Hunter offered to come along, she sniffed and stood up. I looked at her closely and noticed her demeanor toward me had shifted.
“I…forgive you, Selly,” she whispered into my ear. “It's not easy, but I forgive you.”
I hugged her tight, overcome with the emotion of the moment and grateful that at least something positive had come out of this experience.
“We should go, Lenny,” I said. “When this is over we will talk more, I promise.”
Lenny let go of me and nodded, a small smile on her face.
“Lead on.”
Gather Information Results
Resource Update
Clue
Progress Update
Undertake an Expedition
Instead of another ladder descending into deeper areas of the Depths, the ground sloped downward and the walls widened even more. We must have walked for two hours, seeing and hearing nothing but the occasional dripping of water and the strobing light of the bioluminescent moss underfoot.
The air became fouler, warmer, and more oppressive the deeper we walked. Several times, I had to take a break to catch my breath. It was almost like the atmosphere of the Depths was actively trying to suffocate me. Hunter, I noticed, was having an equally difficult time with the air quality. Perhaps because she had lived her entire life a hundred feet below the surface, Lenny was only lightly winded and spent most of our breaks roaming back and forth across the wide cavern. At times, her headlamp was only a small orb of white in the inky darkness. Even the flickering moss didn’t register her steps from this distance.
While resting on a circle of smooth, black stones in a field of black-capped mushrooms and green-glowing moss, Lenny came running back to us. She was huffing, and sweat beaded on her forehead as she skidded to a stop in front of the stone circle, her hands on her knees.
When she caught her breath enough to speak, she said, “There’s something down there.” She pointed in the direction she had come.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Some kind of fortress in a forest of black trees.”
“Black trees? Like ebonwood trees? I thought those were extinct,” Hunter said.
“Ebonwood…that would make sense,” I muttered to myself, then turned to the others. “I think we will find answers inside that fortress. But we don’t know what we’re walking into. Hunter, you don’t have to go with us.”
“If there is even the slightest chance someone is making Vrykolakai down here, I absolutely will be going with you, Ghosthunter.”
“I feel better having three of us, anyway,” Lenny said, now staring back into the darkness in the direction of the fortress.
“I think we’ve rested enough. Shall we?”
The three of us set off in silence, the tension vibrating in the air around us as we neared what could very likely be our deaths. About a hundred feet ahead, the ever present mossy carpet gave way to slick black stone and an incline that made progress slow and dangerous. I lost my balance and found myself sliding down the smooth stone grade on my backside. When the ground leveled out, fifty feet ahead of where I had been standing and at least twenty feet further down into the Rift, I came to a stop in view of a large, black-stone wall.
The wall had two turrets, like the kind you might see in a fairytale book, with conical tops and a thin, spear shaped window about midway up each facade. The wall was crenelated and bore banners of white emblazoned with the outline of a moth. Between the two turrets, a large, iron gate blocked the entrance.
Hunter and Lenny slid to a stop beside me, Lenny grinning while she rose to her feet and offered me her hand.
“That was kind of fun,” she said and tugged me from the ground.
“What is an ancient fortress doing here?” Hunter wondered aloud.
“I have a suspicion this is where the cult of Dimuth settled. They didn’t disappear, and they weren’t killed like Jari said. They made a home for themselves here and fortified it.”
Hunter looked at me skeptically.
“Looks like you’re right, Selly,” Lenny whispered, and pointed toward the black walls ahead.
On the parapet, we could just make out a figure shrouded in a white robe. They seemed to be staring out across the barren ground between the rise we just descended and the gates to the fortress. We watched, unmoving, for a long moment. Then, the figure raised a hand in what could only have been a gesture of greeting.
Undertake an Expedition
Expedition Progress
Resource Update
Ask the Oracle
Check Your Gear
Hunter drew his iron blade and took a defensive posture, surely expecting an attack was impending. Lenny picked up a loose stone and tossed it in her hand. She had proven how effectively she could throw rocks. I slipped my service revolver from its holster beneath my jacket and checked the cylinder. The weapon seemed to be in working order, with a full complement of cartridges, as well as an extra supply of rounds.
“Where’d you get that?” Lenny asked.
“Service weapon, standard issue. I hate the thing, but I think we might need it before this is over.”
“I prefer to be up close to my enemies,” Hunter said, and flexed his hand around the grip of his long, iron sword.
“They know we’re coming, so let’s not keep them waiting,” I said, and set off toward the fortress.
Check Your Gear Result
Custom Mini-Asset Reveal
Resource Update
Finish an Expedition
As we approached the gate, it began to rise. The clink-clink of the opening mechanism echoed across the dark. Pale light flooded out, illuminating twenty feet of black stone. Strange runes were carved in the stone, culminating in a moth trailing Ghostlight, nearly identical to the ones discovered carved in the Midst where people had vanished.
The three of us stepped inside the open gate, and jumped as the large metal doors slammed shut as soon as we had cleared them. A loud clang and snap suggested that the doors were now locked. A white-robed figure stepped out into the small courtyard we found ourselves in.
“Welcome, to the Fortress of the Aspect,” the figure said, the voice suggesting a feminine origin.
The figure lowered their hood to reveal a bald head and angular face. They had no eyebrows, and a black moth was branded on their forehead. Ghostlight flowed from the brand in a way I hadn’t seen since the ring took Remus to the past.
“Selma Belright. Welcome, we have been expecting you. And you, Alene Velez, I applaud your efforts to help your people when no one else would. You remind me of…someone I knew a long time ago. And you, Julian Kane. We have watched you for the last decade. You will make a worthy addition to our growing army. You may call me the Herald. We will speak again. Take them.”
Finish an Expedition Results
Enter the Fray
The Herald flicked her fingers toward us and seven white-robed figures rushed us from behind. Hunter took down two of the attackers before they could react, his sword dripping black ichor. A third was felled by Lenny’s stone. The hefty rock crashed into the attacker’s face with a sickening sound, and they fell screaming.
Before I could even take aim, Hunter had cut down another of the oncoming assailants and Lenny dodged behind me, giving me a clear line of sight.
Enter the Fray Results
Resource Update
Objective Progress Tracker
Strike
I snapped off a shot, and the report of the revolver reverberated off the fortress walls. Another white-robed figure fell, blood like a black flower blossoming on their chest. My hand shook, and I nearly dropped my gun. I had never used the thing on a person before, even against someone attacking me. It shook me to my core, and I froze.
Hunter dropped another attacker, tossing them over his shoulder and driving the blade of his sword through their chest. Lenny, her hands around my free arm, was shaking me and screaming in my ear to fire again. Her words finally battered through the shock and disgust for what I had done and I tried to take aim again, only to find that one of the assailants had managed to come around from the side. I tried to turn my gun toward them, but they slammed into my midsection, driving me to the ground and knocking the revolver from my hand.
Strike Results
Objective Progress Tracker
Asset Resource Update
React Under Fire
Somehow, I didn’t panic. I let the impact of the tackle take me where it would, and when we struck the hard ground, I drove my elbow into my attacker’s sternum. They gasped audibly and fell back.
React Under Fire Results
Resource Update
Secure an Advantage
I rolled to my feet and looked for my gun. Lenny was holding it out to me even as the attacker began to rise. I scrambled over to her and took the gun, aiming it at our foe.
Secure an Advantage Results
Resource Update
Strike
The revolver resounded off the walls of the fortress. My aim was true, and the white robe of the assailant bloomed black. They grabbed their stomach as they fell to their knees, gasping for air.
Strike Results
Resource Update
Objective Progress Tracker
Asset Resource Update
Hunter cut down the final assailant in a show of prowess, spinning on his knee and bringing the blade through the enemy’s midsection. They fell, legs going one way and torso the other. Hunter looked around, breathing deeply as he watched his foe fall. With a flourish, he rotated his wrist, flicking blood off the blade and coating the black walls with gore.
Take Decisive Action
Resource Update
“Is everyone ok?” I asked.
Hunter nodded, already stalking toward the gut-shot cultist.
“I’m ok,” Lenny said, gripping my arm tightly. “That was terrifying.”
“I’ve never been in a situation like this,” I confessed, and regarded my service revolver.
“You’ve never used it?” Lenny asked.
“Not against a person.”
“Selma, you should see this,” Hunter called over his shoulder.
The dying cultist’s hood had been removed, revealing a bald head and pale, deathly face. They were gasping as their clawed hands held the entry wound on their stomach. These cultists were not human at all, they were Vrykolakai.
“I’ve never seen Vryks like this,” Hunter said, forcing the creature’s head back.
“They seem mostly human,” I murmured, crouching to look closer. The Vrykolaka hissed, then coughed.
Gather Information
“What is this place?” I asked the Vrykolaka.
“You…will…not…escape…the Aspect of Decay,” the creature gasped.
“Who is the Aspect of Decay?”
“You…will meet him…soon.” With a gurgle, the Vrykolaka stopped moving, and their red eyes faded to a dull rose color.
“I think they are dead,” I said, looking up at Hunter.
“Better be safe. Step away, Ghosthunter.”
When I was far enough away, Hunter brought his blade down on the dead Vrykolaka’s neck, severing its head. He went around to the other dead creatures and beheaded them as well before returning to where Lenny and I stood looking anywhere but where he was performing his grisly task
Gather Information
Resource Update
“The gate is locked, and I can’t see a way to get it open,” Hunter said as he returned, sheathing his blade.
“Could we climb out?” Lenny asked.
“As much as I’d like to leave this place, we still have to solve this mystery. There may be Rifters in there needing rescue.”
“You’re right, Selly,” Lenny said, nodding. “Let’s let Hunter lead.”
“Actually, I think I’ll take the lead,” I replied. “Hunter’s sword will deal with anything behind us, but I can’t use this thing if you two are in front of me.”
“Lead on, Ghosthunter,” Hunter said, looking at me with what seemed like new-found respect.
What will Selma and company discover inside the fortress? Who is the Aspect of Dimuth, and what do they want? Will Selma uncover the mystery of the vanishing Rifters and the fate of the Lost? Find out on the final entry of Sworn by Ghostlight: The Wings of Rot next week!
