People vs. Victoria Greshin Part 5

## Story

Talia and still disappointed Seline enter Captain Wilde's office. Inside his secret Venassi room, in a glass case is a revolver rifle with the Venassi brand. There's also and old muzzleloader pistol, a couple of knives and a silver handle wooden stake. There is also couple of holy symbols: one for the Mother and one for the Dragon. There's a banner with the V of the Venassi. The V has more around it are some swirling embellishments. At the bottom, there are four figures two are men in shining armor. One is holding a sword and the other, a stake. The man with the sword is fighting off a wolf standing on its hind legs. The one with the stake is plunging it into the heart of a fiendish creature. These two larger creatures are at the forefront of smaller creatures that fade into shapeless blobs. Among them are vampire, a very elegant being with far back pointed ears, a being made of fire and in the far background is a dragon who is circling above the previously-mentioned creatures. In the books there are reports with lots of member numbers. Three numbers get repeated a lot in groups where these three members were present like for the massacre of Talia’s pack as well as many other lycan packs that were found and executed. There were 7 wolf packs total. Other packs executed by the Venassi are: a pack of werebears (District 2), couple of packs of wererats (Capital City of District 4), and a pack of were tigers (District 2). All the were packs were wiped out in a decade. Although there is a 3 year gap between the last pack and the attack on Talia's pack. Talia's deeply distraught when she learns this. There are also notes on the training and recruitment station in Duskdown as well as mentions of a home base but no details as to where. In front of all these books is a vow:

> **Venassi Vow**I will preserve the natural order, I will protect this world from those who come outside, I will destroy evil by any means necessary,  and when the work is done, I will die to preserve natural order.— Venassi Texts

Twenty years ago there are repeated mentions of a crystal how it is guarded and protected and that it is key preserving the natural order. About twenty years ago there's mention that there's another crack had formed on the crystal. They have done so much to ensure that it has been preserved but it appears another door has been opened. Seline initially tries to conceal this from Talia but Talia reads about it. Talia quickly puts together twenty years ago: a door was open, Seline opening a door in her Mulberry bush, and a crack forms and this Venassi Crystal again. Seline still continues to deny the coincidence. Before they leave Seline and Talia thank Captain Wilde for giving them access to his secret room. When asked about the crystal, Captain Wilde says his father saw it once. The Venassi elders said it was key to protecting the natural order and it was sort of a lock and monitor. The crystal was under a constant watch. At Nikki's, The carriage she was working on is gone. In its place are series of tubes and beakers filled with a glowing blue fluid, a series of machines hooked up to the tubes and beakers on one side and on the other side are a couple of tanks of water. While Nikki herself is sitting at her workbench. After they exchange greetings, Nikki shows them her new setup for refined form of her liquid weave. This refined form has 10 times the energy output of its predecessor but it's slightly more volatile. Talia gives Nikki the copper wire they found along with the battery. Nikki inspired by Death's Whisper and her liquid weave, replaces the cylinder on one of Talia's revolvers. When Talia demonstrates the upgrade on Nikki's dress form, a blue bead with a following heat trail leaves the revolver and hits the dress form similar to Death's Whisper. She explains that she weaponized liquid weave. Now the shots from the upgrade will be always magical and they're now 20 shots per cylinder. Talia asks Nikki if two of her normal revolvers could be magically upgraded to fire and ice inspired by Elra in Jaldin. Nikki says it shouldn't be too hard and the upgrades could be had by tomorrow for 300 GP each. About Seline's wings, Nikki brings out an object about the size of a small backpack. With the original, Nikki had attempted to reuse some of the old technology but found it was holding her back. She demonstrates new unit. Putting it on and donning two gloves she activates it. Two bright blue spectral wings extend from the backpack. She rises gently into the air wings flapping moving back and forth and then hovering in place for a few minutes before the wings begin to flicker and she returns to the ground. The gloves help with some of the control issues but the whole unit is still a work in progress. Seline passes out in the excitement. After Talia rouses her, Seline begins to cry in Joy at the idea she'll be able to fly. Talia gives Nikki the two revolvers to be upgraded. Nikki shows Talia how to swap the new magic cylinders for her guns. They do mention Ernest. Seline vents her disappointment at lack of torrid romance. Nikki is embarrassed because it happened when she was 14. Talia says they all make mistakes at 14, like the time she tried to handle a bear and her cubs with a still non-working Retribution. Nikki's 19 now and Ernest is 22. When they mention Seline learning two cantrips and a spell in a couple days, Nikki is also surprised. She explains, Ernest and she were considered prodigies, and that it took them three to four years to learn and research two decades worth of coursework. Despite that, it took Nikki three weeks to learn her first cantrip at 12. Seline rationalizes because she's an experienced magic user and older is why she was able to learn so quickly. Talia suggests it might be because Seline is an Autumn Fey who opened a door to the feywild at 2. After Seline gets defensive, they let the subject drop. They pay for the upgrades the cylinders and the progress on Seline's wings. After Seline steps out, Nikki tells Talia because of her pact, she's now a warlock. Seline and Talia return to the upper Mesa to eat before finding a park near the southern edge of the Mesa. The Salvation Spring Park is where the Salvation River Springs from waterfalls over the side of the Mesa into the lake below and flows downstream. It has lit pads and trimmed gardens. They lead the horse is off to a tree before Seline Illusions the area too obscure them and set up the estate. After talking about Victoria, Seline asks The Undertaker if he will show Victoria mercy and allow her to find peace. In answer to Seline's divination, The Undertaker says, "I do not bring peace or torment to those that come to me. Whatever peace or torment they find with me, they bring themselves." With that Seline and Talia decide to command Victoria to be calm in her final moments like Seline did with Zachariah although she may not deserve it. It is something Seline would want someone to do for her if their positions were reversed.

## Characters

### Players

* Seline Argent
* Talia Grey

### NPCs

* James Wilde
* Nikki Tolnor
* Ernest Felson