NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Imhotepthewise" data-source="post: 6909509" data-attributes="member: 976">Please Don’t Eat The PreacherDoomsayerStarless StreamHungry DarknessForged PardonDry WaterArcane GamblerAfter the Change, the land was covered in clouds and darkness.  The impenetrable clouds did not allow sight of sun, moon, or stars.  Mountains fell, rivers changed course, seas lowered or raised as they saw fit.  Every day since has been pretty much the same.Locally, the Kaintuck Bend became an island. The Misspee river flowed around it north and south. The river shift trapped a sleeping drow vampire who became known as Belle Noir. The creature could not cross the flowing dark water, devoid of the sparkle of any light from the sky.The bend had a small settlement of religious fundamentalists who had weathered the change only to fall victim to the hungry dark horror that rose from the grave. The only inhabitant pardoned was the Preacher, whose mad ramblings, damnings, doomings, accusations of sin, and twisted foretellings initially amused the black skinned, black haired, black fanged, and black eyed bloodsucking creature bathed in shadowy garments.  Among the many pronouncements, the Preacher waved his worn and floppy Holy Book at Belle, saying “You shall only leave here by flying over the reflections of stars.”The settlement, now lesser vampires in Belle’s thrall, became the backbone of her plan to survive.  To continue the supply of fresh blood, Belle built a grim casino, catering to the intelligent undead and outsiders eager to wager most anything of value. The cover charge for the experience was live food on two legs.Preacher continues to rail against casino staff and guests, waving his limbs and his ever-present Holy Book. The lesser vampires fear his book. No one will approach him, out of fear or out of disinterest. In her way, Belle is fond of him. The word got around that the Preacher is to be left alone.A hexslinging gambler named Tenn’see Mike learned of the high stakes gaming.  He made it his business to learn as much about the casino as he could.  He spent many weeks in Nu Madrid, north of the bend, watching, questioning inhabitants and passers through. He learned of the Preacher and his Holy Book.  He formulated a plan to be the first human to sit at Belle’s gaming tables.As the PCs pass through Nu Madrid, Mike makes nice with them, showing them card tricks and minor magical effects for entertainment.  The PCs feel like there is more to this simple hexslinger.  Mike offers them a job with a generous payment in advance.Mike wants the Preacher’s Holy Book. If asked, he will freely tell most of what he has discovered. He offers to pay in advance because he will be following them in after a short while, and, without telling them, expects to use them as his cover charge, getting his money back.  He expects to protect himself with the book, and, if found in his possession by Belle, will confess that he found it without knowing who its owner was.  If the PCs ask if Mike has anything about Belle, he will say he can give her what she truly wants, if need be.  At night by the river, he will cast a spell opening a small hole in the cloud above, showing sparkles of stars on the water.Mike tells the PCs how they, as living beings, will get to the island.  There is a magically dry tunnel through the water across the bottom of the Misspee river from Nu Madrid.  A patron of the casino cast the spell to allow itself and fellow patrons to clandestinely transport two legged living food to the island for the vampires.  The PCs just need to hold their breath and walk in until they are deep enough to reach the tunnel, and take another breath to walk out on the other side.How the PCs obtain the book from Preacher is up to them.  Publicly killing him is probably a bad idea.  Making him quietly disappear alive or dead is better.  They may double cross Mike for the reward money.  They may attempt to bargain with Belle.  They could use the Holy Book to protect them and gamble themselves, if they can arrange the cover charge.If anyone bothers to look inside the Holy Book, they will find it is full of the scrawled recipes of Preacher’s grandmother.  There is not a single holy word in it.  It is about as dangerous to the vampires as lint.  As a holy symbol, it is a forgery.</blockquote>

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