Moon Goddess: Scene 9

Introduction to this thread: The Moon Goddess Is A Harsh Mistress
Explanation of Mythic elements: What's All This Mythic Stuff?
Previous Scene: Scene 8

SCENE 9
Wherein Katja and Nina get down to business in Nina's study.

CHARACTERS
The Silver Huntress (her deity)
Soldiers
Drachen (her old warhorse)
Nina
Nina's Mother
Nina's Father
The Hard Man with the Nasty Scar
Susi
Yuliya
Igor
Deidre

UPDATED THREADS
* Escape to freedom
* Solve the mystery of Nina's mother
* Decipher the writing on the menhir

CHAOS FACTOR: 4

********************
The scene occurs as expected.

Q: Is Katja dressed in the same clothes as last night [50/50]? Yes.
Q: Did they cut Katja's hair [Unlikely]? No.
Q: Did Igor (or someone else) bring in more food for breakfast [Likely]? No (breakfast was meager).
Q: Did Katja dream [50/50]? Yes.
Q: Same dream as last night [Unlikely]? No (assume something standard)

Katja is in Nina's study. She slept well, dreaming one of her old hunting dreams (but not the prophetic kind). Breakfast was meager, however (tea and stale bread). She is hungry and thinking of her dreams kindles a strong desire to go hunting.

But Nina wants to get down to business.

Q: Does Nina lead off with an interview of Katja's capabilities [Likely]? No.
CQ: What does she talk about [Une = NPC Focus]? Knowledge (I'm guessing that she starts at the beginning.

MONTAGE SEQUENCE: Nina gets Katja to recount her history up until her imprisonment. In play, I skipped over this part since I already knew it all. Everybody else will only have vague notions. I'll post the short version and will fill in details later as they become important.

First, Katja describes an almost idyllic early life on her family estate. She was daddy's little girl and he doted on her. She also had a secret place (the standing stone on her estate) and secret dreams. Other than her mother pestering her to prepare for marriage, things were great. Then her brother came home. As children, they were never close. But as an adult, there was something sinister about him. And then her father died and things went to hell, culminating in that night when she discovered Ulrich assaulting her best friend.

She fled during a fierce thunderstorm and managed to find the protection of an Elf Ranger named Morandil. Morandil was a member of an organization that shepherded people in trouble to safety. He escorted her accorss many miles of wilderness to avoid her brother's agents, all the while teaching Katja his woodland craft. Of course, Katja fell in love with him, but it was unrequieted. Morandil loved another and their relationship settled into cool friendhsip.

Morandil delivered her, almost penniless, to the town of Harcomb. That is where she met Bix the bard. Bix was able to get Katja to open up about her dreams and he offered to take her to a mystic clearing that resembled one of her descriptions. That night, they encountered four other adventurers while battling wolves in the darkness. The six adventuers became the Outsiders Aegis and had many, many more adventures (which I will not detail here). Eventually (within a
few months), Katja was celled to become a cleric of the Silver Huntress.

Q: Is there anything that particularly interests Nina [50/50]? Yes.
CQ: What [Une = NPC Focus]? Assume family. Interesting.

As Katja recounts her story to Nina, she notes that Nina is particularly interested in her family details. Nina is very hard to read, so she can't be sure why she is interested in Katja's family life. Could it be a family similarity? Or did her brother's agents reach into this world? She shudders at the thought. She decides to ask.

Katja: "You seem particularly interested in my family. Why?"

Q: Does Nina relate Katja's background to her own family [50/50]? Yes.
Q: Does claim to have had a sinister older brother [Unlikely]? No.
Q: Did Nina's mother have a sinister older brother [Likely]? Yes.
Q: Is Nina's uncle named Ulrich [50/50]? Yes.

Nina: "Your family history strongly resembles that of my mother. I too have an uncle Ulrich and he is every bit the bastard that you describe your brother to be. There was some kind of incident when my mother was about your age. She fled to Russia and met my father around that time."

Q: Does Nina mention that Ulrich is a nazi [50/50]? No (but it doesn't rule out the possibility).

Katja: "Can I see a picture of your mother?"

Q: Can she [Likely]? Extreme no.

Nina: (shaking her head and displays a rare flash of emotion) "No, my mother no longer exists. [Q: The Party (50/50)? Yes] The Party went to great pains to ensure that her memory was forgotten."

Q: Does she mention that her father was executed [Unlikely]? No.
Q: Does she mention that her father suffered [Likely]? Yes.

Nina: "It practically killed my father. It may have for all I know. With all my connections in the State's security apparatus, I can't find out what they did with him. I hope that he was sent to Siberia, but..."

Katja: "That's horrible! Why was your mother such a threat?"

Q: Is it because of the religious cult that she started [Somewhat Likely]? No.
Q: Is it because of her crusade against evil [Likely]? Yes.

Nina: "My mother was terribly naive. She couldn't abide the moral complexity of the modern world. If she saw injustice that she felt compelled to act. We we lucky if she only spoke up about it. Usually, she took more direct action. It made her hero to the Common People before the Revolution. It's why the Czar had her put away."

Katja: "But after her death..."

Nina: "She ceased to be useful to the Party. I doubt they really found her all that useful to begin with. She was unpredictable and her passions incited the primitive superstitions that [Q: we (50/50)?No] they abhorred. So my mother was gone. But her followers continued in her name. When the Party had to take certain actions to ensure the security of the State, my mother's followers fought them. They were crushed of course, and the Party went to great lengths to
make sure my mother never even existed."

Katja: "But what about you?"

Q: Nina says it is due to her Service to the State [Unlikely]? No.

Nina: "I had been estranged from my mother for some time. And I was already accumulating the leverage that I needed to protect myself. Most people in the government didn't even know who my mother was. I was safe, for many years."

NOTE: Nina's mother would have died in about 1917. Nina would have have been
about 18-20 at the time. That means that the current year is likely 1932-1938.

Katja: "You mother, could she perform miracles?"

Q: Could she [Likely]? Yes.
Q: Were her miracles subtle [Likely]? Yes.

Nina: "In a word, yes. Much like you, she was called to an older faith at an early age. She claimed that she would dream of the future. She knew when people were lying. She had healing hands. Most of all, she avoided the power of the state for about 20 years. That's the most significant miracle of all."

Katja: "I'm so sorry, Nina. I misjudged you. I thought you were going to use me as a tool to secure your own power base. Now I see..."

Q: Does Nina soften [50/50]? No

Nina: "Don't jump to any conclusions. I was estranged from my mother for a reason. Just because you have an uncanny similarity to her doesn't mean that I won't use you to the best of my ability. My mother could never do half of the things that you described in your adventures. If you are as powerful as I think you are, then you will be very useful indeed."

Katja: "But.... I don't understand you at all!"

Nina: "That's because your as naive as my mother. The world is complicated, Katja. If you fail to realize that then this world will kill you. Just like my mother."

Katja exhales slowly and sinks back into her chair. This women is an enigma wrapped in a mystery.

Katja: "Fine. What would you have me do? I'm obviously under your power."

CQ: What to do first [Brewers]? Per'cinet (fairy prince who thwarts the malicious designs of Grognon, the cruel step-mother of Gracio'sa). I might interpret this to mean that it is the fairy prince that Nina is looking for (whether or not Nina is the cruel step-mother remains to be seen).
CQ: Additional inspiration [Wikipedia]? HMAS Perth (hunt is in Australia?).

Nina: "You worship a goddess of the hunt. You claim to be a great hunter yourself. You are going to help me hunt someone down. "

Katja: "I'm not an assassin."

Nina: (laughs) "That's obvious. But I'm certain that you'll be able to help me in this small task. If you prove useful, we'll move onto bigger and better things."

Katja bites her lip. She doesn't like where this is going.

Q: Will they be leaving for Australia today [50/50]? No.

Katja: "Last night you said that you had transcribed the writing on the menhir. Did you translate any of it?"

Q: Did she [Very likely]? Yes.

Nina: "Of course."

Katja: "What does it say?"

Q: Will Nina reveal it now [50/50]?

Nina: "I'll share what I know after you help me on this task."

Katja: "You don't have to be this way. I would have been easy for me to help you willingly."

Nina: "You don't have to like it. In some ways, it's better if you don't"

CQ: What's next (according to Nina) [Event Table]? Expose Ambush (maybe not exactly... I have something in mind, but Katja doesn't know anything yet).
Q: Will Nina leave Katja in the care of others while she takes care of unsaid business [50/50]? No.
Q: Will Nina and Katja leave by horse while her allies stay behind [50/50]? No.

Katja: "So what happens now?"

Nina: "Your extraction was too messy for my tastes. Couldn't be helped, unfortunately. But we'll need to leave soon or we'll have the whole Red Army on our heads."

Katja: "Where will we go?"

Nina: "Saint Petersburg. Igor should have put off our pursuit long enough for us to make it. Technically, that's where I am right now. If I don't get back soon, I will be missed."

Katja: "Who is Igor?"

Nina: "You'll meet him soon enough."

Q: Will Nina have Susi cut Katja's hair and put into her more "appropriate" (military) clothing [50/50]? Extreme yes (they may even give her a weapon).

Nina: "Ah, here's Susi." (To Susi) "I'll need her ready in... 90 minutes. Don't be late. Things are going to get very hot around here soon."

Susi nods and beckons for Katja. Katja looks at Nina, but she has already returned to her work.

Susi: (to Katja) "Come along dear. Let's get you into something more appropriate"

********************

CHARACTERS - Add Nina's uncle Ulrich and the target of her "hunt" (likely in
Australia). I chose not to add Morandil, given then he would be in the other world.

UPDATED THREADS
* Escape to freedom
* Solve the mystery of Nina's mother
* Decipher the writing on the menhir
* Nina's hunt

Updated Chaos Factor 5