Moon Goddess: Scene 14

Introduction to this thread: The Moon Goddess Is A Harsh Mistress
Explanation of Mythic elements: What's All This Mythic Stuff?
Previous Scene: Scene 13

SCENE 14
Wherein the Silver Huntress delivers a message of justice achieved.

CHARACTERS
The Silver Huntress (her deity)
Soldiers/Police
Drachen (her old warhorse)
Nina
Nina's Mother
Nina's Father
The Hard Man with the Nasty Scar
Susi
Yuliya
Igor
Deidre
Nina's uncle Ulrich
The target of Nina's hunt
Hamid
Efim Mororov
Professor Nasir
The Commissar
Fanquin Lanfeng

THREADS
* Escape to freedom
* Solve the mystery of Nina's mother
* Decipher the writing on the menhir
* Deliver antique sword to the target of Nina's hunt

CHAOS FACTOR: 4

********************
Interrupted scene!

NPC Positive (Silver Huntress) - Gratify (from) Illness. As I interpret this,
the cursed sword is rumored to cause illness. Somehow this gratifies the Silver
Huntress. Perhaps the child killed by the sword was one of her chosen. Now, it
punishes her enemies. So she is positively affected by one of her enemies
getting sick (from the sword). The logical choice is Efim Mororov or the
Commissar (randomly choose Mororov).

How this become an interrupted scene is not obvious. I think anything that
involves the Silver Huntress usually will come in through a dream. So Katja is
asleep when she dreams of the Silver Huntress.

Q: Is Katja sleeping in Nina's town house [Likely]? Extreme yes (she in Nina's bedroom).

Q: In Ktaja's dream, does she find herself in the clearing with the menhir under a full moon [Very likely]? No.

Q: Is she in a snow-covered, empty street outside Mororov's shop and residence [Likely]? Yes, and RANDOM EVENT [PC Negative - Delay Investment. Interpreted as not actually manifesting or speaking directly to Katja just yet.]

Katja dreams.

A full moon shining down upon the glistening snow conveys a message to Katja that the Goddess is with her on this evening. Looking around her, however, she finds herself in an alien land of stone buildings and abandoned streets. Accustomed to primeval forest in dreams like these, Katja is momentarily taken aback. Though she feels the power of the Goddess, there is little sign of her. There are no words. Just a single shaft of moonlight illuminating a store-front across the street.

Q: Is the true nature of Mororov's shop concealed behind something mundane [Likely]? Yes (let's say a book seller).

Instinctively, she follows the light to a door. Naturally, it opens easily. Inside, she finds a musty shop that is crowded with books. It is too dark to read the titles, as the silver moonbeam only illuminates another door in the rear of the shop. That door also opens to her touch.

Q: Is Mororov here [Likely]? Extreme no. Odd... but I can work with it.
Q: Is the sword in sight [Likely]? Yes, and RANDOM EVENT [Move away from thread (Solve the mystery of Nina's mother - Passion trials)]
CQ: What is the clue [wikipedia]? Citylink Wellington (interpreted as news clippings from New Zealand that hint at the rise of Silver Huntress cult).

The room beyond is crowded with painting, crates, statuary, and medieval weaponry. Upon the desk is an exquisite cavalry saber, its blade shining in the moonlight. A few drops of blood near its gold and ivory hilt drip onto some very unusual looking scrolls.

Katja approaches and realizes that the scrolls are really just sheets of flimsy paper with impossibly regular writing and black-and-white images of young girls with painted faces. The girls carry spears and are dressed in light-colored tunics and sandals. The writing is Tempian [Latin], but the language in Pembroke [English]. At least, she thinks it is in Pembroke. In the shifting nature of dreams, she can only catch words or phrases here and there. "New Zealand", "Moon Goddess", "corruption of our youth", "communist". Katja wonders what it all means.

Just then, Katja notices that there is more blood dripping on the desk and floor. The moonbeam follows her gaze and illuninates a subtle path to a rear door. She follows and finds the body of an older man in the snowy alley. His right hand has swollen with gangrene and there is a puddle of vomit next to his head. Katja not only knows him to be dead, but she also knows him to be Efim Mororov. In the light of full moon, somehow Katja knows that the Silver Huntress is glad.

Katja wakes.

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

CHARACTERS - Mororov is not removed just yet (the dream may be of the future). The girls from New Zealand are added.

UPDATED THREADS
* Escape to freedom
* Solve the mystery of Nina's mother
* Decipher the writing on the menhir
* Deliver antique sword to the target of Nina's hunt
* Investigate the Moon Goddess Cult in New Zealand

Updated Chaos Factor 5