Bloodless Vessel

Ghost of Garçon Du Berry's page

11 posts. Alias of Michael Johnson 66.


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Arc Perdu GM bot wrote:

In Provence, France, the Red Magus has returned to face his accusers, the House du Berry, bereft of a son by a fencing match between Du Berry and Perdu that turned into a duel...

Contrite, indeed, literally haunted by his rival's ghost, Arc Perdu accepts their charge of murder, and the proposed sentence of death by beheading with a grim stoicism.

But Cardinal Lucius D'Borja, having been served by the Red Magi's guardianship in earlier ventures against the Cult of Lucifer, has mercy and pity on the poor sinner, and pleads eloquently on his behalf to the Holy Father for clemency provided the Red Magus would take the vows of the cloth and become a priest.

Arc agrees to this stipulation immediately, at once relieving himself of the guilt of sin, and laying to rest the demanding ghost of Monsieur Du Berry in one fell swoop.

Oui! Pour l'amour du Christ, je renonce au diable et à tous ses mensonges! Je proclamerai la Parole de Dieu en tant que prêtre du Tout-Puissant!

AAAAAHHH!! How good it feels to have a priest to bury your bones in consecrated soil... I know Arc will lay my bones to rest now in a proper place... Not just a mass grave along with victims of the Black Plague or the Hundred Years War...


Appearing only to Arc, as usual...

DAMN YOU, Perdu!! You are going to putter about in this accursed labyrinth of death traps and demons until it kills you, and then I’ll NEVER get a Christian burial in Provence!! Non!! I will not allow this! We are going to Provence at once, Monsieur Le Rouge!

Flying toward the Scarlet Magus, the Ghost of Du Berry attempts to possess him!


Arc tries to ignore the Ghost of Du Berry, which again appears to him alone, pleading in sepulchral French which only the Scarlet Magus can hear: ARC!! Do not be the fool! You and your friends are no match for this demon! I KNOW FIRSTHAND WHAT THEY ARE CAPABLE OF, Monsieur Perdu! It WILL kill you all most horribly, and then I shall NEVER be laid to rest!!


...to notice the pale, terrified face of Du Berry as the phantom stares at something terrible just around the corner in the westbound corridor...

In quavering French only Arc can hear, the ghost screams: Perdu! You must flee, NOW!!

The ghost of Du Berry then vanishes...


Arc Perdu le Rouge wrote:

Once the news of Venice’s burning circulated around the group at the Cardinal’s abode, Arc dives into his studies on dragons and their abilities with renewed vigor.

Must we face the dragon so soon? I fear we are ill-prepared... this may be a chance to prove my worth, but should we succeed, the attention could bring the wrath of the authorities to bear. Still... a dragon...

Should anyone see him during his forays into dragon lore, he appears intense and focused, a far cry from his nervous, trembling self down in the Catacombs. During a brief pause in his studies, he says aloud, “Monsieur de Berry, I will not forget the oath I swore to you. I hope to return to France with a trusted priest of God once our work here in Italy is concluded. Then I shall make good on my word.”

In sepulchral French: I believe you will, Monsieur le Rouge... and should you fail to keep your word once your quest in the Catacombs is completed... you and I both know very well that you will never sleep soundly through the night again, non? Hahahaha!!

The pale, gaunt shade of Du Berry grins a ghastly grin at the magus, and a pale, albino frog wiggles out of his mouth and leaps onto the bestiary page Arc is reading, vanishing as it plops onto an illustration of a red dragon in flight... Du Berry fades away as well...


Arc Perdu le Rouge wrote:

Arc rejoins the group briefly after his talk with the Cardinal, only to part ways with them again in search of new equipment.

Looking to buy a +1 chain shirt and a cloak of resistance +1.

Purchase Price: 2250gp / 100 chain shirt + 150 masterwork + 1000 enchantment + 1000 cloak
Sold Equipment: Masterwork Longsword, Lamellar (leather) / 157 for longsword, 30 for armor
Final Cost: 2063gp

Does this have GM approval?

Purchases approved!

As Arc shops, he occasionally spots the Ghost of Du Berry staring at him from near a rack of cloaks or a wooden dummy wearing a master smith’s armor at a forge shop... When Arc goes to the ghost, it vanishes, but he finds just what he is looking for...


Arc Perdu le Rouge wrote:

Arc falters, having not considered such a simple and compassionate solution. "Monsieur du Berry, I pledge that it will be done. Your death was a consequence of my failures, and it is my sin to atone for, not yours. Your soul will be absolved, even if I should give up my life as I took yours."

With that, he turns to the Cardinal. "It appears I have one more task awaiting me at my home in Provence. I will need a trustworthy man of God to perform last rites for the man I killed."

Du Berry’s ghastly expression of angst is replaced by a smile of relieved gratitude at Arc’s vow.

Bon! I will hold you to this promise, Perdu! This is not the last you will see of me until you make good on your word!

The ghost vanishes.


Arc Perdu le Rouge wrote:
"And so my penance shall be paid," Arc replies. However, the ghost's sudden appearance sets him off balance, and his hand instinctively flies to the grip of his sword as his face blanches with fear. "My will was not my own, du Berry - I would never commit murder of my own accord! Why have you returned? What will alleviate your fury and set your soul at ease?!"

A Christian burial, and absolution for my sins said by a priest over my bones... Then, I believe God will forgive me and redeem my soul, and welcome me into His Kingdom... I was killed in a state of sin, having not made confession. See that I am saved from the torments of damnation, and our debt will be settled, Perdu!


Cardinal Lucius d'Borja wrote:
Arc Perdu le Rouge wrote:
Cardinal Lucius d'Borja wrote:
"Do you care to talk, my son? My offer stands and the view of Rome from the upper balcony is most calming at this time of evening."

Arc sits with Sanguinelle unsheathed and in his lap, staring at his warped reflection on the blade. "Very well. I see you are intent on shouldering this burden of mine." He stands, puts his sword back on his belt, and motions for the Cardinal to follow.

Once on the balcony, he stands in quiet contemplation for a few more moments. "I find it difficult to believe it was but a few days ago we entered this city and found ourselves embroiled in a crusade to slay the evils beneath it," he muses aloud. After entertaining another lengthy silence, he begins to speak in earnest.

"Father, I have committed a grave injustice, and I fear the Adversary's hand has guided my own. Not long ago, I was simply a student of magic and a dutiful son; now, I am a murderer and a vagabond, forced to flee my home after taking the life of an innocent man. We had engaged in a duel, and I feared I might lose... then, faster than I could blink, I found myself resenting - hating - my opponent, believing him to be inferior to myself. Once I realized what I was feeling, he was already dead."

Arc pauses and struggles to center himself, the resurfacing memories visibly taking their toll on him. "I wish I could blame some sinister influence for my sin, but I know not how what that could be, nor how much of it is still my own fault to bear. I was reluctant to embark on this quest with you and the others for fear of my history repeating itself, but now, I know I must seek absolution by any means possible."

"Pride is one of humanities defining sins Monsieur." The Cardinal responds, in the french that Arc finds most natural. "To believe that your opponent is inferior to you is one of our great mechanisms, to support us and allow us to overcome our foes. None of us is...

You heard the good cardinal, Monsieur le Rouge! We both have our part to play in God’s divine plan! My part was to die to satisfy your sense of superiority, so that you realized what you are worth! Now it is time to do your part! Your “conscience” will not stop pestering you until this is accomplished, understand, Perdu!?

Cardinal Lucius is obviously oblivious to the phantom haranguing Arc Perdu le Rogue...

The ghost hovers close to Arc’s face, staring at him with dead eyes. A graveworm crawls out of the gaping sword wound in his breast...

Did you know that you sent me to Hell, Arc!?... You killed me when I was in a state of deadly sin, and now my soul writhes in the flames of the Eternal Hellfire! I will burn for infinity because of you, Arc!


Out of thin air, the pale, clammy, bloodstained figure of young, arrogant Monsieur Du Berry appears at Arc’s right side, but is visible only to him...

Bravo, Monsieur Perdu! You and your companions are very formidable! Do you think your heroic deeds on behalf of the Church of Rome will wash away my blood from your hands, and the crimson stain on your soul and honor? Did you know that the gendarmes hound your poor mother and father daily, searching for their fugitive murderer son?

In the blink of an eye, the ghost vanishes...


The ghost from Arc Perdu’s past...:
Arc is feeling a strong sense of purpose and conviction after gazing and meditating on the crimson light radiating from the crystal over the brazier... It is challenged by the sudden appearance, to him alone, of the fellow fencing student he killed during a moment of reckless abandon...
In French: Why did you kill me, Arc? Was it because I mistreated that whore you fancied at the brothel? Or because of my taunting?... Do not burden these new friends of yours with your past indiscretions... This is between you and I, no?... Was it to see what it feels like to kill a man? To take his life with your blade? I often wondered what it would feel like... Now I know how it feels to be killed, thanks to you, comrade... The ghost disappears, leaving Arc to contemplate the answers to its query...