Through Sorcerer's eyes - Oct 22, in which Snuff and Graymalk's unlikely partnership leads them to daydream

Part of a series analyzing Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October through Sorcerer.

Starts here.

October 22

Snuff starts by describing close calls with the Things. The one in the Circle is bragging that it is getting so strong that it might be able to break out on its own. Its contest of Wills with Snuff nevertheless fails. He also reports that he had a similar battle with the one in the Wardrobe, which required the Containment to be reinforced physically. The on in the Steamer Trunk is simply being more active, as seen through the hole it poked through.

Finding that all is well, Snuff attempts to talk to Larry, but finds the disguised Great Detective is making a call again. He instead goes back to find Graymalk, to lead her to Dog's Nest, his tall perch with the big blocks of stone, and share the calculations he's been adjusting. On the way, Cheeter spots them and jeers at them for being a Closer and an Opener working together. Snuff thinks this is some kind of divination, suggesting the ability Hint or some kind of Perception: alignment might be involved. Graymalk then brings up a curse he and Jack are under, and he clarifies that they are keeping at least one. He is surprised to find that she knows of it because Jack mentioned it to Jill. She wonders whether he might be trying to change her orientation.

After another contest of will, this time between Snuff and MacCab, they reach Dog's Nest, and he calculates with the new data, settling on a clearing that looks entirely unpromising. Graymalk reminds him that the Count held the Ring, and he realizes that it wasn't on his corpse - so someone must be doubly powerful, but also doubly vulnerable.

The rain which started a bit earlier intensifies, so they take cover behind some of the rocks and wait for it to abate. Graymalk starts a soliloquy about the Great Old Ones` appreciation for their efforts, naming Nyarlathotep and Cthulhu. As she does so, Snuff is looking at the rocks, and the water seems to be converting the random scratches he thought were on them into letters in an unknown language. They redden, seem to be moving as if reading themselves, and then a rectangle of light starts to form. Snuff is at first frozen, but then jumps to take Graymalk away from her position just before a lightning strike hits that same place. They are then both buffeted by the wind, before it starts trying to funnel them towards the rectangle. They are both thrown in, and find themselves in a timeless, featureless gray void.

Graymalk realizes that they are on their way to the Dreamlands (called the Dreamworld here), of Lovecraft's cycle of the name. She is able to use a litany much like that in The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath to guide them towards the sky of the Dreamworld, and eventually to the Palace of the Seventy Delights, where they've been called. She has gone here while catnapping, while he feels like he might have been here as well.

It appears that they have been summoned by an old wise cat, much respected by the species. He takes Graymalk aside to speak to her while Snuff waits patiently, after the cat has ascertained that he is a dear friend, which he already know by remote viewing. When they return, she is perturbed. He lets Snuff ask him a question: asked what tomorrow has in store for him, the wise cat that he will lose a friend and be surrounded by blood, lots of it. He then takes them to a portal to take them back to Earth. As they leave, he tells Snuff to "get the stick" in Latin, which Snuff takes as a silly jab unbecoming of such a divine entity.

They are back at Dog's Nest, and decide to go home, leaving a trip to the new potential site for the event for tomorrow. Snuff notes that his dreams are slightly different than what they've seen, but Graymalk seems to recognize it as an identifiable scene in the Dreamworld. Snuff decides to return there, to Growler, tonight, to improve his skill. 

The fact that they were attacked, possibly for offending the Great Old Ones, and then summoned into the Dreamlands, is very interesting. It's akin to what a sorcerer would be able to do to demons: Punish and Summon them. Except the wise cat is more akin to a demon, coming from the Dreamworld, which is clearly linked to the Cthulhu Mythos and, therefore, sorcery. Similarly, the Great Old Ones showing ire without the intermediary of a sorcerer is suspicious.

Sorcerers and Demons

• Jack - Binder of Snuff (probably 0 or +/-1), a wand, and a big knife, as well as a Container of several Things. Described as cursed and having to do much of his work at night - perhaps his Price has to do with insomnia? Has played the Game before, as a Closer.
• "Crazy" Jill - Witch, Binder of Graymalk, and a flying broom. Friendly with Jack, but a Closer.
• Owen - Druid, Binder of Cheeter (probably -2 or lower), and a sickle. Mistletoe, wicker baskets, and ropes.
• Snuff - a Passer whose Cover is a watchdog. High Will. Possible abilities: Command: dogs, Hold, Perception: heightened senses, Perception: sorcerous implements, Perception: sorcerous pattern, Special Damage: claws and fangs, Special Damage: holy hell. Able to trace paths between sorcerers. Keeps up with who has which tool. Able to communicate with Jack verbally right after midnight. Has played the Game before, as a Closer
• Graymalk - a Possessor of a cat. Possible abilities: Cloak, Travel: teleportation. Possible Need/Desire: burying and uncovering things. A Closer.
• Cheeter - a Passer whose Cover is a squirrel. Possible abilities: Hint, Perception: alignment
• The Wise Old Cat - a demon or sorcerer. Able to summon demons, or possibly cats? Lives in the Dreamworld, possible abilities: Hint, Perception: Future.
• Thing in the Circle - a Passer of high Will (although much weaker than Snuff's), communicative. Possible abilities: Shapeshift: general or numerous. Possible Telltales: smell, unnatural movement. Its Power might express itself through the environment when fighting against Containment. Becomes more powerful as the moon expands.
• Thing in the Steamer Trunk - High Stamina. Currently communicating by glaring out of a hole it poked.
• Thing in the Wardrobe - High Stamina and Will, communicative. Getting hard to contain physically, but still weaker than Snuff's Will, possibly Stamina.

Sorcery and Setting

• The Dreamworld, essentially Lovecraft's Dreamlands, are part of sorcery
• The Great Old Ones seem to be able to occasionally apply force to the world of their own volition under certain circumstances.

Through Sorcerer's eyes - Oct 21, in which we find the Count's latest resting place, and the Great Detective loses his cool

Part of a series analyzing Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October through Sorcerer.

Starts here.

October 21

Quicklime teaches Needle the joys of fermented plums - and manages to get the Count's two other places of residence, established before the new moon, so relevant to calculations. He and Snuff check them out, and find the count's staked corpse in the second one. On the way, after a bit of circumlocution about their knowledge of past instances of the event, they admit to each other that they are both Closers. It turns out that whoever loses the Game gets wiped out, and Opening would bring in the Elder Gods, while Closing keeps the status quo, which is why mentioning that you've played before gives you away as a Closer. In the past, how many there were of each side varied, and sometimes nobody decides to show up on the very day. Killing other players early looks to Snuff as a sign of weakness.

Incidentally, the Mad Arab's Icon is Alhazred's Icon, so that's another connection to the Cthulhu Mythos, as is the relation to the shores of Hali.

Afterwards, back at home, Snuff notices the Things in the Mirror are still clustered, now pulsing, around the flaw, which seems bigger. He resolves to mention this to Jack. He goes out to meet Graymalk, and fills her in on the details. She, in turn, informs him that the Vicar owns the Pentacle Bowl, one of the important Object demons/implements of sorcery called the "tools", which Snuff had assumed resided with the Good Doctor. He jokingly asks her about the two wands, but she looks at him strangely. She also tells him that there is a 13-year-old girl tied down in the Vicar's residence, supposedly being punished for some transgression, but they both realize she's meant as a sacrifice.

They then go to enjoy a performance by the Roma. The Great Detective has gone there in disguise to get acquainted with them - and is encouraged to play the violin, which he does masterfully, almost slipping from his disguise. Snuff sees in him an immense power restrained, and realizes that he is probably going to figure out what's going on and take part, whether or not he's officially a player.

Sorcerers and Demons

• Jack - Binder of Snuff (probably 0 or +/-1), a wand, and a big knife, as well as a Container of several Things. Described as cursed and having to do much of his work at night - perhaps his Price has to do with insomnia? Has played the Game before, as a Closer.
• Rastov - Binder of Quicklime and the Alhazred Icon. Closer.
• "Crazy" Jill - Witch, Binder of Graymalk, and a flying broom
• Vicar Roberts - A sorcerer in his own right railing against sorcery, Binder of Tekela and of the Pentacle Bowl. Some combination of Satanism and Cthulhu Mythos. Sacrificed a policemean, and has a daughter from a previous marriage tied up for future sacrifice.
• Larry Talbot - Possible sorcerer, definite werewolf, Binder of Large Plant. Pledges assistance to Jack, as they are both Closers. Large Plant confers some control over his transformation, but it in itself seems natural to the setting
• The Count - Binder of Needle, a blood-sucking parasite, and possibly the Ring. Telltale: needs to be invited in. Might have multiple places to sleep. Served by a group of Roma. Found staked.
• The Good Doctor - Binder of Bubo, the Corpse Man, possibly of the Hunched Man, although that might just be a human servant. Weird science.
• Snuff - a Passer whose Cover is a watchdog. High Will. Possible abilities: Command: dogs, Hold, Perception: heightened senses, Perception: sorcerous implements, Perception: sorcerous pattern, Special Damage: claws and fangs, Special Damage: holy hell. Able to trace paths between sorcerers. Keeps up with who has which tool. Able to communicate with Jack verbally right after midnight. Has played the Game before, as a Closer
• Quicklime - a Parasite living in the gut. Possible abilities: Cover: Snake, Mark, Special Damage. Has played the Game before.
• The Alhazred Icon - possible Object, having to do with Closing.
• Graymalk - a Possessor of a cat. Possible abilities: Cloak, Travel: teleportation. Possible Need/Desire: burying and uncovering things.
• Tekela - a Passer whose cover is an albino raven.
• Pentacle Bowl - possible Object
• Large Plant - a Passer whose cover is a large flowering plant? Possible abilities: Boost: Stamina (werewolf transformation), Boost: Will (retaining faculties), Hint, Perception: Future
• Needle - a Passer whose cover is a bat.
• Count's Parasite - Possible abilities: Perception: heightened senses, Shapeshift: Large Bat, Travel. Possible Need: other people's blood.
• Bubo - a Passer whose Cover is a rat. Very closemouthed.
• The Corpse Man - a Possessor of a giant dead body. Not very bright or forceful, but strong, and a speed belied by the awkwardness of his movement. Probably high Stamina, low Will.
• The Great Detective and his companion - Very perceptive, good at disguises (although the smell gives it away), not explicitly a player in the Game, but taking a keen interest in what is going on, to the point of moving into the neighborhood in disguise and befriending some of the players, and is on track to know what it's all about. Probably very high Will.
• Things in the Mirror - Unknown. Not communicating so far. Able to break out of their mirrors with time. Slither within their confines, change color when excited. Possible abilities: Special Damage: disease, Special Damage: stick, Taint.

Sorcery and Setting

• Whoever loses the confrontations between Openers and Closers gets wiped out.
• More and more the Cthulhu Mythos seems to be at the center of sorcery per se - so perhaps everything else is "mundane" setting information, including lycanthropy, and possibly vampirism!

Through Sorcerer's eyes - Oct 20, in which we confirm the Vicar's a player, learn about Graymalk's past, and more information is confirmed

Part of a series analyzing Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October through Sorcerer.

Starts here.

October 20

As promised in the previous chapter, Snuff picks Graymalk up to go check out the old manse, now occupied by Lady Enderby and her butler - who are the Great Detective and his companion in disguise, although he has yet to disclose this. As they go there, she starts a bit of probing to try and find out his alignment, starting by describing how she had a horrid life as a young cat until she was rescued by Jill, herself an orphan who had a bad life before, presumably, sorcery brought her power over her life. This suggests that Graymalk did not start out as a demon - so we must instead see her as a Possessor of an ordinary cat.

On approaching the manse, Snuff notes that the Great Detective is staying in character, albeit with an incongruous pipe, even though they have no company. Graymalk sneaks in, planning to avoid them both and tour the insides to see if there is, indeed, an appropriate chapel.

While she is away, Nightwind lands nearby and starts trying to pump Snuff for information. Unfortunately for him, what information he doesn't divulge while explaining what he is asking for or what he has to offer, Snuff either knows or is able to guess. We therefore discover that not only did the Vicar kill the policeman, but he did so through a ritual to gain early power as he had joined the Game late; that the albino raven from the previous chapter is Tekela, she is the Vicar's companion, that she followed Snuff and saw him dragging the body, and Larry helping him, although she couldn't recognize him other than to know that he also hung around Larry's home. Snuff ends up lying about wolf-Larry, saying that he's juts a big stray dog named Lucky who he hangs out with, and who Larry occasionally feeds. This poses a problem, since they're not quite clear on whether plants can be companions, and companions are necessary for sorcery.

In exchange for this lie, Nightwind tells him that there is a third man living in the Good Doctor's farmhouse, a giant, moving around awkwardly, but only at the height of the thunderstorms, after which he is put back under a sheet and doesn't move. Other, indirect information is that Quicklime traded some information for Needle's nightly feeding route - which Nightwind suggests might be to trap him, although we know from two days ago that it might have to do with getting more information about the Count's sleeping arrangements. A bit of grousing about Bubo being too closemouthed concludes his business with Snuff; Nightwind departs.

Snuff hears a noise from the other side of the house, and rushes to see what is going on. Lady Enderby kindly bids farewell to Graymalk. Once she closes the door behind her, Snuff tries to get Graymalk's attention, but she feigns to ignore him, then disappears and reappears next to him - perhaps this is another ability, Travel: Teleportation. She tells him that she was spotted inside, and that Enderby immediately recognized her and called her by name, which she finds puzzling. Snuff does not enlighten her. Snuff being the only entity so far to note that Enderby and the Great Detective are one and the same is starting to suggest that his disguise is a bit supernatural in scope, although it is not clear that it falls within sorcery per se, rather than being a setting feature. The Great Detective's powers of observation and memory might also fall under this ambiguous area.

As she was inside she was able to find a room that was an old chapel at some point, which suggests that this is a credible site for the event.

They both continue to the Good Doctor's to check up on Nightwind's lead. On the way, as they discuss more of the details of the event - apparently this can happen whenever the full moon rises on Halloween, as long as Closers, Openers, or both, gather to make use of it - Snuff lets it slip that this isn't his first time - which is significant. Recall that Quicklime also seemed to imply that he'd done this before. The area around the farmhouse is rainy as usual. This seems to be notable enough, that it might be some kind of weather control effect by some kind of demon. As they approach, they see the giant man Nightwind described coming towards them awkwardly but quickly. He pets Snuff, then picks Graymalk up without warning, being much quicker than he looks. He attempts to pet her, but she yells out that he's crushing her. Snuff starts barking, which at least distracts him. Then the Good Doctor comes forward, and slowly and patronizingly explains to him that he should let go of the cat and come back inside. They leave. Snuff notes that the man smelled like death. So it is suggested that the Good Doctor's sorcery might have brought someone from the dead. Possibly the mad science lead to a possession of a corpse?

Sorcerers and Demons

• Jack - Binder of Snuff (probably 0 or +/-1), a wand, and a big knife, as well as a Container of several Things. Described as cursed and having to do much of his work at night - perhaps his Price has to do with insomnia? Has played the Game before, as a Closer
• "Crazy" Jill - Witch, Binder of Graymalk, and a flying broom
• Vicar Roberts - A sorcerer in his own right railing against sorcery, Binder of Tekela. Some combination of Satanism and Cthulhu Mythos.
• Morris and MacCab - A pair of sorcerers who have both Bound Nightwind. They count separately for the purposes of conversation, although not clearly in terms of the rules of sorcery. They are very new in this endeavor.
• Larry Talbot - Possible sorcerer, definite werewolf, Binder of Large Plant. Pledges assistance to Jack, as they are both Closers. Large Plant confers some control over his transformation, but it in itself seems natural to the setting
• The Count - Binder of Needle, a blood-sucking parasite, and possibly the ring. Telltale: needs to be invited in. Might have multiple places to sleep. Served by a group of Roma.
• The Good Doctor - Binder of Bubo, the Corpse Man, possibly of the Hunched Man, although that might just be a human servant, and possibly the bowl. Weird science.
• Snuff - a Passer whose Cover is a watchdog. High Will. Possible abilities: Command: dogs, Hold, Perception: heightened senses, Perception: sorcerous implements, Perception: sorcerous pattern, Special Damage: claws and fangs, Special Damage: holy hell. Able to trace paths between sorcerers. Keeps up with who has which tool. Able to communicate with Jack verbally right after midnight. Has played the Game before, as a Closer
• Graymalk - a Possessor of a cat. Possible abilities: Cloak, Travel: teleportation. Possible Need/Desire: burying and uncovering things.
• Tekela - a Passer whose cover is an albino raven.
• Nightwind - a Passer whose Cover is an owl. Possible abilities: Perception: sorcerous pattern, Special Damage.
• Large Plant - a Passer whose cover is a large flowering plant? Possible abilities: Boost: Stamina (werewolf transformation), Boost: Will (retaining faculties), Hint, Perception: Future
• Needle - a Passer whose cover is a bat.
• Count's Parasite - Possible abilities: Perception: heightened senses, Shapeshift: Large Bat, Travel. Possible Need: other people's blood.
• Bubo - a Passer whose Cover is a rat. Very closemouthed.
• The Corpse Man - a Possessor of a giant dead body. Not very bright or forceful, but strong, and a speed belied by the awkwardness of his movement. Probably high Stamina, low Will.
• The Great Detective and his companion - Very perceptive, good at disguises (although the smell gives it away), not clearly supernatural or a player in the Game, but taking a keen interest in what is going on, to the point of moving into the neighborhood in disguise and befriending some of the players. Probably very high Will.

Sorcery and Setting

• The kind of event that will be coming at the end of the month happens whenever the moon is full on Halloween. It happens a few times a century. It doesn't always lead to sorcerers gathering together to bring it about. It's significant if people have done it before.
  
• It's not clear whether plants are appropriate "companions", the signifying demons that sorcerers have, usually assumed to be animals.

Through Sorcerer's eyes - Oct 19, in which there are new additions to the neighborhood

Part of a series analyzing Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October through Sorcerer.

Starts here.

October 19

Snuff checks out the old manse, one of the possible locations for the month's culminating event. He finds some fresh lumber lying there, with evidence of new work - and the place is locked down, so he can't explore further. He goes back to Jack's to check on the Things - the one in the Circle is eager to leave, saying it is starting to feel more powerful, and Snuff tells it it will be freed soon enough. The Thing in the Steamer Trunk was able to poke a hole to stare out of with a yellow eye. The Thing in the Wardrobe is snoring. The Things in the Mirror are still centered around some point - and Snuff notices a flaw, albeit one still too small for them to leave out of. He wonders if they are able to push their way out. Perhaps this can be seen as a gradual exercise of attempting to break a Container.

Snuff naps, and is awakened by the sound of a Roma (the less appropriate term is used) caravan coming into town. He follows them for a while, until he runs into Quicklime. He and Rastov had been expecting them, as they are associated with the Count. They are responsible for guarding him during the day, so the theory is that he came in early to stake out a claim and gather up some ingredients, and they followed as fast as they could. Quicklime brings up the possibility of additional resting places for the Count, which Snuff had not considered before. This is important: if any of them were established before the new moon, they count towards the pattern. Quicklime is shocked to realize that Snuff is the calculator rather than Jack - and furthermore, concludes that he is better at it than Rastov. They start thinking about setting up a rotating watch with the other animal companions to make sure and find all of his other potential crypts.

Before this, though, Snuff suggests a more immediate activity for them - he reveals that a ruined church near the Count's crypt is one of the possible places for the event. They go there, and he asks Quicklime to first make sure that the Count and Needle are sleeping in the crypt, which they are, and then to check the ruin. Alas, the place is completely ruined, to the point where it's not likely that anything can be made of it, so it seems clear that it's not the place. Using Snuff's calculations from the previous chapter, this means that the Vicar must be involved. He reveals this to Quicklime, and also that he's performing rites to the Elder Gods (meaning he recognized the mention of Nyarlathotep when he viewed the black mass). He also reveals that the Vicar's vicarage and church are a possible location for the event, if Larry is not a player. He doesn't mention the manse. He then reiterates to the reader that the new moon froze everything in place, that subsequent moving and killing of players doesn't change the pattern that he's seeking, which is why it's urgent that he know where and when the Count might have alternative lodgings. Quicklime backpedals from taking shifts to find out where this is - he instead suggests he will look into an alternate way to get that information in the next few days, and will tell Snuff about it.

Snuff parts with him and goes back to find the Roma's camp. He watches them but sees nothing out of the ordinary, although the display is colorful. He then hears a carriage coming in, and an old lady visiting Larry. He follows the two doggedly from the outside, seeing them having sherry, looking at hte plants, then some more sherry. After she departs he talks to Larry, who is able to communicate with him in human form, and tells him that her name is Linda Enderby, that she introduced herself and was very interested in botany, and that she's moved into the old manse, away from the crowded city. Larry does not seem to realize that she is in fact the Great Detective in disguise, and Snuff doesn't tell him this.

Snuff later meets Graymalk, who tells him that the Vicar lead the search party to its resting place, first, suggesting that he knew where it was, and probably put it there, to intentionally put Jack at risk. She also tells him that Enderby has visited Jill, as well, and seem to know much about herbs and cooking. Snuff tells her almost everything he knows, except that Enderby is the Great Detective, so that he is the one who set up shop in the old manse, and asks that she join him later, and use a broken window he'd noticed to hop on in and look for a chapel - presumably a place for the event.

As Snuff goes on near the Vicar's church, watched by an albino raven, and sees that Enderby has come to visit here, as well.

Sorcerers and Demons

• Jack - Binder of Snuff (probably 0 or +/-1), a wand, and a big knife, as well as a Container of several Things. Described as cursed and having to do much of his work at night - perhaps his Price has to do with insomnia? Has played the Game before.
• Larry Talbot - Possible sorcerer, definite werewolf, Binder of Large Plant. Pledges assistance to Jack, thinks he's a Closer, almost certainly one himself. Large Plant confers some control over his transformation, but it in itself seems natural to the setting
• Vicar Roberts - A sorcerer in his own right railing against sorcery, no Bound demons of his own that we are aware of yet. Some combination of Satanism and Cthulhu Mythos.
• "Crazy" Jill - Witch, Binder of Graymalk, and a flying broom
• The Count - Binder of Needle, a blood-sucking parasite, and possibly the ring. Telltale: needs to be invited in. Might have multiple places to sleep. Served by a group of Roma.
• Snuff - a Passer whose Cover is a watchdog. High Will. Possible abilities: Command: dogs, Hold, Perception: heightened senses, Perception: sorcerous implements, Perception: sorcerous pattern, Special Damage: claws and fangs, Special Damage: holy hell. Able to trace paths between sorcerers. Keeps up with who has which tool. Able to communicate with Jack verbally right after midnight. Has played the Game before
• Large Plant - a Passer whose cover is a large flowering plant? Possible abilities: Boost: Stamina (werewolf transformation), Boost: Will (retaining faculties), Hint, Perception: Future
• Graymalk - a Passer whose Cover is a cat. Possible abilities: Cloak. Possible Need/Desire: burying and uncovering things.
• Needle - a Passer whose cover is a bat.
• Count's Parasite - Possible abilities: Perception: heightened senses, Shapeshift: Large Bat, Travel. Possible Need: other people's blood.
• Thing in the Circle - a Passer of high Will (although much weaker than Snuff's), communicative. Possible abilities: Shapeshift: general or numerous. Possible Telltales: smell, unnatural movement. Its Power might express itself through the environment when fighting against Containment. Becomes more powerful as the moon expands.
• Thing in the Steamer Trunk - High Stamina. Not communicating so far.
• Thing in the Wardrobe - High Stamina and Will, communicative.
• Things in the Mirror - Unknown. Not communicating so far. Able to break out of their mirrors with time. Slither within their confines, change color when excited. Possible abilities: Special Damage: disease, Special Damage: stick, Taint.
• The Great Detective and his companion - Very perceptive, good at disguises (although the smell gives it away), not clearly supernatural or a player in the Game, but taking a keen interest in what is going on, to the point of moving into the neighborhood in disguise and befriending some of the players.

Sorcery and Setting

• Cthulhu Mythos is known as a form or aspect of sorcery.
• The new moon not only separates the gathering of ingredients from acting with them towards the great event, but also freezes the locations of the players in place - and if some of them have more than one resting place, those have to be taken into account, as well.
• The place of the event at the end of the month is expected to be a chapel.
• Breaking Contain could be a long-drawn process.

Through Sorcerer's eyes - Oct 18, in which we find out what a moon-watcher is, and learn about the Vicar's underside

Part of a series analyzing Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October through Sorcerer.

Starts here.

October 18

Since October 14, Snuff has been dragging the body whenever he could. Today he finds unexpected assistance. He is approached by a large, scary wolf - who turns out to be Larry Talbot. A werewolf! Apparently the common situation is that they only turn into a wolf on the full moon - Larry is able to have more control over his transformation on other days, although the natural transformation still leaves him with no control of his faculties. The way he does this is through some plant-based assistance. This might lend more credence to the big plant, or possibly plants, being actual demons conferring some abilities - although the context here is strange. Are werewolves part of the setting, which Larry violates, partially, through demonic intervention? Or, like with the Count, should we see his very transformation as demonic? This is a similar question to when we discussed how animals seem to be naturally able to talk to each other in this setting, but more extreme. For now, let's call the demon's ability a specialized version of Stamina and Will Boost, since it allows a physical transformation with mental retention of faculties.

Larry handily carries the corpse to the river, and they both watch it floating downstream, to Snuff's immense relief. Then Larry takes him over to the Vicar's chapel, where a dark ceremony is taking place, with all the trappings of a black mass: inverted crucifix, black candles, black fabric draped over the altar, nudity... but also a chant referring to Nyarlathotep, a Lovecraftian entity. This is still not enough to confirm to Snuff whether the Vicar is a player, which suggests that it might be a part of sorcery that is more idiosyncratic. He tries to get Larry to explain whether he, himself, should be counted, but he's got limited information to give, only knowing that he will be out of his mind that night of the full moon. This is important, let us recall, because the locations of the different players form a pattern which Snuff, and possibly others, can use to calculate where the event will take place. So Snuff is forced to suggest calculating the whole thing four ways, with and without the Vicar, and with and without Larry.

Later he has a conversation with Graymalk, who is trying to get some information out of him without giving too much away. She already suspects that it is unclear whether Larry is or isn't a player, and when Snuff confirms that, she tells him that the event can't take place in the middle of the road, according to Jill's metaphysical reasoning. He counts that confirmation of his own ruling out of an earlier candidate as leaving them even.

Finally he sits in what he call's Dog's Nest, a comfortable hill with big blocks of stone to lie down on and think, with a good view of the area. He figures out three different locations for the event, one of which is dangerously close to the Count, one that he's visited recently, and one that he hasn't gone near before.

Sorcerers and Demons

• Jack - Binder of Snuff (probably 0 or +/-1), a wand, and a big knife, as well as a Container of several Things. Described as cursed and having to do much of his work at night - perhaps his Price has to do with insomnia? Has played the Game before.
• Larry Talbot - Possible sorcerer, definite werewolf, Binder of Large Plant. Pledges assistance to Jack, thinks he's a Closer, almost certainly one himself. Large Plant confers some control over his transformation, but it in itself seems natural to the setting
• Vicar Roberts - A sorcerer in his own right railing against sorcery, no Bound demons of his own that we are aware of yet. Some combination of Satanism and Cthulhu Mythos.
• "Crazy" Jill - Witch, Binder of Graymalk, and a flying broom
• The Count - Binder of Needle, a blood-sucking parasite, and possibly the ring. Telltale: needs to be invited in.
• Snuff - a Passer whose Cover is a watchdog. High Will. Possible abilities: Command: dogs, Hold, Perception: heightened senses, Perception: sorcerous implements, Perception: sorcerous pattern, Special Damage: claws and fangs, Special Damage: holy hell. Able to trace paths between sorcerers. Keeps up with who has which tool. Able to communicate with Jack verbally right after midnight. Has played the Game before
• Large Plant - a Passer whose cover is a large flowering plant? Possible abilities: Boost: Stamina (werewolf transformation), Boost: Will (retaining faculties), Hint, Perception: Future
• Graymalk - a Passer whose Cover is a cat. Possible abilities: Cloak. Possible Need/Desire: burying and uncovering things.
• Needle - a Passer whose cover is a bat.
• Count's Parasite - Possible abilities: Perception: heightened senses, Shapeshift: Large Bat, Travel. Possible Need: other people's blood.

Sorcery and Setting

• Cthulhu Mythos is one way for sorcery, but an unusual one - and not necessarily relevant to the Game.
• Lycanthropy exists, and might just be a natural setting trope rather than a transgression brought on by sorcery.
• It is possible to reason metaphysically about sorcerous matters, which might not require demonic intervention.

Through Sorcerer's eyes - Oct 17, in which the sorcerers indulge in a final, anatomically improbable cooperative act

Part of a series analyzing Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October through Sorcerer.

Starts here.

October 17

The main action in this chapter happens the previous night, the new moon, or death of the moon. Before getting into those details, Snuff provides us with more context for the entire Game. With the moon, a power that the sorcerers want to harness is rising, and both Closers and Openers will act in ways that expose their affiliation. Until now, the talk has been about gathering ingredients, so we can safely assume that that's all that can be done until then with respect to the main event or ritual of the Game, and that they are neutral, in the sense that anyone of any affiliation may want to gather any of them. It's only their subsequent use which should expose their purpose.

Last night, Snuff and Jack went to that old, distant graveyard again, of the long-suffering guard dog who Snuff had already amicably intimidated. Snuff hears others approaching as Jack works - Snuff is able to tell or hint to us which they are by the sounds of their voices. We hear those because at some point in the night, someone, who sounds like MacCab, gets the idea to loudly vent his frustration at the body he's dug up missing a part he needs. This begins a comical back-and-forth, with others yelling out what they found or what they need, and throwing them back and forth when a trade is viable. This orgy of grave-robbing is notable not just for its comedy, but also for the clear indication of the specifics each needs for their ingredients, and their willingness to rob corpses, then mix and match them to taste. Truly, sorcery is vile, but also mutually intelligible - they are all looking for similar things, and understand each other's needs. This despite their day-to-day presentation and sorcery style.

The sorcerers involved, aside from Jack and MacCab, are Owen (probably), Jill (a woman's voice, and she's the only one we know of), the Count (deep voice with Hungarian accent), Rastov (a Russian accent), someone with an aristocratic accent, and a few others without descriptors.

As they leave, Snuff notes the Great Detective disguised as a dozing sexton, meaning someone hasn't been sufficiently discreet. Later Snuff returns to the body dragging, a significant drain on his attentions still.

Sorcerers and Demons

• Jack - Binder of Snuff (probably 0 or +/-1), a wand, and a big knife, as well as a Container of several Things. Described as cursed and having to do much of his work at night - perhaps his Price has to do with insomnia? Has played the Game before.
• Morris and MacCab - A pair of sorcerers who have both Bound Nightwind. They count separately for the purposes of conversation, although not clearly in terms of the rules of sorcery. They are very new in this endeavor.
• Owen - Druid, Binder of Cheeter (probably -2 or lower), and a sickle. Mistletoe, wicker baskets, and ropes.
• "Crazy" Jill - Witch, Binder of Graymalk, and a flying broom
• The Count - Binder of Needle, a blood-sucking parasite, and possibly the ring. Telltale: needs to be invited in.
• Rastov - Binder of Quicklime and the mad Arab's icon
• Aristocratic sorcerer - unknown, possibly someone we've met
• Others - unknown, possibly some we've met
• Snuff - a Passer whose Cover is a watchdog. High Will. Possible abilities: Command: dogs, Hold, Perception: heightened senses, Perception: sorcerous implements, Perception: sorcerous pattern, Special Damage: claws and fangs, Special Damage: holy hell. Able to trace paths between sorcerers. Keeps up with who has which tool. Able to communicate with Jack verbally right after midnight. Has played the Game before
• Nightwind - a Passer whose Cover is an owl. Possible abilities: Perception: sorcerous pattern, Special Damage.
• Cheeter - a Passer whose Cover is a squirrel.
• Graymalk - a Passer whose Cover is a cat. Possible abilities: Cloak. Possible Need/Desire: burying and uncovering things.
• Needle - a Passer whose cover is a bat.
• Count's Parasite - Possible abilities: Perception: heightened senses, Shapeshift: Large Bat, Travel. Possible Need: other people's blood.
• Quicklime - a Parasite living in the gut. Possible abilities: Cover: Snake, Mark, Special Damage. Has played the Game before.
• The Great Detective and his companion - Very perceptive, good at disguises (although the smell gives it away), not clearly supernatural or a player in the Game, but starting to ask questions of those involved.

Sorcery and Setting

• The sorcery involved with the event or ritual which is the culmination of the Game has two phases: gathering the ingredients until the new moon, and then using them as a special power gathers towards the full moon at the end of the month, to sway it one way or another.
• With respect to Closers vs. Openers, the ingredients are neutral, while their uses are not.
• Ingredients include very specific organs taken from corpses - and their description is a lingua franca common to all sorcerers, regardless of background.

Through Sorcerer's eyes - Oct 16, where Covers are tested under pressure

Part of a series analyzing Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October through Sorcerer.

Starts here.

October 16

Another failed attempt by the Thing in the Circle to entice Snuff which fails. This despite days of exhausting work on moving the city policeman's corpse. Definitely a serious Will bias there. The Slitherers/Things in the Mirror have turned blue and are centered around one point in the mirror, but Snuff can't make out why - maybe a failure in perception, showing that his Will has been depleted. Outside, he finds a non-involved victim of the anti-sorcery crusade: a bat.

Back at the corpse, he makes little headway before giving up, suggesting Stamina depletion as well - perhaps it is better to think of it as Combat-like Lasting Penalties weighing on all of his activities. He returns to find Quicklime begging for death. Apparently he was in Rastov's gut when he was drinking the previous night, and is having a hard time of it. Snuff encourages him to hydrate and sweat it out; later, returning from a second futile attempt to move the body, he finds that he had successfully snaked away.

Meanwhile, we find indirectly about a meeting from two sources: an overheard discussion by Jack and Larry, and then a direct description by Graymalk. People in the neighborhood were invited to constable Terence's by city police, who questioned everyone about the disappearance of the policeman with whose decomposition Snuff is becoming all too familiar. Each of the sorcerers - Jack, Larry, the Vicar especially presenting himself as part of the investigation rather than a peer of the other neighbors, Jill, Rastov, and Morris and MacCab - is seen leaning into their covers, except for the Good Doctor, who explicitly calls this disappearance and the other strange and vile things that have been happening things he'd been wanting to get away from. Owen attempt to assuage suspicions, as well, but may be getting more attention as the tentative timeline puts him as the last person to see the policeman alive.

Jack and Larry's discussion is most significant, however, in further interrogating the relationship between them, and Larry's role in the Game. Jack warns Larry that he's putting himself in a very dangerous position, both almost explicitly naming himself as a Closer, but then not gathering any powers to protect himself or help with their end of the Game, some "structure of power" that can be turned in one of two ways - the Closers' and the Openers', perhaps? Larry counters that he has only told Jack, so he's probably safe from early discovery by the opposing faction, and that he is an anticipator, and in order to do his work correctly he can't let too many people know too much - otherwise he'd have to start again, with very little time remaining. They agree to trust each other, and shake on it. The mechanical restrictions on the ability of Larry's demon to tell the future lean more towards Hint, something with inherent mechanical difficulty.

At the end of Snuff and Graymalk's conversation, meanwhile, they say that tomorrow "it" (probably the moon) dies, and they two agree to harbor no ill-will no matter what happens next.

Sorcerers and Demons

• Jack - Binder of Snuff (probably 0 or +/-1), a wand, and a big knife, as well as a Container of several Things. Described as cursed and having to do much of his work at night - perhaps his Price has to do with insomnia? Has played the Game before.
• Larry Talbot - Possible sorcerer, Binder of Large Plant. Pledges assistance to Jack, thinks he's a Closer, almost certainly one himself.
• Vicar Roberts - Possibly a sorcerer railing against sorcery, with no Bound demons of his own.
• "Crazy" Jill - Witch, Binder of Graymalk, and a flying broom
• Rastov - Binder of Quicklime and the mad Arab's icon
• Morris and MacCab - A pair of sorcerers who have both Bound Nightwind. They count separately for the purposes of conversation, although not clearly in terms of the rules of sorcery. They are very new in this endeavor.
• The Good Doctor - Binder of Bubo, possibly of the Hunched Man, although that might just be a human servant, and possibly the bowl. Weird science.
• Owen - Druid, Binder of Cheeter (probably -2 or lower), and a sickle. Mistletoe, wicker baskets, and ropes.
• Snuff - a Passer whose Cover is a watchdog. High Will. Possible abilities: Command: dogs, Hold, Perception: heightened senses, Perception: sorcerous implements, Perception: sorcerous pattern, Special Damage: claws and fangs, Special Damage: holy hell. Able to trace paths between sorcerers. Keeps up with who has which tool. Able to communicate with Jack verbally right after midnight. Has played the Game before
• Large Plant - a Passer whose cover is a large flowering plant? Possible abilities: Hint, Perception: Future
• Graymalk - a Passer whose Cover is a cat. Possible abilities: Cloak. Possible Need/Desire: burying and uncovering things.
• Quicklime - a Parasite living in the gut. Possible abilities: Cover: Snake, Mark, Special Damage. Has played the Game before.
• Nightwind - a Passer whose Cover is an owl. Possible abilities: Perception: sorcerous pattern, Special Damage.
• Bubo - a Passer whose Cover is a rat.
• Cheeter - a Passer whose Cover is a squirrel.
• Thing in the Circle - a Passer of high Will (although much weaker than Snuff's), communicative. Possible abilities: Shapeshift: general or numerous. Possible Telltales: smell, unnatural movement. Its Power might express itself through the environment when fighting against Containment.
• Things in the Mirror - Unknown. Not communicating so far. Able to break out of their mirrors with time. Slither within their confines, change color when excited. Possible abilities: Special Damage: disease, Special Damage: stick, Taint.

Sorcery and Setting

• We again see more reasons for delaying informing people of one's alignment, this time the matter of personal safety.
• People with either alignment are expected to be gathering the materials which have been discussed so far in the use of some "structure of power", which either the Closers or Openers can use for their purpose.
• We hear of Covers tested by the authorities. In two cases, the Cover might involve helping them break through those of others.
• The new moon is the next day, which we've heard repeatedly is an important milestone.
• In mundane mechanics, we see an instance of Lasting Penalties making subsequent actions harder.