A Study in Dust and Stone, Session 4: Prophecy

Scene setup

Story Direction Table Roll
[D100]: [49] => Discovery

Discovery Table Roll
[D100]: [5] => You discover a clue, or something directly related to the uncovering of the mystery. Roll on Clue Table or Verbs table (your choice). With the context of your Skill Roll, this should tell you what you have discovered.

Skill roll required:
[D100]: [71] => Psychology

Clue table roll
[D100]: [78] => A map of a labyrinth neatly made on a piece of paper

Verbs table rolls:
[D10 + D100]: [2 + 6] => aggravate
[D10 + D100]: [6 + 13] => enter
[D10 + D100]: [8 + 90] => quarrel

October 27th, 13:43 | The Garden District, Baton Rouge

Camille’s workplace is a short, fifteen-minute stroll from the gumbo shop. The Garden District is beautiful—all wrought-iron fences and ancient oaks—but the air feels heavy, as if the humidity is hiding a secret.

As we enter the upscale restaurant, Remy’s posture stiffens. He spots her immediately. She is serving an expensive dish to a wealthy woman, but her movements are jagged.

NPC Modifier roll
[66] => Frightened.

She is scanning the room with wide, darting eyes. She looks like prey.

When her eyes finally land on Remy, the fear breaks for a heartbeat. She signals us toward the back entrance, away from the watchful eyes of the manager.

"Remy! What are you doing here? I’m working!" she whispers, though she practically throws herself into his arms.

"What, I can’t pay a visit to my little mermaid if I want to?" Remy teases gently.

I feel a cold prickle at the back of my neck. Mermaid. The nickname cannot be a coincidence. Not after the vision.

"And who’s this gentleman?" she asks, smoothing her apron.
"This is Mr. Lorenzo Bartolini," Remy says. "An… associate of mine."
She gives me a polite nod, clearly assuming I’m part of the "beverage" trade.

Psychology Skill Check
Remy knows his sister better, I'll let him handle this.
Skill check with advantage because Remy knows Camille extremely well so it's hard for her to hide anything from him
[D100 + Advantage]: [4 < 20] => Success

Remy doesn't waste time. He sees through her mask instantly. "Everything all right, sis? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

Question roll
What was the argument about?
[D10 + D100]: [0 + 75] => unleash
[D10 + D100]: [1 + 72] => blame
[D10 + D100]: [5 + 18] => antagonize

Who was arguing? NPC occupation table roll
[D100]: [4] => Artist
[D100]: [65] => Savant

Camille realizes she can’t hide. She spills the story: A few days ago at the Golden Kraken, she overheard a vicious argument between Marcel (the trumpet player) and Mr. Thibodeaux (the orchestra director).

"Thibodeaux was blaming him for something—blaming and antagonizing him," Camille explains. "He handed Marcel a worn-out piece of paper and stormed out. Later, after rehearsals, I found that same paper near Marcel’s stand. I thought it was trash, but then I saw it was a map. A labyrinth."

She hands it to Remy.

Q: Are there any writings on the map?
[D100]: [41] => maybe => They are in a strange language
Occult Check: [7] => Extreme Success.

Q: What does the writings say?
[D10 + D100]: [1 + 64] => bestow
[D10 + D100]: [9 + 14] => rob
[D10 + D100]: [8 + 44] => loot

"Mind if I take a look at those markings, Mr. Fontenot?" I ask. The alphabet is a twisted variant of the Golden Dawn cipher. I squint at the ominous script. "It’s… defensive. It speaks of bestowing a curse on those who rob or loot. It’s not just a map; it’s a warning."

Q: What happened then?
[D10 + D100]: [1 + 4] => accuse
[D10 + D100]: [4 + 33] =>dazzle
[D10 + D100]: [6 + 7] => enrage

"The next evening," Camille continues, her voice trembling, "Thibodeaux cornered me. He accused me of stealing it. He was enraged—dazzled by a fury I didn't think he was capable of. He threatened me, Mr. Bartolini. He said if I didn't return it, it wouldn't end well."

She starts to sob, the sound muffled against Remy’s shoulder. "This morning… I found a dead snake nailed to my door. Its head had been severed."

Remy’s face turns to granite. His eyes are slits of dark fire. "I’ll handle this, Cam. I know how to deal with men who nail snakes to doors."

As Remy comforts his sister, I stare at the labyrinth on the paper. The dream was prophetic, but the "Golden Kraken" is no longer just a nightclub—it is a site of occult theft and escalating violence.

The question remains: How does a severed snake in Baton Rouge connect to the Bartolini Sigil thousands of miles away in Fiesole?