Tabletop RPGs are at their best when they blend thrilling narrative, tense decision-making, and dynamic character interactions. Our latest session of Lex Occultum was no exception—an evening filled with supernatural horrors, tactical gambits, and a near-death experience on the Thames.
Explosive Discoveries and Church Conspiracies
The session kicked off with our investigators crawling through the shadowed corridors of mystery in London’s churches. Our suspicions of an underground conspiracy were quickly validated when we discovered carefully placed fuses leading beneath the altar—signs of hidden barrels of gunpowder. Was this an elaborate sabotage or something far more sinister?
Our characters wasted no time in working to defuse (pun intended) the trap, ensuring it appeared untouched to any watchful adversaries. The stakes? A devastating explosion that could shake the city—or worse, serve some dark occult purpose.
A Perilous Journey: Boat Trouble Beneath London Bridge
With our leads pointing further into the city, we made the bold decision to hire a boat and traverse the Thames. This choice, while expedient, swiftly turned into a nightmare.
As we approached London Bridge, the tide surged violently, turning the crossing into a white-water gauntlet. A poorly chosen luck roll (never trust a drunken oarsman!) saw our boat thrown into chaos, capsizing in the deadly currents. Several party members were hurled into the water, triggering a desperate struggle to stay afloat.
With some quick thinking, fortunate dice rolls, and sheer group determination, we managed to get most of our party back into the waterlogged vessel. After a battle with exhaustion, the stink of the river, and the shame of our miscalculation, we finally staggered to shore, soaking wet but (mostly) alive.
A Dying Boy, A Dark Secret
No sooner had we dried off when danger found us again. A street urchin named Sarah flagged us down, fear in her eyes—her friend, Alfred, was wounded and in urgent need of help. When we located Alfred in a brothel (because of course he was), his injuries painted a chilling picture: extreme blood loss and two small puncture wounds.
Vampiric attack? The signs suggested so. This revelation threw us into a moral and logistical quandary—how do we treat a dying boy who may have been fed on by the undead? Would he turn? Could we cure him? And more importantly, would this lead us to the perpetrators?
Vampires Do Not Negotiate
Before we could dwell on these questions long, our enemies found us first. As we deliberated over Alfred’s fate, we were ambushed by something far worse than common thugs—a pale, inhuman figure struck from the shadows.
With instincts honed by previous encounters, our guns were up in an instant. A furious battle erupted in the tight confines of the brothel, with pistols flashing and blades slicing. Our foes were fast, unnatural, their movements unsettling.
A particularly well-placed shot from Monique (ah, the gift of rolling well in a crisis) sent the creature screaming into oblivion, reducing it to a pile of eerie, smoldering embers. The immediate threat was gone, but the question remained: how many more of them were lurking in the London night?
What’s Next? Unanswered Questions, Unfinished Business
The session wrapped on a tense note. Our list of pressing concerns was growing:
• Who was behind the church sabotage?
• Was Alfred a victim or a pawn in a larger plot?
• Were the vampires working with human conspirators?
• How many more nights could we survive in the city’s dangerous underbelly?
As we licked our wounds (some more literal than others), one thing was clear—our investigation was just beginning. What secrets would unfold in our next session? Stay tuned…
Final Thoughts: Why This Session Stood Out
This session of Lex Occultum had everything that makes TTRPGs incredible:
• High Stakes – From descending into church crypts to fighting for survival in the river, danger was always present.
• Fantastic Roleplay – Tensions and decisions in-character kept us deeply invested.
• Gothic Horror Atmosphere – The world felt dark, brooding, and alive with mystery, pulling us deeper into the story.
• Cinematic Action – The boat disaster and the vampire fight could have been ripped straight from a period horror film.
If this is the kind of wild ride our group regularly goes on, I can’t wait for the next session. And for those keeping score—we survived this time. Let’s hope our luck holds…
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