Actual Play: FATE High Road to China Session 1

High Road to China Session One Write-Up

Played Friday, December 9th, 2016

Dramatis Personae

• Fiona, a rich heiress (played by J)
• Lambert, Fiona's loyal butler
• Pierre Gaumont, Fiona's missing father, owner of Gaumont Industrie de Paris
• Louis Gaumont, Fiona's uncle, seeking to take over Gaumont Industrie de Paris
• Raoul Bellanger, member of the board of directors, ally of Fiona's
• Gilles Villette, member of the board of directors, ally of Fiona's
• Henri Naveau, member of the board of directors, ally of Fiona's
• François Lejeune, another member of the board of directors, late 20s, rich and entitled, family runs the Lejeune Company
• Florian Frassin, another member of the board of directors, bought by Fiona to be on her side
• Pursuing thugs from Uncle Louis
• Pursuing thugs from François Lejeune

The Scene: Athens, Greece

The Time: 1921

Several years after the Great War, Fiona is living in Athens, Greece, in a large mansion with her loyal family butler, Lambert.

Her father went to the East right after the Great War to secure more business and she hasn't seen him for several years.

She receives notices from several members of the board of directors of Gaumont Industrie de Paris that her uncle Louis is making a play for the controlling interest of the company, which is bad because he'll ruin the company in less than six months, whereas it would take her at least 2 years to ruin it (at least according to Lambert). 

If Uncle Louis takes over the company, she'll lose the mansion, the money and everything!

She jumps into action, contacting several members of the board in Paris, Raoul, Gilles and Henri, and convinces them to side with her in the power struggle. She receives a telegram from François Lejeune that he will side with her if she marries him and together they will control both his family company and hers.

She realizes that François is a rich, entitled brat, although a handsome one, and that he would take full control, which isn't what she wants, so she agrees to marry him but only if she gets her father's permission as a ruse to stall for time. Her plan is to go to the East, find her father and get him to sign a document naming her a member of the board and the CEO of the company. She figures she has only a few weeks to get this done.

Lambert then warns her that she must flee because they will soon come for her and that they will bribe him to betray her. As if on cue, the phone rings and Lambert negotiates with the caller his 30 pieces of silver to betray her up from 10,000 francs to 42,000 francs (after all, he is just a simple butler). He tells the caller that she has gone to the Monastiraki (a famous market in Athens) to buy clothes.

Lambert hangs up the phone and proceeds to the study's safe, removing documents that Fiona needs to have her father sign as well as bundles of cash. He takes 42,500 francs for himself, saying "You paid me better than they did, so of course I let you escape!"

Fiona, realizing that these forces against her mean business, grabs a shopping bag, sticks the case with the documents and cash in it, and rushes out the door, kissing Lambert goodbye. Lambert suggests she avoid her friends as they will probably be watched but says that his friends probably won't be. 

He says "Go to Constance Sicard. She is often painting the Temple of Athena Nike this time of day. Tell her 'Aide-toi et le ciel t'aidera.' ("Heaven helps those who help themselves")."

As a parting gift of advice, he tells Fiona "Bon marché tire agent de bourse.("If you buy cheaply, you pay dearly.")."

Fiona runs outside, pretending to tell Lambert she is going to buy a dress, and jumps into her 1914 Yellow Stutz Bearcat automobile and tears out of the mansion's driveway, heading towards the Monastiraki.

She spots two Citroën Torpedo 1919 automobiles on her tail, one from the Lejeune company and the other presumably from her uncle.

Driving like a mad-woman through the streets of Athens, the two Citroëns menace her and start a running gun battle between them. Fiona, calling upon her abilities gained as the Winner of the Athen's Invitational Off-Road Women's Course of 1920 (Aspect, 1 free invoke), manages to leave them in the dust as they plow into a fruit stand and a coffee shop after missing the break-neck turn she made.

The driver of the Lejeune car salutes her as she drives away... into further danger!

Next time: Will Fiona gain assistance to find her father?

Tune in Next Time for High Road to China!!!!!!!!!!!!