one scene I think back to a lot was my first GM’d staff response on Arx with Valenzo.
he was the captain of a ship who had been cursed in some mysterious way thad had led to him being hunted by a pack of assassin demons and also coincidentally having a demon doppelganger known as a mirrorborn. the scene involved Valenzo deliberately calling the mirrorborn, who was trying to convince him to make a bargain to release it into the world in exchange for his protection. Val only knew bits and pieces about the nature of his curse, but two key things weighed on him – the assassin demons were extremely dangerous, but mirrorborn could only sustain themselves in the world outside their realm by preying on humans. realizing that by saving his own skin he’d be putting others at risk, he ultimately refused the bargain, and the demon left in disgust – after telling him his best friend’s life was in peril.
I remember this one so fondly because not only was it a defining moment for a character I really enjoyed playing and one that informed pretty much the rest of my time with him, but the GM was just amazing. I’ll always remember one pose, which was SO sinister and gave me RL goosebumps, that she conveyed in just a few words – basically just the demon leaning forward and touching the surface of the mirror when it looked like Val might let it out – but the implications and the tension were ramped up sooo much more by everything she didn’t say. masterful stuff that still makes me grin when I think about it, and really appreciate how magical this hobby can be.
