Tonights players are:
Thunder Wolf - Elven Wolf Shaman Extraordinaire, now Initiated with Quickened Increased Reflxes
Silk - Elven Face Extraordinaire, lady-killer extreme
Talon - Gun Adept Extraordinaire, ready to take a dose of Jazz so he can be amped for when the combat abruptly ends
Encyclopedia Brown - Former Lone Star Extraordinaire, named after a ten year old with a older girl acting as his bodyguard
El Oso - Troll Luchador Extraordinaire, Extraordinaire
On the way to the meet, the group is accosted by the Cutters group led by Shiba, the ebon elf who reminds everyone of a cat. This is serious business and her cat likeness is reiterated. But not in her qualities.
They ask for a toll and Silk steps up and rolls a bajillion dice to negotiate their way out of not having to deal with these guys. So she gives him her number and says 'Call Me Maybe'.
So they go to meet the Johnson. John Silva, the Ork Horizon PR rep nicknamed Spazz. This is a very fun character to play and I enjoyed that he actually tags along with the group the entire time. The pic next to his description is an elf, though. I guess Arts and Layout didn't get the memo.
So he hires them and they make their way to Neah Bay and all goes well. They do their looking around, which includes going first to the clinic to check out the place where the vials have gone missing. John gave them all breathing masks and the players often cup their hands to their faces when they talk to simulate this. I am amused and join them.
The hospital offers up the clues as stated and then Silk heads to the hospital, where he begins questioning the staff using the 'I know you're in on it' approach. He alienates everybody, despite being a quite the Charmer Extraordinaire.
The next step is to head to the motel, after being tipped off by one of the nurses. In his excitement, El Oso kicks the door off of its hinges. Never mind that they got the key from the attendant. They enter the first room and find nothing but evidence of folks not being around for a while. Using the key on the second door, El Oso nevertheless steps up and opens the door suddenly, bouncing into the room. It's dark. In a singular motion, he flexes, explaining that in the process of flexing, he is going to flick on the light switch.
El Oso has 4 rating points in Gremlins.
He hits the light switch. Except that his excitement, coupled with the raw power of his flex, he actually smashes the light switch, breaking it completely. The room remains dark. E Brown enters with his low light flashlight and shines it around the room. As he scans he notices the beds, boots, bags, a weird coat rack in the corner, some maps... wait--
He flashes the light back just in time to see the coat rack has pounced on him. He feels a deep chill in his bones as his muscles tighten up. A quick fight ensues. Talon takes a hit of jazz just in time to see El Oso crush their assailants face with a powerful punch.
They turn on the bathroom light and see a man on the floor. E Brown's parazoology skill tells him that it's... just that. A dead human. Mysterious and spoOOOooky.
They find the journal stuff and decide to go to the island. I missed the part where there is a wall bridge for whatever reason and have them find a rowboat. While El Oso rows, Talon with his 'Magical Threats' roll and Thunder Wolf with his 'Arcana' roll puzzle out what's going on. They figure out it's Shedim and tell ghost stories. They reach the island shore and Talon uses his mighty tracking skills to follow fresh footprints in the mud along the only path. They come upon the shed possessed Archaeologists throwing rat poop into snow machines. They realize they have got the drop on these guys and decide to attack. However, John brings up a point.
If these are innocent people possessed by spirits, can we knock them out and save them?
The group debates the merits of trying to use non-lethal force. It drags on until Talon makes a perception roll to notice that all of the Shedim are standing in a line and looking at them. The element of surprise has now been lost. The team rolls initiative and the Shedim win, going first.
Each one chooses to use its fear power on each member of the team. I decide that the scatter diagram makes an excellent tool for deciding randomly which direction a feared character runs, with 2 and 12 being directly towards the threat (the least likely course, but one that a person scared out of their mind might actually make, in a blind haze of terror). Everyone except E Brown and John fail to resist and most run in reasonable directions.
Except El Oso, who charges forward, bowling over two of the Shedim, trampling one completely and knocking another to the ground.
E Brown and John fight, with John saving E Brown from taking a fall (a further hit would have reduced E Brown to 0 reaction). El Oso recovers from his fear and runs back to the clearing, drop kicking one final Shedim. While waiting for the others to return, E Brown goes to shut off the machines while John looks over the crates of anti virus. He declares that a few are damaged, but enough are there that he feels good about still giving the bonus...
WHAM. John goes flying into a tree and drops limp. In walks Dr. Auslander, the Master Shedim. This guy is a BEAST. He immediately Agonies El Oso for 6 points of Stun and Physical. The table is amazed that there is a thing that does both stun and physical damage simultaneously. El Oso spends the next three rounds ineffectually charging and swinging at the Shedim as it simply steps aside, laughing at him.
Talon had taken his hit of jazz after recovering from his fear and gets back to the clearing, firing at the Doc. The Shedim looks over and casts Levitate, scoring several successes and then throwing Talon into a tree as well.
Thunder Wolf arrives and attempt a banishment. While he had some success, the spirit remains. It considers destroying the elven shaman when Silk finally manages to do some damage. Enraged, the thing casts a singular powerboat and drops the face in one spell.
E Brown shoots and shoots, but can't actually get a round to connect. Thunder Wolf tries lightning but misses. Talon never even bothered to get up and is also firing. He is making some headway when he gets off a very good barrage into the Doc's chest. In a last ditch expenditure of magical power, the Shedim overcasts a powerboat at Talon, with the intent of killing him, but manages only to drop him to 0 physical boxes exactly.
The team repairs their wounds, Thunder Wolf does a full banishment of any remaining Shedim, and they return to town with the goods.
