WillGM: Well, it's getting along 10:30. We should probably start. Last we met our intrepid band, it was mid-afternoon in Golden Gate Park, near the entrance. It's a calm day, with the Bridge towering over the scene. Symphonically-Aware people can hear the peaceful drone of the Tether's theme. Occasionally, stabs of raucous brassiness will attempt to break through the music. WillGM: There are lots of people wandering about, some lounging in the meadow, some admiring the flower beds. You're looking, according to Liriel, for an unreconstructed hippie and/or flowerchild. *That* narrows it down.... WillGM: ------------------------ Game Start --------------------------- WillGM: "If you hear any Disturbance, try to track it. The Tether serves the entire city, so Hallaren keeps busy monitoring traffic." Bruce sticks his pinky in his ear and wiggles it about a bit, though he knows he's not so much hearing the drone but sensing it. "Great. Well, maybe we could just ask for a show of hands as to who here is a celestial." Nicole snrks at Bruce. WillGM: Frizz looks about a little sourly. "Knowing San Francisco, you'd probably get a few false positives." Nicole just shakes her head and looks around at the scenery. WillGM: "Mathematically, we're more likely to be able to intercept a signal if we begin searching from the center of the Park. Shall we?" Bruce examines his pinky critically and brushes off on his shirt. "Yeah, why not." WillGM: Liriel sets off, keeping to the concrete paths for Nicole's sake. Nicole nods and sticks close to Ed, feeling somewhat shy for once. WillGM: Fearless seems to be enjoying the walk, and Ellis just seems mildly curious. Frizz is looking all around him, and his hand seems to be twitching near the hilt of a sword... quite out of place among the peaceful flower beds. Bruce tromps off across the lawn, keeping, er, an ear out, in the metaphysical sense. WillGM: 3 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3 3d6) and gets 9 13 11. Nicole looks around, and wonders what she's missing. Edward walks with 'Cole, listening to the Tether-song, humming gently along Nicole listens to Ed's humming. "That what you're hearing?" WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 8. WillGM: Close, yeah. :^) Edward nods. "Mostly. It's not *exactly* sound..." Nicole: "Yeah. It can't be, or I'd hear it." WillGM: 2 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (2 3d6) and gets 11 10. WillGM: 2 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (2 3d6) and gets 10 12. WillGM: Bruce, you and Frizz notice that you're being shadowed. Nicole: "But, it's neat all the same." WillGM: About 100 yards off to your left, a guy walking among the flower beds. He's keeping pace with you and watching you, though stopping to smell the roses every now and then. Bruce stops abruptly, and looks at the bottom of his shoe as though he stepped in something, sparing a nonchalant glance at the shadow. WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 13. Edward nods again. "It's like...." He pauses to find the words, "like a springtime rain shower would sing, if it were singing...." WillGM: Male, white, casual clothing for a winter's day in California. Appears to be alone. WillGM: He stops and examines a specimen of some bright yellow flower. Nicole grins. "I like that metaphor." Bruce: "We seem to have grown a tail. What do you think?" Bruce asks the bottom of his shoe, though the question is directed at Frizz. Edward: "Or maybe children in a park... Or a hippie commune that still remembers what it was all about..." WillGM: "I saw him. If he knows what's up, he's most likely Flowers or Protection. I seriously doubt much in the way of crime happens here." WillGM: (Are Ed and Nicole walking on past Bruce and Frizz?) Nicole: Hmmm, are we? Nicole's just trying to keep up with Ed. Edward: (depends. Ed's kinda semi-tripping on the Tethersong so he might not notice... Per roll?) WillGM: To see the shadower? You already did. To see that Bruce and Frizz have stopped, you mean? WillGM: Unless it's a critfail... WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 8. Edward: (I thought you said bruce and Frizz saw him, not us.) Bruce nods, and brushes his sole off on the grass. "Should we go introduce ourselves?" WillGM: Yeah, those were the pair of twos earlier. WillGM: Anyway, you do notice that Bruce and Frizz stopped. Edward notices that the resident cops have stopped, and stops beside them. Nicole stops with Ed, and looks at all of them. WillGM: Frizz grins. "Hang on a sec, I'll see if he's probably human..." Frizz eyes the man. WillGM: He shakes his head. "Too big for a normal human. Yeah, let's go say hi." He looks back. "You guys keep walking. We're gonna try to look like we're looking for a bathroom or something." Nicole nods. Nicole looks up at Ed. "Lead on, Macduff." *grin* WillGM: Frizz nods at Bruce, and says a little louder, "I think there's one over there," pointing full-arm to a spot in front of the path the other guy is walking. Edward looks at 'cole with an expression of utter wounded betrayal, one hand over his heart. Edward then leads on WillGM: Liriel ponders for a minute, then follows Ed. Fearless and Ellis confer for a moment, then do the same. Bruce nods at Frizz, and starts speedwalking in that direction with the ackward gait of someone who's had a few too many cups of coffee. WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 17, a CRITICAL FAILURE!!! "God hates you, and so do I." Bruce: Doh. Edward: Oof. close. WillGM: Bruce is a noticeably poor actor -- at least to anyone else. WillGM: Frizz winces and follows along. Bruce: Hey, I never claimed to be good. ;) Nicole grins a bit at Ed's acting. Nicole frowns, and flexes her right hand a bit. WillGM: The shadower openly eyes Bruce curiously, then, from what you can see, chuckles, and openly steps up his pace to meet you. WillGM: Moo Ars. WillGM: A few seconds later, you've crossed enough grass, and meet up at a circle with a few stone benches. WillGM: "Okay," he laughs. "I guess we both noticed each other." Bruce gives up the horrible act since it's obvious the rather poor deception is being dropped. "Yeah, you could say that. Question is why we're so interesting?" *** Arsenal is now known as Fearless Edward smirks. "I knew we should've put flowers in our hair." WillGM: "No particular reason." He pulls his light sweater up a bit to show a badge on his belt. "Park security. I keep an eye on everybody. You don't have anything to worry about. I mainly noticed you guys because I passed by and your friend was whistling a tune I liked." WillGM: "I don't suppose you could place it for me?" He eyes you two. Bruce shrugs lightly. "Couldn't say," he says, half-truthfully. "Heard it before?" WillGM: "Oh... maybe as background music somewhere." WillGM: Frizz rolls his eyes. "Lord. Look, are you one of Hallaren's people? We're here to meet him." Bruce grins slightly. "Subtle." WillGM: "'Pointed' woould probably be a better word. I didn't think you were Peace Faction, from the way you walked." He sighs. "Hallaren's hanging around the Earthquake Memorial. We got word there'd be an incursion attempt tonight." WillGM: "I'll be accompanying you there, of course." He gestures. Bruce: "Naturally." Bruce gives the rest of the gang a wave over. Edward notes the wave, and comes over WillGM: Frizz shrugs and heads back to the group. "Sorry if you figured it was too abrupt," he says to Bruce. "Odds were, anybody hanging around here who was quizzing us like that was on our Side." Nicole follows Ed. Bruce shrugs again. He's good at shrugging. "You'd probably know better than me. Anyway, we're going to meet Hellaren at the Earthquake Memorial. Our park security friend there will be tagging along," he says to Nicole, Ed and sundry other personalities. WillGM: "You are concerned that this park remains safe for all the humanity within it?" "Yes." *pause* "Excellent." *walks on* Nicole just shakes her head and follows along too. Bruce watches Lirel walk on. ".... I wish my job were that easy sometimes." He follows. Edward grins at Bruce. "It helps when you can hear what's True and what isn't, yeah. Must make for short criminal investigations, Heavenside..." WillGM: The shadower ahhs. Edward grins. " 'Did you do it?' 'No.' 'Okay.'" *mimics walking on* Fearless: "Well, there are ways for us mundanes to tell if someone's telling the truth, if you know what to look for." Nicole: "Or: 'Did you do it?' 'No.' 'Liar!'" WillGM: "You can't lie in Heaven," say Liriel and Frizz simultaneously. "Though it obviously helps on Earth," says Frizz. "Though, on the third hand, their opposite numbers -- " he nods to Liriel '-- "are capable of blocking that." Liriel shivers. WillGM: Golden Gate Park is over 3 miles long from one end to the other... it's a good 15 minutes before you come up to the Memorial, which has just slightly a larger number of people walking or lounging around it than other places in the Park, though only if you're looking for that. Fearless: "Ed, you encountered one of the 'opposite number' once, didn't you?" Bruce: "Oh, don't get me wrong, I can read people. His way is just easier and more reliable." Edward nods, a scowl flickering across his face. Nicole just looks at the scenery and kinda tunes the convo out. WillGM: Frizz nods at Bruce. "Yeah. The Guardians, Wheels and Dominations have to sort of learn to live with uncertainty... and, of course, we trust our friends." Fearless: "It's probably easier for you than for me, though. With those extra 'hypersenses' you have." Edward: "Didn't have 'em then. And I don't think they'd have helped unless she'd have been stupid enough to break something." WillGM: The shadower steps in front of you. "Okay, less shop talk for the moment. Not everyone around here is next-level. I'll go get Hallaren. Try to look normal, mmkay?" Edward: "... But why start now?" Bruce snickers. WillGM: The guy chuckles and moves off. Fearless: "What is this 'normal'?" Bruce tries to look, uh, touristy. Fearless inhales a long drag from his cancerstick. WillGM: Ellis ambles over to the Memorial itself. Nicole just continues watching the scenery and the people. Nicole: "Never knew this was here before." Edward: "Mmm." Nicole: "Not that I ever came out to SF much when I was younger, just enough to know I loved the place. Almost went to Berkeley. Decided it was way too close to home." Edward nods. WillGM: (info: The memorial itself is the front porch of a house, reflected in the waters below. The house itself was destryoed in the Quake.) Fearless: "Looks like something I almost landed my car on once, when I was younger." WillGM: The shadower is returning. With him is an older man, in the beads-and-hempcloth outfit of an unreconstructed flowerchild, complete with stereotypical square rose-colored glasses. He has quite an impressively flowing beard, just underneath a wide grin. Liriel steps forward. "Hallaren, my friend!" Fearless eyes the figure with an appraising eye, trying to determine how to tell this 'angel' from the rest of mainstream hippydom. WillGM: Hallaren comes up and embraces Liriel, enthusiastically patting him on the back. "Liriel, my student. Have you been practicing?" Nicole blinks, and focuses back on the world around her. She flexes her right hand involuntarily. Edward glances at 'cole. "Y'okay?" Nicole: "Just daydreaming." Edward: "ah." WillGM: Before Liriel can respond, all the Symphonically-Aware persons in the group hear and sudden blast of raucous sound. The memorial, though it does not physically move, seems to balloon momentarily. Above it appear several objects... Bruce notices the hand thing but doesn't say anything. WillGM: Bruce, Ed, roll Fright Checks. Edward: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Edward (3d6) and gets 11. Bruce: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Bruce (3d6) and gets 16. Edward: Hm. What *is* my will again? Edward: 15. made by 4 Bruce: Fail. Fearless: Will is usually IQ, modified by either Strong Will or Weak Will, IIRC... Nicole frowns a bit more and stares across the grass. Nicole: (not that I see what's going on, just still somewhat lost in thought.) Edward looks towards where the noise came from WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 7. WillGM: Actually, Bruce, never mind. You're Unfazeable! Bruce: Oh, duh. Right. ;) WillGM: Ed *is* fazeable, but manages to hold himself together in the face of four Shedim appearing in rapid succession above the porch in Ccelestial form. Edward: "... Not good." WillGM: Hallaren lets out a most unhippylike curse. "There's a human right underneath them!" Bruce clutches his head at the sudden boom of Disturbance. "Oh bloody hell!" he says, squinting through the ache in the direction of the noise. "Oh, even better," he says, miserably. Nicole blinks a bit. "What's not good?" WillGM: 2 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (2 3d6) and gets 16 6. WillGM: Three of the Shedim break in three different directions. One tries to possess Ellis (who is the human at the porch, of course). After a moment, it breaks off, fleeing in a fourth direction. Fearless: "What's going on?" he asks no one in particular, reaching for his pistol, just in case. Edward: "Bad news times four, headed in." Fearless: "Damn." Nicole: "Oh. Lovely." WillGM: Hallaren runs down to the porch, passes a tree, and disappears. Bruce pries the cap off his aspirin bottle with his teeth. "They said they were expecting an incursion here. Look like they were right." Nicole blinks. "I didn't just see what I thought I saw, no?" WillGM: In rapid succession, each of the Shedim dive into random humans nearby, and begin running for the park borders. Edward: "What do we do?" WillGM: "Don't just stand there, get the hosts!" He begins running for a human. Bruce: "What he said." Edward takes after another one Fearless: "Which ones are the hosts?" Nicole looks at the rest of the gang as if they've all gone slightly mad. Edward: "Not possible to tell if you can't see who they dived into. Hang back with 'cole." Bruce: "There, there, there and there!" Bruce points vaguely, taking off after one while dry-swallowing two aspirin. WillGM: Frizz takes off after one on the North. There is roughly one in each of the four directions from the porch. Bruce chases the eastbound one. Fearless looks at where Bruce is pointing... Fearless: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Fearless (3d6) and gets 9. Edward heads west. WillGM: Ellis turns around and stares at everybody. Fearless: (trying to determine which ones are actually the targets) Nicole: "Stay here. Ed gave good advice, now take it." WillGM: Fearless: Other than the people you know, four randoms have gotten up and are running like mad down the streets. Bruce: "Just grab whoever looks like they're running away!" Fearless: "Ah, hell." WillGM: To the south of you, Hallaren appears, apparently out of a tree, and tackles one of them. Fearless takes off after the southbound one. Bruce pounds after Mr. East. . o O ( I'm getting too damned old for this. ) WillGM: "I am... not well-suited for combat. I believe I shall stay with you, Nicole." He beckons Ellis over to you, and Ellis nods. Nicole: "You and me both." WillGM pulls up the hexpaper. Ever played Fox and Hounds? :^) Fearless: *heh* Bruce: Catching shedim in a park full of people should be entertaining. Edward chases the guy while trying to remember what the discussed doctrine was re: chasing Shedim WillGM: Ed: anything in particular? Fearless starts towards the south, then stops after a few feet as the hippyangel tackles his intended target. WillGM: "Remember that the host didn't ask for this" is probably the biggest thing. Edward: Will: Just querying my background memory on perusing the lightning boards. And yeah, that one I had figured. Nicole stares up at the sky and just shakes her head. WillGM: Ed: Other than that, you figure that one of the hardest things is not a problem... since you're in a major divine Tether, you probably don't have to worry about them trying to go celestial again. Those few seconds already must have hurt. :^) Edward: .o(Right. So corner it without giving it a chance to take a new host (including myself), and try not to hurt the current host if avoidable.) WillGM: Bruce: your guy's headed straight for you, though trying to zig and zag. What do you actually plan to do? WillGM: Ed: I strongly assume you're carrying your Force Catcher? Edward: .o(What happened again when a shedite's host goes unconscious?) Edward: (yes.) WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 6. Bruce: Oh, I hadn't actually thought ahead very much, and not knowing the things Ed knows I was just gonna tackle the bastard. ;) WillGM: ed: You remember pretty clearly. 30 minutes, and the Shedite's out of there. *** Signoff: Zibblsnrt (Ping timeout) Edward: .o(And Liriel knows Healing. Perfect.) WillGM: Okay. Bruce is closer. You attempt a tackle... WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 10. [ snip game-relevant msg¹ing ] WillGM: Your opponent attempts to dodge... WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 11. WillGM: And fails. You take him down. WillGM: The two of you tumble for a second. WillGM: Bruce: The possessed man looks you straight in the eyes, then grabs you by the chin and holds your gaze. WillGM: 2 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (2 3d6) and gets 11 9. Bruce: . o O (Oh Hell.) WillGM: You feel a moment of disorientation... WillGM: ...you are possessed. The Shedite doesn't bother with subtlety, and yanks control of your body from you. Sit back, I'm driving for now. Fearless: oops WillGM: Bruce gets up and starts running East again. Bruce stares through his eyes as a passenger. It's not a comforting feeling. Nicole: that last line made me laugh. Nicole blinks. "Ummm...why is Bruce running away?" Edward , running westward, doesn't know this Fearless: "If what I think just happened really did happen... Stay here, I'll handle him." WillGM: yeah. Let's run the last few seconds over on Ed's side. Fearless takes off after Bruce Edward 's tactical brain start off another tangent while running. .oO(Why are they running *away* from the Tether anyway? It's clear they intended to arrive where they did, so what's their plan?) WillGM: Ed: You and the Shedite appear to be about roughly the same speed, but as you run, the host is apparently trying to find a hole in the ring of people who are quite clearly focused on her -- obviously Tether guards. WillGM: You gradually catch up, since you're able to run a straighter line. WillGM: What do you do when you close? Edward decides that subtlety is overrated. Grab and throw. WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 16. WillGM: You miss, and lose a few yards. Edward curses mentally and resumes chase. WillGM: Try again? Edward: Yeah. Pass, get in front and clothesline. Edward: (well, clothesline throw) WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 8. Edward: .oO(Damn, I should've studied Aikido instead.) WillGM: After a few seconds, you manage to catch up again. This time, it works, and she goes down. Edward: "Careful of those wet leaves, you can really slip badly if you don't watch out." WillGM: Nicole, Ellis, and Liriel, staying back at the site, notice that people are starting to notice. Edward kneels to "help her up" which is accomplishing nothing of the kind. WillGM: "Yes, it can be quite a fall." She reaches up to grab you. WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 8. Edward takes the hand WillGM: She grins at you. WillGM: You feel your Force Catcher spark against something too large for it. "Ow! Fuck!" she cries. Edward grins back. "Problem?" Nicole looks around. "Subtle, they are not." WillGM: "Eat me." You are now surrounded by several apparently-solicitous people who are keeping a close eye on her. Edward: "No thanks, you're not my type. Hmm, looks like you caught a nasty bruise there. Maybe one of these nice people can help fix you up?" WillGM: Pause here, turn back to the east. WillGM: Fearless, you were chasing Bruce? Fearless: yep Fearless: basic speed 5.5, btw WillGM: Yeah. In fact, Bruce is moving quite a bit faster now than you've seen him move before. WillGM: 2 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (2 3d6) and gets 10 10. WillGM: He seems to be slowly getting away from you. Nicole: "Ludicrous speed!" WillGM: Your basic Celestial has a move of 7. ;^) Bruce the passenger would probably enjoy it if he weren't horrified. Fearless ditches the trench for better speed, and tries to make a beeline for Bruce (I assume he's zigging and zagging like his original target was?) WillGM: He is now. Bruce, your eyes notice several people closing with malice aforethought in front of you. Idly, what would *your* instinct be if you were attempting to avoid several people? Fearless pushes himself, trying to catch up as best he can. Bruce: Probably I would just try to shoulder my way straight through them. As demonstrated, subtlety isn't something I've mastered. :) WillGM: Okay, whatever's riding you dismisses your random thought as inferior and attempts to dodge them, running-back style. WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 14. WillGM: 1d5 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (1d5) and gets 3. WillGM: 3d6-3 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6-3) and gets 4. WillGM: Fearless really digs in (unconsciously expending his 3 Essence, courtesy of the GM) and floors it, catching up with Bruce attempting to dodge and weave. WillGM: Fearless: What do you want to do when you close? Fearless: grab an arm and pin him, pulling both arms, if possible, painfully behind his back. WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 10. Fearless: Judo-13 WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 12. WillGM: You mange to grab one arm... WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 10. WillGM: ...followed by Bruce spinning around and attempting to punch you with the other. Fearless: (parry with the arm... parry 8 using Judo) WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 8. WillGM: Success! Fearless: good dice. ;) WillGM: Next round, what do you do? Fearless: flip him face-first into the dirt WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 14. WillGM: The throw fails. Fearless: ow... almost. WillGM: Bruce dances back out of the way, and pauses. "You look promising... but I think I like this one for now." He attempts to shake you off. WillGM: 2 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (2 3d6) and gets 10 16. WillGM: Brute strength throws you off, and even back a few feet. Fearless: "Bite me." WillGM: Fortunately, as he turns to run, he finds out that your struggle has delayed him long enough for several people wearing park security badges to surround and latch on to him. Nicole: shoulda made the switch, they might not have expected that. %) WillGM: Shedite's thought process: maybe I should jump into this one, he doesn't seem to have gotten the clue... but then the one I left behind would probably be pretty mad... naah, no percentage. Nicole: hehehe. %) Fearless: *snrk* should've gone for it. ;) Fearless turns to one of them, eyeing him/her. "Go easy on him; he's not himself right now, I think." WillGM: "We know." They nod at you meaningfully. They seem to be waiting for something or someone. Bruce: Ah, but if the shedite would've cared to listen to me, mad as I may be I wouldn't have hurt Fearless. ;) Edward: Does a Shedite feel it when you punch his host in the face? Fearless: Bah, and here I was gonna shoot Bruce in the shin, if I hadn't ditched the trenchcoat. WillGM: Less, usually, but yeah. Bruce: Oh, if you had shot me I woulda punched ya. ;) Fearless heads over and retrieves his trenchcoat, making sure his pistol is still in the pocket. WillGM: Frizz is in the North, where something very, very nasty is happening, for those who can see it. Frizz and the human who had been a Shedite's host are wearing identical smirks as they look at the Shedite in celestial form. It seems to be rather lethargic, and it is surrounded be several angels holding various bits of Shedite in place. The Shedite is... frying. WillGM: Several people are arguing with some of the angels. It's hard to say what they're demanding, but the angels holding the Shedite down seem to be in no mood for it. Nicole randomly sings o/~ Saturday, in the park/ i think it was the fourth of july... o/~ WillGM: In the South, Hallaren is standing over a sleeping human, and looks North. His eyes widen, and he begins heading in that direction, glancing East and West to see what has gone on there as he does so. WillGM: Ed: the guys with you point to Hallaren. "We should take the host over to him." Fearless returns to where Nicole and Liriel are. "Well, I think Bruce is in good hands, if I can believe that what just happened really did happen. Larry, what was that about?" WillGM: The guys with Bruce are, indeed, taking him North. WillGM: Liriel looks at Fearless. "Four Shedim appeared at the Infernal Tether which sits within this park." He points to the porch. "They possessed a human each and tried to get out. I witnessed a few such attempts when I was here earlier. It galls Fire to have a Tether it can get no use of, so it tries to send demons into the San Francisco area via this route every now and then." WillGM: Ellis looks after Hallaren. "Ah, that's what all was going on. Everybody seems to be congregating in that area -- should we join them, or wait until it's safe?" Fearless: "So when Bruce tackled his possessed guy, he got possessed instead, right?" WillGM: Liriel nods at Fearless. Fearless: "He did seem to briefly consider possessing me, but he decided against it." Nicole frowns. Nicole shakes her head and flexes her hand. WillGM: "Allright." WillGM: Ed? Edward: yea? WillGM: Your guy? Edward: Is being held by people? WillGM: You're holding her. :^) The guys with you are suggesting that you join Hallaren. Edward nods. "Shall we?" WillGM: They nod, and head that way. WillGM: Bruce and Ed join Frizz, Hallaren, and several other people along the drive north. Several of the park security-type people form a circle, asking speectators to keep well back, nothing to see here, please let the people resolve this quietly on their own. WillGM: Hallaren is looking up at the struggling Shedite. "Okay. Volunteers?" Edward: "Hmm?" Edward: "Volunteers for what?" WillGM: Hallaren looks over at you, and says, "Not you, son." He winks. Fearless wanders over as well, to try and see what's going on Nicole looks at Liriel for clues on what to do now. WillGM: Several beings raise their hand. Hallaren picks out a woman in a long dress. She stands under the Shedite, and, to the disgust of the angels in celestial form above, not to mention the utter horror of Frizz, it pours itself into the body. WillGM: "God, I can't believe you people are a major Word. It's a *Shedite*, and you have a chance to *kill* it, what do you do? You say 'Aww, poor baby,' and give it a Vessel to keep it all warm and safe!" WillGM: Liriel looks down at Nicole. WillGM: "Your call, miss. But I'd rather keep you away from Shedim. They're dangerous." Nicole: "Fair enough. Just looking for guidance, I'm a bit blind in these matters." WillGM: "Ah. They're finalizing arrangements to deal with the incursion." WillGM: Hallaren looks over at Frizz. "I don't tell you how to run your Tethers, son." Bruce: Buncha no good hippies. Nicole nods. WillGM: "Here's another one, sir." WillGM: "Jesus, *Bruce*? You poor sod. Hang on, buddy." WillGM: Frizz looks you in the eyes. "Get. *Out.*" WillGM: "Make me." WillGM: "Okay. Hallaren, can I borrow a few Essence?" Hallaren touches hands with Frizz, who looks at Bruce. The woman behind them blinks, and is led away by a park security guy. WillGM: 2 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (2 3d6) and gets 9 11. WillGM: Bruce: you feel a moment of drowsiness... WillGM: Ed: You see a Shedite forced out of Bruce, apparently going out kicking and screaming. When it hits the Light of the Tether, it cries out in pain. There is a brief puff of smoke, and it apparently drops into the ground, though you know this is just a metaphor for going much further Down. WillGM: Frizz lets Bruce go, returning to his Vessel. Bruce, you wake up from a momentary dream. Edward winces. WillGM: (You're driving again.) Bruce shudders, and for a moment it looks like he's going to scream, but instead he wilts and in a deadpan says, "That was unpleasant." WillGM: Hallaren puts a hand on your shoulder. "How you feeling? Nothing lingering?" Bruce shudders again. "Dirty. No, I think I'm okay." Fearless heads over to Bruce. "You okay, pal?" Fearless: "I mean, you're you again, right?" Bruce: "Yeah, I think so. I'm not someone else, anyway." Fearless: "You were there for a moment." WillGM: Hallaren turns to the woman Ed is holding. "Leave by choice, or we will put your host to sleep and it will happen shortly anyway." Bruce: "Yeah, I know. Bloody stupid of me to let it happen." WillGM: She ponders this offer, then shrugs and acquiesces. The Shedite evacuates the host, then departs for points Downstairs. Edward lets go WillGM: Security guys take the confused woman gently and lead her back to her stuff sitting in the meadow. WillGM: Hallaren turns to the last Shedite. "Well, it looks like you're stuck with us for the day." WillGM: "Don't worry, you won't find it so bad. You may even enjoy the peace and quiet." He grins at the demon. WillGM: The Shedite makes a "Blargh." face. "Great, 24 hours of the hard sell. I'm not a buyer, you hear? You wanna find something here, try looking amongst your friends." Fearless: "Let's get back to the others, shall we?" Bruce nods and follows Fearless, his legs already complaining about so much work after being off the beat for a decade. Edward: "The alternative's a Song of Banishment, a quick roasting with heavenly light goodness, and a trip home to explain to your boss how badly you screwed up." WillGM: "I got that, Captain Obvious, thanks." WillGM: Hallaren breathes deeply. "Sheesh. Allright, now that that's under control, we've just got our sleeping guy back that way to deal with when the demon gets booted out." WillGM: He looks at Ed. "It's not usually this violent around here." %^) Bruce: Nice of them to put on a show for us. Fearless: No, usually its 10x worse... ;) Edward: "Glad to hear it.... Wait. Sleeping guy?" Edward looks at Liriel WillGM: Hallaren points down south. "That one took a Song of Sleep. Just delaying the inevitable." WillGM: You two are passing by the rest of the group on your way south here. Liriel returns your look quizzically. Edward: "Weren't we supposed to find what we sought near the deep sleeper or something like that?" WillGM: "Something like that, yes..." WillGM: "The demon said you'd find it amongst your friends, which is surprisingly truthful for words out of a Shedite's lips," he jokes. WillGM: Liriel joins Ed and Hallaren heading down the hill. WillGM: Everyone else? Nicole follows along. Bruce: Staggering after them. :) Fearless: same. WillGM: Bruce: Ah, been hitting the old courage? WillGM: Certainly reasonable after such a fright. Bruce: No, not yet. Bear in mind Bruce hasn't done a lot of running in several years. ;) WillGM: 'k. WillGM: Hallaren takes a seat by the recumbent form of a man who appears to be sleeping comfortably against a tree, although a keen eye might notice that he appears to have been arranged that way. WillGM: *to Liriel* "Did you come here looking for something, my student?" WillGM: "Yes. Following such signs as I can discern. These humans are helping me." WillGM: "Indeed, I doubt I would be here if not for them. In San Francisco, that is." Bruce does steal a nip or two. Or three. Possibly four from his hip flask when nobody's paying him much attention. He seems calm, but his hands are trembling. WillGM: "For what?" WillGM: "I don't think I should say. Forgive me." WillGM: Hallaren waves a hand. "Not at all." He looks over to the sleeping form. "Well... it's hard to say what you should do at this point, but here he is and here you all are..." WillGM: "You say you were looking for a deep sleeper?" Fearless: "Hell of a twist to words." WillGM: Hallaren eyes Fearless. "What was it exactly then? If you can tell me." Fearless: "Not sure... but when 'deep sleeper' was mentioned, I wasn't expecting someone who had been KO'd by a sleep spell, if you know what I mean." WillGM: Hallaren, Frizz, and Liriel wince. "Not a spell," says Hallaren. WillGM: Hallaren shrugs. "Anyway, without knowing exactly what it all is, I'm at a bit of a loss." WillGM: "The deep places," says Ellis. "We were told that we might find what we sought if we sought amongst the deep places, and if we sought amongst dreams." WillGM: Hallaren thinks for a moment, then looks at Ed. "That demon. He said something like that. Not in the same way... and I don't know if I'd hold it to be trustworthy, whether he meant it or not...." Edward: "What'd he say?" Fearless: "Well, do demons dream of infernal sheep?" WillGM: *Ow* Fearless: sorry, it *had* to be said. ;) WillGM: "You remember. Right after it said it wasn't buying. That we should look amongst our friends. Though it was different enough... maybe that wasn't quite the same as the others." Nicole thinks quietly. Nicole: "I have no clue. It doesn't work with anything I can think of." Edward: "Me either." WillGM: Hallaren ponders. "If I were looking for deep dreams..." WillGM: "...I'd head to the Far Marches. Though I wonder what kind of friends I would find there." Nicole blinks a bit. Fearless: "The where?" WillGM: Liriel begins to answer Fearless then says, "Nicole is, in all probability, the best equipped here to answer that question, given her training so far." Nicole: "Uh. Yeah. It's kinda the no-man's land of the dreamworld." Fearless: "This have anything to do with that bit about BA and the poodles you keep alluding to?" Nicole: "As in, it doesn't belong to Heaven, or Hell...but...you guys remember Grace, right?" WillGM: "No *men*," says Hallaren, with a small smile. "But quite few other things that walk like men and talk like men." He ponders. "And quite a few that don't." Fearless: "Grace, yes." Edward: "Grace? Yeah..." Nicole looks at Fearless. "Sorta, kinda, not really. That all took place in the Near Marches, which are split half and half for Heaven and Hell. But..." Nicole: "Concepts like the one Grace represented -- The Damsel in Distress -- have become real and taken root out in the Far Marches. And it's all our faults." WillGM: Liriel and Hallaren both protest, Hallaren more articulately. "'Fault' is a very negative-sounding word, Nicole. Ethereals are created by humans, it's true, but this is apparently a natural phenomenon. It's when they try running around on Earth that the whole ecosystem of ideas starts getting out of balance." Edward: "And Grace isn't exactly what you'd call nice... Damsel in distress is right, and when she isn't in distress she arranges for it so that someone can come bail her out." [ player¹s computer crashes. It being 2am anyway, game is called for the night. ] WillGM: ------------------------ Session End -------------------------