We held the last session of Facets, a few weeks back. Since then, I’ve started a new job and spent the better part of a week in St. Louis for training. The first week at he office, here in Denver, has also proven hectic. So, while need oft brooks no delay, late is better than never.
Fortunately, this particular session resembled a Mad Max: Fury Road, in that it largely consisted of a single chase seen that went on for a while. It took a bit of work to play out, but the description of events should be pretty short.
We begin in media res, as the rape spirit pops open the hatch on top of the buggy driven by Randy, while Henrietta pulls out her pistol and reaches for bags of salt.
Characters Present:
Dr. Henrietta "Indiana" Johnson -- A personable, age 29-and-holding Anthropologist who specializes in the pre-Columbian indigenous people of the American Desert Southwest. A Native of Apache Junction, AZ, "Indiana" is good with people and has been fascinated by American Indian religion and folklore since she was a child. Henrietta speaks Apache fluently, and not-so-secretly wishes archaeology could be more like Raiders of the Lost Ark and less like digging in a trench with a trowel and a toothbrush -- Played by Debbie S.
Dr. Arthur "A.J." Jamison -- a retired NASA scientist with a home in one of Moab's nicer canyon sub-developments, who volunteers for 4CSAR because he needs to do something to get out of the house. Considers himself responsible for Sunmi Jones, who is enough of a science-geek that the two of them can actually hold a conversation. -- Played by Anten S.
Aurelia R. Lockrin -- A young woman with a shady past who teaches History at Grand County High School (Home of the Red Devils!), and volunteers for 4CSAR because she's a bit of an adrenalin junkie, and likes the companionship. -- played by Bennie Rae P.
Randy "Random" Shoop -- a twenty-something, semi-pro mountain-bike competitor who has trouble staying focused, but is basically a good and reliable member of the team, with an unexpectedly strong moral character -- Played by Gold & Appel, Inc.
Dr. Belody "Doc" Bascher -- a local veterinarian for both large and small animals, who frequently fixates on her job and uses 4CSAR as her primary social outlet. -- played by Samantha H. (Not available, this session.)
Sunmi Jones -- A Korean-American prodigy and student of chemistry at Utah Valley University, who spent most of her childhood with her deceased mother's family in Korea, but has come to Utah to attend college and work with her father's petroleum exploration firm. Somewhat moe, awkward-but-cute, glasses-wearing nerd girl, who only volunteers with 4CSAR because volunteer work is required for her degree. Recently suffered mental damage after an attack by a spirit of pain and violation, and agreed to become a
chwal for the
loa Erzuli Dahomey, as a way to replace the negative affects with those more positive. -- Played by Rebecca W. (Away, dancing with a drum & bugle corps until August.)
Beatrice "B" Lawrence -- U.S. Army veteran who works for a local air charter service as a helicopter mechanic. She recently lost the lower part of her left leg in a fight with a sorcerer from an opposing lodge, and now wears a high-tech prosthetic. A cynic about men, she is accompanied by "Grunt," the biggest, best-trained pit-bull anybody has ever seen (purchased as an ally, and a totally badass dog, even before it was possessed by what appears to be a benign “foo” spirit) -- played by Bernetta W.
Claudia Abigail Tavulari, member of the NASA Quantum Physics Research Team, and an old friend of Arthur Jamison’s. The team has been helping Arthur research the portal physics, on the sly. – Played by Tisa T.
Stephen Mack, another member of the NASA Quantum Physics Research Team, a former U.S. Marine Corps test pilot, and outdoors enthusiast. – Played by Jeff T.
NPCs Present
Jimmy Ehrland – A fugitive from the 1918 Colonia de Nova Espaņa, on the other side of the portal, he had fled from his vampire mistress, Doņa Eva, only to find himself in a strange, alien world to which he must struggle to adapt. -- shifted back to NPC mode, but usually the character available for guest players.
Trooper Frank Moses -- A former Marine who recently quit his job as a trooper with the Utah Highway Patrol (UHP), based out of the Section 13 office in Moab, under Lt. Lee Exeter. Moses works with 4CSAR as needed, and has an interest in Doc Bascher. Frank finds himself attracted to what he perceives as the much simpler life on the 1918 side of the portal.
Grunt: Beatrice's ally, a large pit-bull possessed by a protective "foo" spirit. (Finally healed, but remained on the other side of the portal with Beatrice.)
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The pearlescent white tentacles that extended from the hands of the green-haired figure lashed out at Doņa Eva, as Sebastián shouted, “What betrayal is this?!” and grabbed Henrietta by the shoulder in vice-like vampire grip. A tentacle wrapped around
Doņa Eva’s left wrist, and her eyes immediately began to glaze with lust.
However, before things could get out of control, rammed an open five-pound bag of salt up the school-girl skirt of the rape-spirt, and it recoiled in pain and rage. Randy slammed on the brakes and the embodied spirit tumbled onto the hood and then bounced to the sand, but then nimbly leapt into the air as Randy tried to run it down.
Henrietta shouted to Sebastián that the group had driven off the spirit, last time, in such a way that they’d thought it would stay away. She pulled the hatch closed again, and asked
Doņa Eva to hold it shut, and apologized for not warning them of the possibility of an attack during what they thought would’ve been a peaceful jaunt through the portal.
Doņa Eva seemed mollified (at least, temporarily) by the explanation, and she took a firm hold of the hatch as Randy floored the accelerator.
Meanwhile, the other members of the team (except for Claudia, who had apparently fallen asleep in the seat behind A.J., who was driving the buggy in front) had spotted the rape spirit, also. A.J. and Aurelia knew Randy would make like a Meatloaf song and wanted to give him plenty of room to move, so they slammed their accelerators to the floor, as well.
All four wheels of Randy’s buggy sprayed rooster-tails of sand as his tattooed white knuckles (“W I L D R I D E”) gripped the wheel, and he blasted up the narrow stone passage. Behind him, Sebastián shouted a warning, and in the rearview mirror he saw the rape spirit begin to give chase, twitching tentacles streaming out behind her as she screamed in frustrated rage.
Up in the front buggy, Steven popped the hatch and grabbed the shotgun A.J. kept behind the front passenger seat and checked the color of the shells loaded (red shells, steel shot; blue shells, silver shot; green shells, wooden dowels; etc.). Seeing it loaded with yellow, he popped the hatch, stood up, kicked Claudia awake (“Hey!”) and tried draw a bead on the rape spirit.
In the second buggy, Aurelia shifted right as far as she dared, and did her best to keep up with A.J., as Jimmy pulled out his Colt Python .357, loaded with steel-jacketed rounds, and watched out the back window.
At first, the rape spirit was able to gain on Randy, but as he kept the pedal to the medal, the extreme athlete began to pull away. Soon, the buggy’s compression diesel engine howled in anguish as it neared the red-line, and he began to rapidly approach Aurelia. He clipped the back of her buggy as he tried pass, but both drivers managed to retain control despite the sandy ground and the narrowness of the passage, and Randy shot ahead of Aurelia.
That left the archer and the 17-year-old as rear guard. Jimmy took aim at the rape spirit, but decided not to try his luck shooting through the one-way bullet-proof glass, since Aurelia (although not driving with Randy’s manic disregard for his own life) remained well ahead of the screaming entity.
Meanwhile, out at the base camp in 2015 March, Grunt’s ears suddenly pricked up and his nose pointed at the portal entrance. He gave a light “woof,” and stood up, which got Beatrice’s undivided attention.
Able to move better with her spring-metal prosthetic (
https://www.ossur.com/prosthetic-sol...utions/cheetah ), Beatrice called Grunt to heel, and the two of them trotted toward up the cavern that led to the passageway between worlds. Once there, the heard the roar of rapidly-approaching diesel engines revving
way too fast for the narrow passage.
Realizing that something had gone badly wrong, and surmising it likely had something to do with the rape spirit, Beatrice unslung her scoped .30-06, put her back to the cave near the left side of the entrance, and then peered into the tunnel. Just as she did, Grunt’s head whipped around, back toward the way they’d come, a deep growl rumbling from his throat and the hackles on the back of his neck standing up.
Beatrice quickly looked toward the entrance, and saw the vampire, Arturo, standing at the exit, staring at the foo dog. She called Grunt to heel, and the animal calmed down slightly, but kept himself between her and Arturo as
Doņa Eva’s minion approached.
(continued...)