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Old 08-02-2015, 02:03 PM   #28
tshiggins
 
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Denver, Colorado
Default Re: Campaign: Facets

The latest session took place last weekend. Bennie and her husband had their anniversary, so Aurelia went to NPC mode, but Samantha was available so Doc Bascher was active. Samantha’s husband, Mike, decided to check out the scene, since he’d never seen a table-top RPG, before. Chris L. doesn’t make it to many sessions, these days (it’s a long commute up from Colorado Springs…) so we dragooned Mike into playing Deputy Diego Torres.

Character's Present:


Deputy Diego "Danny" Torres -- Grand County Sheriff's deputy who acts as the department's community policing officer and works with 4CSAR as needed. He has an extended family with members throughout southern Utah, with cousins in Colorado and Arizona. -- Played by guest, Mike H.

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 Sakagawa

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 -- 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. -- Normally played by Samantha Heuett, who couldn't make it to the session, this time.

Dr. Arthur "A.J." Jamison -- a retired NASA scientist with a home in one of Moab's nicer canyon subdevelopments, 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 Sakagawa.

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 volunteers with 4CSAR because volunteer work is required for her degree. -- Played by Rebecca Williams.

Beatrice "B" Lawrence -- U.S. Army veteran who works for a local air charter service as a helicopter mechanic. A cynic about men, and 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 spirit) -- played by Bernetta Williams

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 once again by Bennie Rae Palko.


The session was largely devoted to investigation of a mystery that goes back nearly a century, and Mike is an ex-cop, and he enjoyed himself so much he’d like to create a character. Given that Chris isn’t making it to sessions, what we’ll do is ret-con Mike’s guy into the campaign as the Grand County Sheriff’s deputy who has accompanied the group, all along.

That means he’s already gone through the portal, and had all those experiences, which makes him easy to slot into the group. We’ll see how it works out.

--------------------------------------------

After the last trip through the portal, the group tried to settle down and accomplish things, while keeping an ear open for reports of attacks by giant pterodactyl magpies. Arthur and Beatrice focused on the construction of steam-powered dune-buggies, primarily. Arthur and Sunmi did spend some time rigging equipment to take readings of the next opening of the portal, scheduled for August 25.

Aurelia spent her days at Café Nepenthe in Grand Junction, as did Randy. Deputy Torres (or whatever he winds up being called) did the same. He has about three weeks left on his administrative leave.

Henrietta worked on an academic paper about the petroglyphs, and tried to figure out how to discuss them in the context of American Indian culture, without disclosing the existence of the portals.

That lasted about three days. Randy was approached on the street by a someone who recognized him and introduced himself as Lou Delacourt. Delacourt declined Randy’s offer of an autograph, and instead made inquiries about the group’s relationship with “the High Priestess.”

Curiosity piqued, Randy learned that Delacourt, who gave his “craft name” as “Gray Deer,” had learned from Krystal Swan, (“Uhh, Krystal…?” “She’s Madame Nightshade’s assistant manager!” “Oh! C-Money! That’s what I call her.” “Right. Whatever.”) that McShane had begun to teach an “intensive seminar” of the likes she hadn’t done in more than five years.

According to Delacourt, McShane had said she didn’t have time to do much “with the community,” after she opened the marijuana dispensary, next door. As such, some found it disconcerting that she had chosen to spend so much time with people nobody in the Western Slope pagan community had ever heard of.

Thinking quickly, Randy said he’d run into McShane at a festival, got to talking about philosophy and meditation, and had put together the study group. He assured Delacourt there was “nothing sexual” about the relationship, which flabbergasted the pagan, so much, that he beat a hasty retreat.

Later, McShane explained that Delacourt considered himself something of a leader in the small Western Slope pagan sub-culture, as well as Krystal’s boyfriend (even though they’d only dated a few times…). Given that he probably wouldn’t be the only one poking around, McShane said the group needed a cover story. After a brief discussion, everybody decided that Randy’s impromptu explanation would probably do the trick, quite well.

A few days later, after a long day in her office looking at house-pets and listening to the (usually) polite complaints from customers dismayed at her “irregular hours,” Bascher called up the Moab newspapers and took out an ad for a receptionist/assistant. After that, she locked up and headed toward her car, only to notice six (regular-sized) magpies fluttering around the parking lot.

She quickly went to her pickup and grabbed her shotgun from the rack, and cautiously circled the building. She found the two large magpies (each nearly two feet long) perched on a fence in the alley. Bascher clicked off the safety and didn’t quite point it at them, but the two big magpies flew away, anyway.

She called the rest of the group and headed home. The next morning, she saw the six magpies perched in a tree in her yard. She made some quick calls, and Deputy Diego said he’d hurry over. Doc Bascher grabbed her shotgun, again, went into the house, and looked out the window to her back yard. The two big magpies were both out there, as well.

A bit unnerved, she waited for Torres, and the two went through the gate at the side of the house. As soon as they saw the armed pair, the magpies flew away, again.

This happened a couple more times, the next couple of days. Finally, after she got off work, she noticed the six regular magpies perched on the edge of the roof of her office. She slung her shotgun and clambered up to the roof using the ladder in the alley, and saw not two giant magpies, but two little people, about two feet tall.

Dressed in beaded buckskins and moccasins, the two little figures had the features and jet-black hair of young American Indian women, but very pale white skin. They stood out in the middle of the roof, and eyed the wide-eyed Doc Bascher, cautiously.

Thinking fast, Bascher took off the shotgun and hung it from the ladder by its sling. She slowly climbed on the roof, and the two little Indian girls backed away.

The doctor made soothing motions and then sat down and pulled out her cell phone. She quickly dialed Torres and Sunmi, and they said they’d be right over. As she rang off, one of the little females suddenly said, “¿Habla español?”

Doc Bascher jumped and stammered out, “No hablo español!” motioned for the girls to wait. Torres’ truck screeched to a halt, soon thereafter and, after she quickly explained the situation, he came up (mostly) unarmed, and began to talk to the two little people.

They called themselves “Hops About” and “Twirls Thrice,” and explained they were “Magpie Girls” – but the Comanche called them “nunnupi.” They said they’d come through the portal because they found the group a lot more interesting than the wide-open emptiness of the wilderness on the other side of the portal. They also revealed they could speak English, as well, and switched languages.

Upon Bascher’s inquiry, the Magpie Girls explained they decided to follow her because the veterinarian “smelled like dead animals,” which they liked a lot. To the consternation of the Doc and the deputy, they also explained that humans were “really good” at killing things and, given that the group had demonstrated considerable proficiency at that, the two nunnupi had decided to come through the portal for “a visit.”

(continued...)
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