[tshiggins]

This was kind of a dark session that stuck mostly to business, so I didn’t jot down much in the way of funny quotes. However, Chris was able to join us, so Diego lit up as a PC once again.

Also, Bennie had a family emergency and didn’t make this session, so Tori, the daughter of Anten and Debbie, decided to give the game a try and stepped up to play Aurelia. Bennie is long-time friends with Anten and Debbie, so Tori played Aurelia with Bennie’s blessing.

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 Chris L.

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.

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. She used to have a pet pig named Master Oink of the Porcine, but he turned out to be possessed and made an escape, at the end of Session 3. -- Played by Samantha H.

Dr. Arthur 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 S.

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 W.

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 W.

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 this time by Tori, who sat in for a session and played the character with Bennie's blessing.


Fifth Session

Deputy Diego Torres secured release from the hospital six days after his return through the portal, and returned to his family home where his two abuelas promptly attempted to smother him in tender loving care. He called Henrietta to touch base, and learned the stone that allowed him to sleep would lose its efficacy within the next day or two. The group sent Sunmi to pick him up at his home, and the abuelas promptly began to cross-examine their grandson about the pretty, but "skinny," young woman in the car.

Torres distracted them by saying he intended to visit some local shrines, and that he would appreciate some tamales (which take about three days of work, to fix correctly). He and Sunmi then traveled to Grand Junction, where he made the acquaintance of the proprietor, JoBeth Catherine McShane (aka, Priestess JoCat Nightshade), and learned more about how the passage through the portal had changed him. He also downed a potion that healed him up, the rest of the way, and discovered he’d be joining the semi-permanent slumber-party in the back room of Café Nepenthe.

The next day, the group set off to hunt down the second of the possessed wolves. They split into two teams, one of which circled south along Highway 95, and the other which circled to the north using county roads 107 and 088. The Highway 95 crew, led by Beatrice and which included Henrietta, Aurelia and Randy, touched bases with the animal control people from Grand County and San Juan County, and asked them to give a shout if they saw any sign of the “wild dog.” Both crews also checked in at campgrounds and known popular sites, for any sightings.

This paid off for the northern crew of Diego, Doc Bascher, Arthur and Sunmi, who were flagged down by a young woman who reported her boyfriend had been attacked. The group hurried to help, and found a young man with deep slashes and puncture wounds to his back and legs, pale with blood-loss. Upon investigation, Deputy Torres determined that the beast had probably been responsible, and that the site of the attack (and the place where the victim lay) didn’t have nearly enough blood spattered about.

Torres and Doc Bascher concluded that the possessed wolf had actually drained the blood of the victim, and the veterinarian noted that the blood did not want to clot properly. Diego noted that this resembled the scary stories about chupacabras he’d heard as a child. (No, he didn’t roll successfully against anything. Chris figured it out, on his own.)

The northern team called an ambulance, started to track the chupacabra and then notified the southern team to intercept once they figured out the beast seemed headed back in the general direction of the portal. The southern crew sped up county road 0106, which kept them on the plateau to the east of the main canyon. They accurately guessed the chupacabra would likely cross over, on its way to the portal, located in the narrow watershed between Shay Mountain and Twin Peaks East.

After casting about for a bit, the southern crew picked up a warm trail, had to abandon their vehicles, and set out in pursuit of the chupacabra. Meanwhile, Diego and his people zoomed around the southern side of the canyon along the paved Highway 95, and entered the side canyon at a finished trail that began at Nizhoni Campground.

The rugged hike caused Beatrice’s crew to fall behind in the pursuit, and Diego’s group reached the site of the portal, first. As they did so, they spotted the larger, grimmer-looking chupacabra at the top of the bluff. It was looking down at them.

Doc Bascher and Diego circled out to see if they could get a bead on the monster, as Sunmi began to climb the bluff to see if she could get close enough to use her pistol. Arthur stayed close enough to cover her.

As soon as Diego pointed his .30-06 at the chupacabra, it turned away and began working its way back up the slope, sticking to the cover of rocks and scrub-oak. However, Doc Bascher was able to follow its movements, and gave a running report about its location. She saw the chupacabra abruptly turn toward Sunmi, just as the small college girl lost her grip and began to slide down the bluff. The beast effortlessly vaulted over the gap made in the bluff by the slot-canyon that led to the portal cave, and closed in on the frightened girl.

By then, Beatrice and her crew had arrived, and saw the chupacabra headed toward Sunmi. Randy and Aurelia set off in pursuit, as Beatrice and Henrietta (winded and slightly hobbled by a twisted ankle and a twisted knee) worked their way down the slope to get better shots, only to decide they needed to drop a rope down the bluff, instead.

Randy, Aurelia and Grunt the Dog also vaulted the slot canyon gap (Aurelia made it look good) and closed on the chupacabra. The beast reached the top of the bluff only to find that the banged-up and bloody-fingered Sunmi had skittered back down the cliff-face after almost falling all the way down, and landed in the hands of Arthur. She and Arthur hastily backed up to try to get shots at the monster, as Grunt and Randy entered close combat with it.

Randy and Grunt kept the chupacabra immobilized long enough (and mostly avoided getting bitten) that Aurelia and Arthur were able to get good shots, and the monster expired. Doc Bascher came to the top of the bluff to examine the creature, reported some unprecedented physiological changes. They took the head and some blood samples, doused the rest of the cadaver with kerosene and white gas, and burned it in place.

The group then headed back to Grand Junction, reaching Café Nepenthe by early evening, and got healed up.

(Continued)