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Old 04-28-2015, 08:45 PM   #20
tshiggins
 
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Denver, Colorado
Default Re: Campaign: Facets

Fourth Session Notes

This one took place six weeks after the last session, which is much longer than I would have preferred. However, when three of the participants (including the GM) come from the same family, sometimes family matters interfere.

So, this one was a bit chaotic, and mostly dealt with the aftermath of the events of Session 3. We also introduced another character, Sunmi Jones, played by Bernetta's youngest daughter, Rebecca (aka, Dark Niece).

I have also shifted Deputy Diego Torres to NPC status, as Chris has missed three sessions. We can pick him back up again, later, if Chris' schedule clears up (or he can just start a new guy, based on where the campaign sits).

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Character's 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.

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 has a pet pig named Master Oink of the Porcine (just a pet and not an ally, trained to fetch, carry things and squeal when alarmed, meant mostly for comedy relief) -- Played by Samantha H (aka, First Niece).

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 -- 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) -- 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 by Bennie H.

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NPCs

Francis "Jeb" Stuart -- an anti-federal government survivalist and gas station attendant, who believes strongly that local communities should be self-sufficient, and thinks 4CSAR epitomizes that ideal (plus, it provides health insurance).

Deputy Diego "Danny" Torres -- Grand County Sheriff's deputy who acts as the department's community policing officer and works with 4CSAR as needed -- Shifted to NPC, this week.


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The session began with the party split geographically. Randy and Diego remained at the small Moab Regional Hospital, while the rest of the group sacked out in Grand Junction, at Nova Nepenthe occult shop, under the watchful eye of Mistress JoCat Nightshade (aka, JoBeth Catherine McShane), the proprietor and a genuine practicing mage of apparently modest ability.

Randy remained in intensive care, in serious but stable condition, while Deputy Torres was in fair condition and remained under observation. Also present at Moab Regional Hospital was Seņor Andres Reyes, aka many aliases, including "Seņor AKA," also in fair condition and under observation, and also under armed guard by Grand County Sheriff's deputies.

After the last session, Aurelia decided to lay low for a couple of days, and the group in Grand Junction remained in that Western Colorado town at the base of the Grand Mesa, and started to practice the meditation techniques that would preserve their sanity without magical assistance. For his part, Jeb mostly remained close to Nova Nepenthe, while Beatrice declared herself "on vacation" for a couple of weeks, to a sympathetic boss who figured she'd been traumatized by recent events.

Doc Bascher ruefully noted that her one-woman veterinary clinic in Moab really needed some vet techs, and called her colleagues, there, to take on her clients. She arranged to assist other colleagues in Grand Junction, for the next several weeks.

As a retired gentleman of means, Dr. Arthur Jamison's time was his own, so he practiced some of his meditation while at the same time carefully researching whether the Colorado River or the Gunnison River offered the better fly-fishing spots.

Dr. Henrietta "Indiana" Johnson took a trip to Moab to bring Randy a potion (in a Jamba Juice bottle) to help speed his healing (but not so much it would arouse the curiosity of the attending physician), but mostly worked on her meditation and chatted remotely with colleagues in Colorado about the petroglyphs of the Ancestral Puebloan cultures. She determined she needed high-quality photographs to assist her research but, given the group's experiences with electonics in the close vicinity of the portal, mentioned that she needed a large-format film camera.

Aurelia noted that she had such a camera at her home, and the two women decided to head back to Moab, along with Beatrice (who had gotten bored) and Grunt (because he always went everywhere with Beatrice). Once there, they split up, briefly, so Henrietta and Beatrice could stop by their places. Aurelia took a moment to call a "business associate" in Denver, only to be told to not call again for at least a month. Her name had appeared in an AP story in the Denver Post, as someone who had helped chase down a federal fugitive.

In the meantime, Sunmi Jones, age 19 but already a senior at Utah Valley University, returned to Moab on June 27th, from a month of visiting family in Korea. She checked her messages and learned about the events of five days past. Still ragged from her flight, she nonetheless went down to the 4CSAR station, chatted with Vice Commander Bertie Meyer (who asked that she remain close to her phone since he 4CSAR was pretty short-handed), and then went to Aurelia's apartment to look for her.

A surprised Aurelia welcomed her, but spoke as little as possible about recent events, in an effort to prevent Sunmi from becoming too interested. Henrietta rendered the effort moot. Henrietta mentioned the return to the canyon to get the photos as soon as Aurelia opened the door -- and before the archeologist realized Sunmi was present.

The three women met up with Beatrice, and then the foursome headed down to the Manti-LaSalle National Forest. They hiked down into the Dark Canyon Wilderness Area from the northeast, using the same rugged trail. They arrived at the slot canyon by early afternoon, to find the entrance had been covered with yellow police tape. Apparently, the Grand County Sheriff's Department and the Feds had backtracked the group to the slot canyon at some point, in the past couple of days, and sent in a forensics crew.

At first concerned, they relaxed a bit when they realized this must have happened no earlier than June 23, which meant the portal would have closed, by then.

Sunmi hesitated to cross the police tape, but Beatrice and Henrietta entered, undeterred. Aurelia, who knew the portal would be open on this day of the new moon, agreed to remain on the proper side of the police tape with Sunmi. She didn't want the young woman to find out about the other world, anyway. Henrietta and Beatrice headed inside to set up the camera so the archeologist could get her photos, while the former soldier kept watch up the once-again present portal passageway.

Outside, Sunmi and Aurelia chatted for a bit, and then the younger woman heard movement from what sounded like a large animal, on the top of the bluff above. Suddenly wary, Aurelia moved down the trail a bit to see if she could spot anything, rounded a bend, and saw a large, slavering wolf with moulting fur and huge teeth glaring at her, from about 50 yards away. At the same moment, the other wolf appeared at the top of the bluff, above.

(cont'd)
__________________
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MXLP:9 [JD=1, DK=1, DM-M=1, M(FAW)=1, SS=2, Nym=1 (nose coffee), sj=1 (nose cocoa), Maz=1]
"Some days, I just don't know what to think." -Daryl Dixon.

Last edited by tshiggins; 04-28-2015 at 08:55 PM.
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