Battle at the Farm's Nexus 

 

01/20/2009

   

The group moves towards the bikes in the shed. As the party approaches, Michael activates his two-world-eyes and can see that two spirits are chained to the shed. The one spirit had moved forward and was stopped by the chain about 4’ in front of Michael, his arm reaching out towards Michael and only missing by inches. To Michael, the spirit looks like the angel of death from Raiders of the lost ark (blue, fragments of clothing and flesh hanging off) his claws are reaching, trying to grasp him.

 

Michael places his arms out to keep the party back from moving forward, and describes what he sees to the group..

Suddenly, the spirits head goes all the way back as if it was a hinge instead of a neck, and it screams. Michael hears the scream and shudders. The rest feel a cold wind blow across them. Michael pulls out his dagger

 

“So…a child of the moon, what brings you here….” inquires the spirit.

 

Instead of answering, Michael says “do you wish to be a prisoner here, or do you wish to be freed?”

 

“I wish to feed on that one’s soul…let me do that and you shall pass” he says as he points at Steven.

 

"That is not going to happen, spirit." says Michael. The group cannot hear or see the spirit, but they hear Michaels response.

 

“Very well,” it quickly turns and runs, disappearing into the shed.

 

The other spirit is on the other side of the shed, it is looking at the group but has not moved closer.

 

Michael explains the situation to the others.

 

Meanwhile, as he is talking, the other spirit moves forward and acts like it is listening, tilting it's head almost ninety degrees as it listens in. Seeing this, Michael decides to address it.

 

Michael asks “Would you like to be released into the spirit plane?”

 

The spirit is suddenly visible to the entire group, and it motions for Carter to move forward…it is a will attack.

 

Carter lurches and takes a step forward as Steven grabs him.

 

“I said come here….” Says the spirit, compelling him, but Steven holds him in place.

 

“Destroy that weapon!” says the spirit to Carter pointing to the flame-thrower.

 

Carter moves, about to do something, throws it off, and, in anger, draws his assault rifle and releases three bursts  with the ethereal rounds into the spirit.

 

The rounds land solidly into the misty spirit, it had not had a chance to put up any defenses as holes appear and light streams out the back of the spirit in lines; as it screams and dissipates.

 

 

The second spirit bursts up out of the ground directly in front of the group, having been hidden in the ground waiting for it's moment to strike. He looks at Carter and says “Come forward!” but Carter grunts and is able to throw the compulsion off.

 

Michael, standing next to the spirit, swings out and strikes it with the Aztec dagger. It cuts the arm off the spirit, but it quickly regenerates.

 

Gordon lets loose with a series of rounds into the spirits torso. It winces as the rounds pass through, but does nothing.

 

The spirit pulls out a jar, opens it up and looks at Steven. As he opens the jar it does an essence attack sucking out some magic power from Steven and sealing it into the jar. He then disappears into the ground just as the shotgun goes off.

 

Steven explains what happened and Michael says that the spirit should still be chained.

 

Michael says he will move to the shed, and moves at an angle towards it.

 

Just then, Steven takes off at a dead run the 25 feet to the shed. Gordon misses him as he runs past Michael. Shots ring out from Carter and Daniel as the slam into the spirit. It reaches out to try and pass the damage onto Steven, but fails and wails as it vanishes.

 

Michael announces the chains are gone to his spirit vision eyes, so the spirits are gone as well.

   

In the shed, there are some very expensive Harley motor cycles. They are older models but in very good shape. There are the standard gardening tools and riding lawnmower in here. Michael can sense that although from any point in the shed someone could cross over, it is easiest to cross towards the end.

   

Michael suggests he could take Steven across into the spirit plane to try and get his essence back, if he is willing and ready. He says yes, and they go.

 

To Steven, it is as if the sun has gone off and it is dusk. Michael can see the chains, but not the spirit, so the chains must have been anchored here. Stepping outside, the jar can be seen glowing there on the ground. Michael is holding on firmly to the Kevlar vest such that Steven can’t move very quickly.

  

A low moan echoes off the hills as all the lose spirits around can sense Steven. Without thinking, he opens it, and although it took 1 essence, 3 come back. Once Steven breaks free out of Michaels grip, Michael is shoved back into the material plane. Looking around, standing outside the shed, and standing right next to the startled Carter, he quietly says “shit” and moves back towards the shed.

 

With two world eyes still active, Michael can see about 15 spirits moving towards the shed through the corn at a very rapid speed, as they are in the spirit plane going to get Steven.

  

Michael looks at Carter and says “lock and load”, grabs him, and moves into the back of the shed.

 

“Ok, we are here, shoot any spirit you see!” as Michael reaches out to grab Steven.

 

The first spirit arrives at the door. It looks like a pit fiend with teeth and fangs and calls out “fleshhh”

 

Both Steven and Carter shoot at the floating spirit as Michael tries to cross over, but can’t pull them both over.

 

To Gordon and Daniel, the figures of team fade in and then back out as the cross over fails.

 

The fiend moves towards both Steven and Carter and strikes at both and hits.

 

Steven shoots and hits the creature in the chest. It cries out in pain.

 

Michael tries again to pull the two and himself back to the material plane.

 

As they appear, their guns are aimed at the Gordon and Daniel. Michael lets go of them and they run out of the shed.

  

Michael can see the spirits milling around the shed, still looking for the humans on the ethereal plane.

 

Carter pops smoke so the copter can land

 

Even a blind squirrel can find an acorn sometimes...

  

It lands as a group of soldiers depart. They walk straight over to Carter to ask for a sys-rep, and as he says they would like one alive, the assault group moves towards the barn.

 

Shouts and gunfire can be heard from the barn. Eventually the team comes out with a couple wounded. Gordon moves over and tries to help the injured as the leader can be heard reporting to Carter “ok, we have them; they have all been staked and immobilized.”

  

Another helicopter comes down to take away the vampires and the wounded. Four of the members of the team were wounded so nobody made it out unscathed. As night falls, the immobilized and restrained vampires are carried out to another copter. They also take the mages with them as the helicopters depart.

   

The team decides to take the safe back to the Rayne house instead of using this nexus. Gordon checks out the bottom of the barn, it looks like an old bomb shelter with 3 rooms, but nothing of note in the rooms.

  

We decide to leave the heroin and will call the police and let them take care of the house and grounds. The group cleans out a bit, wiping off prints and bleaching the blood spots. They leave the heroin in the open area left by the safe.

  

Driving down the road, we find Randal still stuck on the side of the road, waiting patiently for us. Gordon mentions the fight, the vamps, and touches on the high points.

 

“Well, those were the vamps I was working for, and except for the people in Haiti, nobody will know me, so I’m safe?”

 

“You should be.” Looking at the bikes, Gordon offers up one of them but he declines because it’s too cold. The group drops him off at the hotel and gives him some cash.

 

“Don’t tell Cory anything. I’m going to lay low for a couple of months and then take it from there if I don’t see anybody. Maybe an entire year.”

 

Hearing this, Gordon nods, and pulls out the full stack of money they had found at the house. He pulls off a couple hundred, looks at Randal, and then hands him the entire stack of money, nearly $100k.

 

“Wow…ok, thanks. I will still keep low, and now I can do it easily. I’m still not certain what you guys are going to tell Cory.”

 

“We will just tell him we didn’t find your body and there are no more leads. Here is an email you can contact us with. We don’t expect to hear from you unless you have new information.” Says Gordon.

  

Returning to the Rayne mansion, the group takes some much needed rest for a few days. The safe is placed downstairs in the holding area where a great deal of odd items is kept. It is a closet containing multiple grimoire that the Rayne’s have accumulated over the years. The new books that were found at the mages house are also cataloged and placed in the closet.

  

The next morning, everyone feeling well rested, Gordon tells the group “last night, I heard a voice say ‘free me’” The group shrugs as he drops the subject and says no more. 

 

Carter leaves to go do paperwork at the office, apparently he has stacks to deal with, including accounting for all the ordinance he spent.

  

Steven decides to try and destroy the book. Knowing it has a demon in it, he creates a warding circle. The ward is made up of a circle within another circle with runes surrounding it. Michael mentions how dangerous this action is, but Steven is confident he can do it. Finishing, Steven decides it isn’t strong enough and uses his own blood to add a third layer of protection to the circle. Still, Steven is not certain if it is strong enough. Daniel is watching and at first thinks the ring is well made. As the third layer of protection is added, he thinks of a way to make the third circle just a little stronger.

  

Placing the book into the center of the circle, Steven begins the destruction ritual. Daniel gets lost in the ritual and cannot help at all as it progresses. Steven thought the book would evaporate but instead it looks as though it went through a paper shredder and the pieces start flying around inside the circle in a whirlwind. The lights in the room dim as the temperature drops. The impression of something old and ancient permeates the room.

  

“Whyyyy do you try to destroy me….” Says a deep and dark voice from inside the circle. The compulsion in the voice hits Steven and Daniel solidly. Gordon is holding a pistol aimed at the circle while Michael transforms into near wolf form.

  

An illusion of creature vanishing fills the room, but Steven calls out “he’s still there.”

 

As the group is watching, the inner most circle burns away. Everyone can realize that this thing is burning through the protections at a consistent rate.

 

Gordon can tell that Steven is shaken at this, as both Steven and Daniel begin chanting.

 

A seeming of a large crack appears beneath the demon as it says “Very well….I will be back…” and it vanishes.

 

Nothing within our powers reveals the demons presence, neither to spirit or mage sight.

   

Michael asks “So, where did the spirit go? If it is gone, can it come back?”

 

“We banished it. Some say it is banished for 1000 years, but it will stay banished until someone summons it. But at a minimum, it cannot come back for one solar year.” Says Steven.

 

  

5XP – individual

 

3XP - Group

 

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