Battlegrounds clearing

Lightning cracks all around as Karisha stands menacingly before them. The demon’s dark tendril limbs emerge and rear up. Karisha blinks, and the tendrils launch forward striking out at all three of the posse members. Each of the posse members is struck hard by a shadow fist.

The demon looks at Hammond – “You’re mine”. It’s eyes flash and Hammond feel’s it’s dark grip on his very soul. He becomes detached and is under the command of the Incubus. Fortunately Hammy shakes it off before being able to attack anyone. He rages on the Incubus and manages a small cut to it’s skin. Black ooze billows out from the wound.

Nigel fires at it with his rifle. The bullet heads directly for the incubus’s face, but it seizes the bullet in mid-air with one of it’s tendrils. Karisha throws the bullet back at Nigel. Ben shoots it with a brain blast, smacking it back a step and catching it’s attention.

Karisha lashes out at them all again with it’s tendrils, with 2 at Ben. Hammond runs up and stabs the Incubus once again. The demon rips Hammonds sword away and tosses it across the ground. Nigel shoots it in the head , but the bullet does NOTHING. The party realizes that they MUST use the weapons that Marilyn blessed in order to harm the demon.

Karisha strikes at Hammond with it’s actual hands, as well as a tendril, all while attacking the other with the remaining shadow hands. It lands several of these hits damaging each of the party.

Ben uses his telekinesis to float Hammond’s back to him. This give them another quick chance for a strike. Hammond strikes, then takes another strike to the guts. He dives away. Nigel fires on Karisha with his plasma hand. The blast shakes him, but the demon’s armor prevents significant damage. Nigel will need to overcharge the plasma hand to make it deal damage. In the back of his head he hears Marilyn tell him he can use her blessing to increase the armor penetration of the blast as well.

Karisha rushes forward and lands some massive strikes on Ben, trying to rip his guts out through the armor. Hammond joins in the fray again to get the Incubus off of Ben. Ben backs off a few steps to get clear from the fight.

Nigel circles around to get a decent shot on Karisha. The incubus tries to take over Ben’s mind. Ben is able to mentally wrestle with it and avoid take over. Hammond wrestles with the Incubus’s tendrils to keep it busy.

Nigel then shuts down his infiltration systems to provide additional power to his hand cannon. He charges up a large blast. He draws a bead to get a better shot. Ben shoots Karisha with a powerful brain blast. Hammond strikes it in the head before diving back. Nigel shoots hitting the Incubus. the blast shakes up the demon, catching his attention. However the charge nearly shorts out Nigel’s circuits.

Ben follows up with a major brain blast. That pulls Karisha’s attention back to Ben. Nigel charges up the blaster even more by shutting down one of his other internal systems. He draws a bead on the demon again. Karisha retaliates with a few strikes to Ben. Nigel’s 2nd blast does some significant damage to the Incubus.

The damage sends Karisha into a fit of rage. The demon turns about and comes at Nigel with full force. It strikes at him with all of it’s shadow limbs. Nigel’s free arm goes limp. Karisha slashes Nigel’s chest slicing it open. Nigel feigns being paralyzed. Hammond and Ben recognize this and react as if Nigel is truly going down. Karisha sees Nigel’s immobile body on the ground and turns back to the others.

Ben fires a heavy brain blast on the Incubus face. the force actually bursts one of it’s eyes. Karisha swipes back at him. Hammond and Ben both try hitting at it’s head to take it down, but are unsuccessful. Karisha strikes back at both of them. Their bodies are on the verge of collapse, but they stand their ground.

Karisha – “Failure will be your doom. I will rip your body apart in front of your friends. You will know the pain of going against a god!”

The demon rears back and strikes Ben and Hammond one more time. They barely manage to stand. Their fate looks grim. Karisha sweeps Ben off his feet and is trying to drill through his armor with a tendril. Hammond’s sword is ripped away, then one of the tendrils wraps around his neck, squeezing the life from him.

Nigel musters up all of the rest of his will. He raises his plasma hand towards Karisha. He calls upon The Baron – asking for his favor.

Time freezes for a moment as out of a puff of smoke, Baron Samedi emerges. He and Nigel negotiate a deal. Nigel asks for the Baron’s help. He need to land a shot and for it to kill the Incubus. The Baron just nods. Time begins to move again, only in slow motion.

Nigel raises his hand- out of the air a ghostly skeleton hand grabs his wrist and points the plasma hand at Karisha’s face. Nigel feels an intense and overwhelming power surge from the Baron, through his blaster. The shot fires off connecting with Karisha’s head and exploding half of its body. Nigel’s plasma gun circuit explodes from the power surge. The surge shoots through his body and damages his spirit fetter. Nigel passes out entirely.

The rest of the Incubus’s corpse falls to the ground. Black ichor leaks out as Karisha dissolves away into nothingness. The storm that was above clears revealing a soft sunset.

Ben and Hammond slowly collect themselves. They spend a moment patching each other up, then try and sew Nigel back into one piece. They scrounge around to put together a makeshift stretcher, since they’ll need to carry Nigel. They scout out the land and head northwest, back towards the cemetery/prison.

An hour or so passes and they see a plume of dust off in the distance. A vehicle approaches. Ben looks through his land warrior helmet and sees it is the van (they could tell by the Black Widow on top).

The posse’s van arrives at their location, driven by Jonathan Douglas. He and Charlie exit the vehicle to assist the battered men. It is a bittersweet moment. Jonathan states that Michael and Soria are in the back of the van. They are wounded seriously, but will live. He opens the door. Soria and Michael lay in obvious discomfort. They both look up and all acknowledge each other. Hammond touches Soria’s hand.

The crew looks to Douglas with questioning eyes, he already knows what is on their minds. He nods blankly and gestures to the rear of the van.

Inside the back section wrapped in an old blanket was Marilyn. She lay there motionless.

Then a little cough, and a turn of the head. The Posse sees that she is still alive and well, albeit exhausted.

The three companions let out sighs of relief. Ben and Hammond load Nigel into the back of the van. They head off towards the safety of Fort Bridger.

Mansion Foyer

The group fights the Obsidian Goliath.

“You will taste my wrath, you will taste my seed. You will taste the absolution of your demise. I was playing with you before. Now the game is over, I will tear your souls apart!” snarls the demon.

Each of the posse members takes aim at the cracks in the armor of the goliath.

The great beast raises its hands and blasts with green energy- an atomic blast.

They break off chunk after chunk of the armor, slowly wearing down it’s defensive layer.

Michael and Hammond edge in closer for melee combat. Ben and Nigel fire from afar. The goliath becomes frustrated by being surrounded and uses the China syndrome power. This heats it’s entire body to temperatures enough to melt through steel. It smacks Hammond with it’s arm, burning him with the intense fire.

Nigel lands a shot on the demon, blasting away another piece of armor. In retaliation it shoots him with an atomic blast. While Nigel takes some damage, this move forced the goliath to stop it’s China Syndrome.

Michael calls out the demon “Demon, by the powers of the Gods on High, I cast you from this body!”.

Michael hurls his spear a the demon once again. The shot ricochets and sticks in the wall next to the beast. The goliath reaches over to grab Micheal’s spear. When it does it received a large electrical shock.

Hammond charges in and attacks up close. Nigel continues firing away. Ben shoots and uses his brain blast to punch off more pieces of the armor.

Hammond leaps behind the beast and attempts to place it in a nelson hold. This leaves it open for easy attacks from the others.

Nigel and Ben both get off successful shots on the beast. The situation angers it, and the goliath lights back up with it’s China Syndrome power- burning Hammond on one side. He promptly lets go.

Ben tries to communicate with Marilyn. He talks with her about trying to change this place, or help them in some way. The Incubus sees Ben trying to talk to her and becomes enraged. It fires at Ben with an atomic blast, once again breaking it’s China Syndrome. Hammond takes the opportunity and grabs the demon’s arm and holds it back.

Michael charges in to fight the beast. It lands a devastating blow on his chest. He is noticeably shaken, but rejoins the fight.

The posse continues the skirmish. Chipping away at the armor on the goliath. It manages to shake free of the Nelson hold and smack Hammond away. Michael tries to sneak in an attack while the monster is focused on Hammy. He lands the blow, but is met with a fist full of claws in return. The goliath’s claws pierce in to Micheal’s chest, leaving him incapacitated.

The rest of the posse carries on, eventually wearing down the armor. However, the Incubus still maintains control over Soria, but it has reverted to it’s Golden Knight form. It begins to attack with greater intensity, seeing that its defenses have weakened.

Ben and Nigel keep circling it, trying to keep it away from Marilyn. Nigel has kept a bead on the Incubus. He takes a shot and lands it in the arm.

Hammond goes toe-to-toe with the demon. He tries striking at the head in order to knock Soria’s body out. The Incubus also strikes out at him simultaneously. Both of them land the hits right on the head. The force of the blows knocks both of them out, their bodies drop to the ground.

The helmet of the Golden Knight falls off, revealing Soria’s face. Black veins of corruption retract from her skin as the darkness drains into the floor.

Ben calls out to Nigel- “We’ve got to get out of here, this whole place is falling apart!”

Large chunks of the scene blast off into the nothingness, revealing the dark void behind it all. Ben and Nigel scramble to gather up their collapsed friends. Massive hands form out of the darkness and begin to loom over the group.

Meanwhile, in the Ritual Chamber

Jonathan Douglas has unshackled the body of Marilyn and is removing her from the altar. Walking in to the room is an equipment-laden Charlie Silverfox.

J.D- “Did you bring it?”

Charlie- " Yeah I’ve got it" She pulls out a strange platform connected to a small generator box. She quickly assembles the device and powers it on. A large white portal opens before her. She steps through.

The Shattered Dream

Inside the crumbling remains of the mansion, a white light appears, then a large circular portal forms. The white edges of the portal actually seem to repel the Shadow Hands, preventing them from swooping in to harm the group. Stepping through the portal is Charlie.

“Hey guys I came to … oh god, I remember this place, no I do not want to be here long, come on lets go! I can only transport one at a time though.”

Ben looks at the surrounding area, the only remaining semblance of the room is that which is held by the light. It becomes clear that the Incubus is trying to wrap around and absorb them.

Charlie grabs Soria and pulls her through the portal. It disappears temporarily, giving the darkness a chance to encroach a bit more.

The portal re-emerges- this time there are small cracks of darkness in the edge. “It’s getting harder to break through. Michael you’re next” Charlie grabs Michael and pulls him in to the portal.

Hammond wakes back up, and sees the enclosing darkness. Ben suggests they try the light spell. They all chime in, and implore Marilyn to join in. “Opet Lumen Disper Gimin” they chant, over and over. All around them a sphere of light appears. It is barely holding back the shadow.

“I will consume you” The Incubus’ voice echoes out. A small sliver of darkness punches through the sphere and grabs hold of Ben. They try to wrestle with the shadow.

Marilyn’s fear begins to get the best of her, and it shows on her face. The group sees this, and notices that the sphere of light begins to shrink.

“We can do this Marilyn, We can get out of here.” “We’ll be alright, we always are.” “We have to fight the dark, you can do this!” The three heroes reassure her.

She recognizes that she no longer has the same hold on the world that she once had, The Incubus has diverted some of it’s power out of her hands and is using it to try and absorb them. Marilyn begins to talk about the Incubus having too much power, that they will be absorbed. “I don’t know what will happen when the light fades, when the darkness consumes us.” Her will is breaking under the pressure and stress.

Nigel – " You are the reason we have fought so hard, the reason why we cannot fail."

Ben – “Maybe you’re the light it can’t extinguish- that’s why it wants to corrupt you.”

Hammond – “Ben and Nigel are right. You have to believe. You represent something that is within all of us, something that is prevalent most of all in you. HOPE, something most people don’t have nowadays. That’s what it wants to put out, and that’s why we can’t give up. YOU need to believe we can beat this, because WE CAN. But only if you believe.”

Their rallying words inspire in her a great confidence. The sphere of light reinforces. The manages to hold back the darkness.

Ben suggests they try to use the portal spell. The three of them carefully chant out the spell. They plan to use the portal to bring the Incubus into their word, but in it’s original form.. There they can defeat it once and for all.

“Sit porta aperatur”

They call out the spell and a portal is created. The the darkness itself seems to be sucked into the portal, like water into a drain. The three look to each other. The power of the portal beings to pull on them. The light of Marilyn’s sphere is also pulled in. All three are pulled in to the portal.

Cracked battlegrounds in the middle of Kansas.

The three men appear in a clearing within the battlefields of Kansas. There does not appear to be any immediate danger. They have a few moments to themselves and use this opportunity to heal themselves in anticipation of the battle to come.

A dark storm is building above them. The unnatural look of the clouds only solidifies their suspicions that it is a sign of the coming of the Incubus.

As the clouds begins to circle, they hear the voice of the Incubus. “All you have done is delayed my reign. I will destroy you and then bring my wrath to this world.”

A soft, refreshing wind blows in from the side. An ethereal, almost angelic, vision of Marilyn appears.

“I can only stay but for a short time- to wish you safety against the coming dark. I wish I could be with you, but I can’t. All I can do for you is pray. You’ve been my guardians, my protectors. I wish wish I could defeat it, but I can’t. However, I can pray for you, and give you my blessing.”

She kisses each of the heroes – Nigel on his plasma Hand., Ben on his head, and Hammond on the hilt of his sword.

“Do what it is in your destiny to do. This is where all roads meet. I love you all, remember this. Goodbye.”

Marilyn’s image fades away, as the storm clouds sink down to the ground, and begin to form into the inky black body of the Incubus. Karisha stands before them in his true form.

Throne Room

Ben uses his mental powers to poke into Marilyn’s mind. It is just enough to rouse her from her daze. “Marilyn, you have to believe it’s me.”

The doppelganger tries to sway Marilyn’s favor. “He is not me, his words untrue, he only wants to hurt you.”

Marilyn is confused and frightened. She turns her gaze to the real Ben and focuses on him.

Ben feels a sensation he has not had in a long time. The feeling instantly send him back- the last memory he had of this was when a skinny was trying to psychically rip him apart. The very fiber of his being is being pulled in all directions.

“Please! Marilyn! You have to break out of this. It’s not just hurting me,it’s going to hurt Hammy and Nigel, Soria too!”

“Hammy? Nigel?…” It’s clear she is disoriented, but something about this plea gets through to her. She relents her attack.

Ben climbs the throne and hugs Marilyn- “I’m sorry that we let them take you. I’m sorry we failed you. Never again! I promise, we’ll always protect you!”

Void Plateau

The Obsidian Goliath grabs a chunk of the rock and hurls it at Hammy, striking him in the guts.

The Pumpkin King climbs up from the depths using Nigel’s body as a hold point. “You can’t kill me. I am rot, I am decay. Dead thing, I shall take your head and use your body as my mantle.” It swipes at Nigel’s chest with it’s bloody pulsing vines.

The strike hits Nigel, crippling his body from the neck down. Hammond sees his body drop and sees that the Pumpking King is wrapping it’s tentacles around his neck. It is trying to pop his head clean off and assume control of his body.

“NO!, Nigel!” Hammond growls as he charges across the plateau. He leaps forth and slashes down on the eldritch flame with all his might. The slash hits with such a power that the flame is extinguished. A cloud of magical energy flutters out from the body and absorbs into Hammond’s fists.

He feels a huge surge of energy, a great power coursing through his veins. Instinctually he know he can use this power for something. He could choose to attack the beast, or for other purposes. He diverts the enegery at Nigel’s body. This power, a power of death, manages to actually heal Nigel’s body. “I’m not letting you go like that.”

Nigel’s form rapidly heals and he manages to stand back up. They both turn to face the Obsidian Goliath. Nigel still cowers away, but he manages to send a plasma blast at the demon.

Throne Room

The doppelganger pulls his sub-machine gun out and fires.

“I won’t let you hurt her!” – Ben uses his body to ensure Marilyn is not struck by any stray bullets. He takes several bullets to hist chest.

Ben it hurt, but shakes it off. He also starts to realize who this doppelganger may be. As far as he can tell, they haven’t seen Twitch yet. And the Syker powers / sub-machine gun mixture would fit.

Ben pierces through the haze of the confusion. “I need you to help, you have to be able to break out of this!”

The imposter shouts – “No No, he’s going to take you away. Don’t you realize ever since you’ve met him, him and his people- you’ve seen nothing but death and pain. They took away everything from you, your family, your life..”

Marilyn looks to the real Ben, seeing an honesty in him. She looks back at the false Ben- “No, No!” Suddenly there is a burst of white energy exploding out from Marilyn. The Throne explodes, sending the doppleganger flying off as the whole scene floods with white, blinding light.

Void Plateau

“I know there’s someone still in there. I know the person deep within you is still there, the good person that I know. I know you would never hurt us, you just have to fight that thing.”

There is no response from the hulking beast. It viciously attacks. Hammond gets knocked around a few times.

It then reaches over and grabs Nigel by the legs. It easily lifts him up and wields him, not unlike a man-sized baseball bat.

Hammond jumps up to strike the Goliath across the head, trying to knock it out. The hit lands, and shakes up the beast. “I know you’re still in there. you’ve got to stop this thing from attacking us.”

The Goliath smacks Hurls Nigel at Hammond, striking in the arm. The force knocks him back. They continue the dance of battle. Hammond sees that the damage he has done to the monster is completely healed.

They continue to battle. The Goliath tries to toss Nigel over the edge of the plateau, but Hammond manages to “will” a small extension of the ground out. It is small but just enough for Nigel to grab.

desert wasteland town.

Ben awakens, covered in dust from the ground. He looks around to find a distantly familiar place. Before him is “Dead Town” the small settlement near Abeline, Texas. This is the town where they found Marilyn. It takes him a moment to get his bearings, but he is able to figure out which direction Marilyn’s house is.

Off in the distance he hears some type of rumble, like a truck. A cloud of dust kicks off the tires of a speeding tractor trailer. The windows of the vehicle have been covered so that little to no light can enter, except for the driver’s area. Behind the truck are several other smaller delivery trucks. The dark caravan pushes toward the small down at high speed.

Ben quickly scrambles to find the house that they found Marilyn. He finds it and runs up to the door. He reaches to open it and passes right through the door. Ben stumbles forward into the living room.

Inside he sees a middle-aged man peering out the blinds. “What’s wrong?” a woman’s voice calls from the other room.

“Trouble.” states the man in a harsh, plain tone. He turns and looks back at the woman entering the room. Ben sees her now. It is Sylvia Chambers. “Get her down in the safe-hatch, now!”

Cackles are heard from outside the door. “Come out, Come out!” Ben immediately recognizes this voice.

Vlados teases “I can smell ya in there!”

“Smell this.” Mr. Chambers retorts, shooting his Sharps Big 50 straight through the door. The shot blows a large hole in Vlados’s face.

Ben follows Sylvia into the back of the house. She finds Marilyn and takes her to the safe-hatch. “Get down in here. Stay safe, Stay silent. No matter what you hear, don’t come out.”

The vampires begin swarming the house. Sylvia and Mr. Chambers start fighting them off. Sylvia splits a broomstick over one of them. she uses the one half to fight it back down the hall.

Ben sees another vampire lurk into the bedroom. It starts sniffing around and clawing under the bed,near the entrance to the safe-hatch. Ben reaches down and tries to grab the other half of the broom stick. At first it slips through his fingers, but then he is able to grab a hold. He shoves the stick into the side of the vampire. It snarls and looks around, but looks right through Ben. It then looks off into the hall and runs after it’s unseen attacker.

Ben floats down through the floor to find Marilyn. He attempts to cover her eyes and ears so she does not see/hear the horror of what is occurring in her town. He hears scream and shouts. He thinks back to what he remembered of the town. There are sounds of gunfire and bestial roars.

He recalls the face of Mr. Chambers and it suddenly clicks. He has seen that face before. It was the Zombie that they found staked to a wall when they first arrived in the town.

Marilyn looks up and SEES Ben. “I won’t let anything happen to you” he says.

“It’s ok. This is just a memory” she tells him. She blinks, and almost instinctually Ben blinks with her.

Void Plateau

“You seem to think you can control this place. HA! This is MY world” The Incubus shouts. The ground shakes as hands reach out from the surface. They grab at both of the men.

Hammond keeps pleading with the Obsidian Goliath, trying desperately to appeal to Soria hidden deep within. “Hammond, he’s built a prison. I can’t escape. I can’t get out” Soria’s voice emerges from the beast.

The Desert

As Ben opens his eyes, he finds himself standing out in the desert. Nearby there is a busted up econobox. A make-shift tent built up near a small campfire. This is s vision of a safe place.

Marilyn speaks – “I remember nights like this. We were always moving. Always going forward. I remember the stars at night, there’s so many of them. Sometimes I thought, they can’t be gods. The ones that created THIS world. They can’t be gods because all they’ve done is blasted one world. The stars are infinite and they can barely scratch one world. Then i get reminded what they can do. What things like them can do.”

Ben – " What we can do is try to survive. We do our best, and we fight them."

Marilyn – “But I’m not sure. I’m not sure if I can or I can’t. Look at what’s happened. I’m not sure if I can live through this.”

“You have so far. But you also have us, to help. We need you just as much as you need us.”

Marilyn – “but They need you now. You’ll have to help them.”

“Where are they now?” -Ben

“They are here, and not. They are in the hunting grounds, a part of it at least. It’s the afterlife, and the spirit realm. There are parts of it like heaven, and parts of it like hell. You can guess what part HE came from. Ancient, twisted, much like the Four. He was a product of a time of chaos, before order came to this world. Eons passed, it grew in the shadow of things greater than it. Gods came and went. Now it wants it’s turn. Now in the shadow of the Four, it want to rise once more.”

“How do you know all this?” – Ben

“I’m sorry Ben, you are too late” – Marilyn

“that’s not true, if we were too late, we’d be dead” -B

“How can you be hear if you are not dead?” – M

“The pumpkin king has brought us to places like this before. You must still be under it’s control.” He grabs Marilyn in a hug. “We’re gonna save them, We’re gonna stop this. Take us to where they are. Take us to Hammond and Nigel”

Marilyn blinks. They are whisked away.

Void Plateau

Ben and Marilyn arrive on the scene. They

“What is this?” The Incubus shouts in frustration.

“It’s the end! For you!” Ben quips.

He calls out to Soria to have her change.

Hammond and Nigel realize that Ben has arrived, and both see that Marilyn is there. They are relieved to at least see she is still present, even if this is not the safest place.

They all try to get Soria to break out, but she is unable to do so.

“I don’t like this place” Marilyn calmly chirps. “Lets go somewhere else.”

Large Mansion near Tuscon

The group arrives within the foyer of the large mansion that Vlados had been holding up in. “This is a proper lace to end it.”

Meanwhile, in the ritual chamber

Jonathan Douglas and Michael step into the dark ritual chamber. Marilyn is tied to an altar, naked. Sitting across the room stating ahead is a naked , hairless young man. Twitch sits in a daze, his skin carved with demonic runes and symbols.

Suddenly he stands, in a complete zombie-like stare. He begins to walk to the altar. His eyes glow with the dark energy of the Incubus

Douglas and Michael react quickly, pulling there weapons and striking the young man down. The energy of the Incubus fades form his eyes as they return to normal. Confused, Twitch looks up at them- “What?… Just…” his voice trails off as he slumps lifeless to the floor.

“She’s still affected. If it wins.. if it can break them…” – Michael

“I wonder if we can do something about that.” -JD

“I think we can. I need you to do something for me. Something I couldn’t do. I need you to stay here. I need you to make sure she is ok. If someone tries to do anything, you stop them. You kill them. I don’t care if it’s one of them, or if it’s me. Now I have to face the demon that I ran away from the last time.” -Michael

He begins a chanting ritual. His brow sweats. It is not working.

Mansion Foyer

“On my count, I need you to break free Soria!. Opet Lumen Disper Gimini” Ben uses the blast of light. Nigel and Hammond follow suit, all firing the light powers at the Incubus.

“No, this is my world. the girl will be mine” The Incubus’s dark tendrils pierce the ball.

Ritual Chamber

A large ball of light appears illuminating the entire chamber. Michael steps inside it.

Mansion Foyer

The circle of light shatters. Standing in it’s place is Michael.

“You!” – Incubus shouts

“Karisha!” Michael bellows. He hurls his mighty spear at the beast.

The spear crackles into lightning and ricochets off the armor. A bright crack shoots through the obsidian armor. A hunk of it falls to the ground and shatters.

“That is what we must do, break down it’s armor!” Michael yells. The group encircles the Incubus.

Void Plateau

The Incubus feels the breaking of the illusion that has started in the throne room. Angered, he shouts- “I’ll be back for you”. The wings behind him rear up. Nigel can see that he is about to teleport. Nigel leaps forth and grabs on to the Incubus. They tumble off the side of the plateau.

Nigel is deft enough to hold on to the Incubus as it teleports back to the throne room.

Throne Room

Ben and Hammond quickly rush up to the throne. They try and wrestle Marilyn from it. This wakes her for a brief moment. However, some unknown force holds her the throne.

The Incubus arrives, along with Nigel. He sees what is happening and waves his hands toward the adventurers. The posse disappears into a puff of dark smoke.

Meanwhile – Within the bottom level of the Prison

A group of people enters from the elevators and begins following the paths of the prison. They find the same series of clues and follow the signs of movement left behind by the posse.

This group of people arrives at the Cultist chamber, finding the charred remains of the worshipers. They speak to each other, clearly making reference to the posse members. They continue on into the Obsidian Chamber.

Within the chamber, the other group is revealed to be Jonathan Douglas, Michael, and Charlie Silverfox. They have been tracking down the posse. They discuss what may have happened in this place. Then they push forward to the final threshold. They find the demonic gate opened before them. Each of the members steps forth into the dark.

The Big Empty

Each of the posse members appears in an empty black space. They are each alone in their space. Confusion sets in and they scan about looking for some indication of where they are and what is happening.

Then out of the darkness, slowly fading in, comes the surrounding scene. Each hero has their own vision independent of the others.

Outside Castle Rock

Nigel looks around to a sight he’d rather not remember. Strewn about the ground are bodies, both human and anouk. Charred husks of vehicles and collapsed rubble litter the field.

He stands up, and feels a bit of wetness on his head. His hand taps the liquid and it appears to be blood on his fingers. He queries his body systems. Then he realizes, there is no response, not even the normal chatter. He seems to be, alive!

Then, from within a blast crater, a voice bellows. His ears have never heard this voice before, but deep within his soul he knows it’s call. “How long I have waited for this. So many years in that prison, but now I get to rip you apart.”

“This cannot be.” Nigel states in a self-whisper.

Clawing its way up from the crater is his manitou. Separate from Nigel’s body and free of the spirit fetter. It stands before him, a towering brutish monster. Crude wings extend from it’s back, cracks of fiery energy burn all around it’s body. In one hand it wields a flaming whip, in the other a burning sword. The demon rushes in and cracks the whip

Warehouse in JunkYard

Ben finds himself inside of an old dilapidated warehouse. The boxes crates that surround quickly jog his memory. This is the storage area that Jaeger’s men were guarding the ghost rock they had stolen. This is where the coup was squashed.

Emerging from behind a large stack of crates is a pulsating mass. Floating off the ground is a massive brain, crackling with electric energy. It throbs and pulsates as if it is breathing. Though it has no mouth, it speaks to him. “This time I will show you my true power. Prepare to be destroyed!”

Ben hardly skips a beat and quips back that even in this form, “You’re still a weak Earth Syker.”

Vrai responds with a massive brain blast right at Ben.

Templar’s Temple

Hammond sees the familiar sight of the Temple. The main hall is empty, save for some pews. The clomp of heavy feet tells him someone approaches.

Hammy turns to see Brad Modeen walking toward him, with Despair in hand. “Come Templar, I’ll show you the true power the Incubus has given me.”

“You chose the wrong side once before, that didn’t turn out too well.” Hammond points out.

Brad pulls out his massive axe and swings out at Hammond.

Outside Castle Rock

The manitou viciously attacks. Nigel struggles with comprehending what is happeneing. His confusion leaves his defenses down. The demon strikes him several times over, leaving his body ravaged.

Nigel bumbles out loud – “But how can this be? If you were out of my body I’d be a lifeless corpse.”

“You ARE a lifeless corpse!” snaps the Demon.

As the manitou rears back it’s arm for another swing, a flash of energy erupts from nearby. From within the energy storm, the Man in Black emerges. He rushes in front of Nigel and blocks the incoming attack.

The Man in Black calls out to Nigel. They must fight back. “Look at the weapons, the fighting style. This is the Incubus in another one of it’s tricks!”

Nigel does his best to keep pace, but still struggles to fight back. The manitou and the Man in Black exchange blows, gripped in a heated battle.

The Warehouse

Ben recovers from the brain blast Vrai shot. He manages to dive out of the way and fires back with a brain blast of his own.

As the wave of energy hits the ginate brain’s surface, it disipates. The charged energy crackles and spreads across the whole of the brain.

Vrai attacks once more, this time his power seems to be even greater. Ben realizes he will not be able to use his syker abilities to defeat it.

Ben quickly pulls out his gun and charges up over the boxes and crates. He closes the gap to Vrai in a second and unleashes a storm of bullets.

With the help of his Land Warrior suit, he places the bullets in all the right places. Each one tears through the large brain. It falls to the ground lifeless.

Ben watches as Vrai dissolves into nothingness, as does the surrounding scene. Unsure of the fates of the others, he wills himself back to the throne room.

The Temple

Hammond calls upon the spirit of Aaron McConnell to assist him in fighting the Destroyer. McConnell’s blessing dispels all of Modeen’s Anti-Templar Powers, making him much weaker than before.

Modeen angrily tries to strike down Hammond, but in his weakened state he misses. Hammond retorts with 2 massive blows. The final stab into Modeen sends him crumpled to the ground. His body fades away in an ethereal black haze, followed by the surrounding room. Once again Hammond is in the dark nothingness.

Throne Room

Ben looks up the stairs towards Marilyn on the throne. He also sees an unexpected sight. Ben Collins stands in front, guarding the path to Marilyn.

The real Ben calls out to Marilyn, asking her to trust him. The doppelganger also turns and beckons. This false Ben tries to convince Marilyn -“He is not who he appears to be, do not trust him!”

Both of the Bens enter into a struggle. Each clamors for Marylin’s attention, while fighting off the other.

The doppleganger pulls out a flame whip and a sub-machine gun and begins attacking physically. The true Ben Collins notices that the copy is not exact in this- since he does not use those weapons.

The doppleganger continues to plead to Marilyn, but never states that he is Ben, only that Ben is not being true. “You can’t have her! She promised her to me, she’s mine!”

Ben calls upon the power of Simon Mercer to assist him in this dark hour. His spirit is amplified bu the influx of energy. Ben uses this boost to telekinetically lift the throne and hurl it into the doppleganger. It knock into the fake Ben with incredible force, but the copy manages to grab hold of the side and not fall off.

The false Ben then climbs up to the top of the throne.

Dark Void

Hammond yells out for the Incubus to show itself. Then he gets the idea- he will use his will to summon the demon to his location. He concentrates extra hard.

Outside Castle Rock

The Man in Black tries to fight off the manitou. Unfortunately he is overcome and is run through with the flame sword. His body drops to the floor and disintegrates.

Nigel braces himself for the end as the manitou rushes in to strike. Poof The manitou disappears just before the strike lands. Nigel looks around puzzled.

Dark Void

Poof the Incubus appears (in the form of Nigel’s Manitou) immediately in front of Hammond. It’s original swing strikes Hammy, knocking him back a few steps.

“Clever. Very clever, not that it really matters.” The Incubus waves it’s hand. In an instant Nigel appears not far behind them.

All around them the ground begins to open up revealing that they are back on the Void Plateau.

The Incubus stabs the ground with it’s sword. The flam extinguishes and the blade turns to obsidian. “It’s time to make this fight a bit more personal.”

The demon reels and contorts it’s body. It lets forth a bone chilling snarl as it’s body morphs and grows. Hammond recognizes the shape. The Incubus is using Soria’s Viridian Goliath power. It’s transforms into a hulking bestial Obsidian Goliath. Monstrous and terrifying, it is bulky and covered with thick obsidian plates.

Nigel sees the monster , and in his dazed state becomes immediately panicked. He lets out a verbal scream and runs as fast as he can. He is just barely able to stop before hurdling himself off the side of the plateau. He then feels the stinging touch of a smoldering vine grab at his foot.

The familiar creature, the Pumpkin King, emerges from the flames below. It’s body little more than a smokey pile of embers. It’s eldritch flame still burns, however softly.

The Stone Throne Room

The posse implores to speak directly with the queen. “Let her decide our fate.”

The Golden Knight objects. “I am the voice of the crown, and I shall act on her behalf.” He waves a hand, ushering in a multitude of guards and combatants. The hall quickly fills with twisted shadow-versions of people the posse has met.

Hammond steps forward. “Then I issue a challenge. A duel, for the queen’s honor. Just you, and me.” He points, calling out the Incubus to a one-on-one fight.

The Incubus pauses, as if in consideration. "Agreed. " He waves his hand again. A puff of smoke envelopes Hammond, and in an instant he is gone.

“Take care of these two, I will return.” The Incubus states with a hint of hubris, before disappearing into a cloud of smoke himself.

Ben and Nigel turn back to back to face the oncoming swarm. Before them rushes a cast of characters, both friends and foe, all with the look of disdain on their faces. They decide it best to try and scale the stairs, in an effort to reach queen Marilyn.

Void Plateau

Hammond blinks, opening his eyes to a small platform floating within a deep nothingness. The lack of surroundings is disorienting. Seconds later the Incubus arrives before him.

The Golden Knight produces a flaming sword, and a whip. It gestures mockingly at Hammond. They rush at each other and begin their duel.

Throne Room

The barrage of fire coming from the crowd creates a dangerous landscape for Nigel and Ben.

Nigel takes a few shots to the limbs, leaving him rather vulnerable for a few moments. Ben utilizes his force-field to make a dash up the imposing staircase to the throne.

At the top of the steps, from behind the throne, step three more familiar faces. The Incubus’s cohorts- The Crimson Sorceress, The Pumpkin King, and the Man in Black. Ben uses his powers to blast at them.

Nigel fires up at the guards on the stairs, taking down a few. He then turns to find he is being assaulted by a group of fighters, including the intimidating Norman they met near Globe.

Void Plateau

Hammond kick-jumps off of the Incubus, calling forth the blessing of El Gato. They engage in a vicious battle. Hammond lands a hard blow on the armor of the Incubus, sending it staggering back.

Throne room

The waves of assault quicken. More enemies keep emerging from the wings. Ben and Nigel make a mad dash up the stairs, knowing that their only chance is to reach Marilyn.

Ben uses the spell of light to cast at the 3 fiends. The blast severely damages the Pumpkin King. Nigel manages to get a few shots in on the Sorceress.

The Man in Black stands stoic, awaiting their arrival at the top. He was successful in tossing these two around before, so he waits.

Busting through the ground near the stairs, a Mohave rattler emerges. It’s large body casts a shadow down on Ben and Nigel. They realize that they are definitely out-manned and out gunned. They need help.

The two quickly devise that they may be able to will things in to the world, much as the Incubus has done – and not unlike how they willed the Black Widow to them. They have some trouble figuring out who to summon.

Finally Ben wishes for John Prophet. A sparking black portal appears nearby, and when it dissipates, John Prophet stands in its place. He looks to the two heroes, then at the hoards around, then he spots Marilyn. He instantly realizes what is happening and begins fighting along with Nigel and Ben.

Void Plateau

The fight between the Golden Knight and Hammond rages fast and furious, though with little to show from either side. It seems that, at least for now, they are squaring off equally. Each successfully avoiding the attacks of the other.

Throne Room

Having John Prophet on their side does help to hold off the tide. He deftly dispatches many of the underlings while Nigel and Ben handle the 3 cohorts at the top. They manage to make quick work of The Crimson Sorceress and the Pumpkin King.

Nigel uses his will to attempt to pull Soria in to help.

Void Plateau

In the midst of the battle, There is a puff of magical energy. The Incubus stop, grabs at it’s chest, and grunts “No!”. The Golden Knight disappears into the smoke. Hammond is confused.

Throne Room

The angered Incubus appears right next to Nigel. (Thus confirming that Soria’s body is being used as the host.) “I’m going to deal with you personally.” It shouts, and grabs Nigel by the chest. In another poof, Nigel disappears.

Void Plateau

Another flash of magical energy occurs. This time, Nigel appears in front of Hammond. The two glance at each other, bewildered. Seconds later the Incubus also appears. Its gaze fixed on Nigel, until it again recalls that Hammond is there.

It waves a hand and Hammond disappears into the smoke.

Nigel does his best to defend against the Incubus’s attacks.

Throne Room

Hammond appears next to Ben. He quickly surveys the scene “What the hell is goin’ on?”

Ben dos his best 5 second explanation. The Mohave Rattler looms overhead, waiting to strike. Ben also points out to Hammond how they had been able to summon things through will.

Hammond tries to “summon” Marilyn. The psychic pull actually briefly pulls her out of the trance. She is dazed, and discombobulated. But for a brief moment, she sees Ben and Hammond.

They call out to her, they need to break the bond. She is confused, but seems to acknowledge. Crashing through the stained glass ceiling, the Black Widow drops to the center of the room. It’s gun turret opens up, laying waste the a large chunk of the Incubus’s mindless horde.

All around them the world begins to crack and split. The cracks are small, but they can see the empty black void beginning to show through. The illusion is wearing down. Then Marilyn falls back into the trance.

They hardly have a chance to breathe. The Man in Black leaps forward, coming down with a death punch directed at Hammond’s face.

At the last second, John Prophet leaps in front, taking the death blow to his chest. With his dying breath he reveals the truth to the Man in Black. Prophet pushes his energy IN to the MiB. “You are free now.”

The Man in Black’s body morphs and changes to reflect this surge in power. He barely looks recognizable, having shifted to a more powerful spirit. He realizes out loud “yes, I am free.”

He whips his head towards Hammond and extends his hand. “Quickly, we can still defeat it, but we haven’t got much time.” Left with few other options, Hammond grabs the Hand of the Man in Black. MiB hoists him back to his feet.

Hammond and Ben move up toward the Throne. The Man in Black leaps down to the center of the room and smashes his fist to the ground. A massive magical shock wave emanates from his fist. From the point of impact, the entire false reality begins to shatter. The dream is breaking.

Obsidian Chamber

The posse faces off against the Incubus’s three cohorts. The experience is similar to staring at themselves in a corrupted fun-house mirror, their dark reflections peering back at them.

The eldritch flame of the Pumpkin King spills forth from his face, and blazes from the open hole in his head. Floating behind is the Scarlet Sorceress cloaked in deep crimson with eyes that glow red. The man in black stands stoic, sunglasses on even in the cave.

“Who will play? Who you say?, Come my friends, you’re at the end .. of your rope. Come Coil it round and round. Oh your feet will dangle as they try to touch the ground. Save yourself, Hang, yourself, kill yourself. It’s much better than what we’re going to do to you.” says the Pumpkin King in his evil-tinged rhyme.

Nigel maintains aim on the Sorceress’s head while he speaks.

The Pumpkin head opens his mouth and drops 2 orbs of flaming matter to the ground. The smoldering vine material begins to writhe and bubble, forming into two hideous venous scarecrows.

“I’m gonna give y’all one more chance to get outta the way.” Hammond calls out.

“You know we can’t do that Templar. All of your paths have lead to this moment. This is your destiny.” Says the man in black.

“You got that wrong. Well maybe you got that destiny part right. Looks like you’re just on the wrong side of the blade” Hammond retorts.

“I’ve felt the sting of a blade before. Tell me, do you fear death?” – MiB

“Anything living does.” -Hammy

’Anything living? Interesting…"

“Not just anything living.” Nigel chimes in. “I’ve made his acquaintance so to say.”

“You’ve met a feeble god, who clangs and clatters at a long forgotten glory. He’ll use you as a pawn, just as he uses the one that sent you here.” – MiB

’And are you any different? Are you not a pawn yourself?" – Nigel

“I am a knight.” -MiB

“Looks like a queen to me.” -Ben wittily snaps.

“No, that would be the child. She will be the queen of a new world. Whether or not we like it.” -Mib

“Speak for yourself, I like it fine. Come on dearies, you’re wasting time!” the pumpkin key notes.

“I think thats the one time I’m gonna agree with you. all this time spent yakkin, you got somethin you wanna do, lets get it started.” – Hammond states impatiently

“Or perhaps it’s best to heed the Templar’s Advice and Stand Aside!” Nigel states.

“I’m afraid that is impossible. You have come far enough. Now is the time for retribution. Now is the time to wash away this world. you and the rest of your ilk will die, and my master will live again!” – The scarlet sorceress viciously screeches.

Nigel pulls the trigger and fires right at the head of the sorceress. The bullet just grazes her.

The two groups fight furiously.

Ben quips – “I guess it’s gonna be ugly vs ugly.”

The sorceress claps her hands together and pulls them apart to create a purpleish, smokey haze across the room. The haze blankets the room and makes it difficult to discern forms. The posse has a hard time aiming.

Hammond calls out that he will take the Man in Black. He rushes forward into the smoke. Ben shouts he’ll take the ugly one (Pumpkin King). Nigel goes after the Sorceress.

Ben fires on the Pumpkin King and the fleshy scarecrow figures using his exploding fire ball. Hammond attacks the man in black.

The Man in Black leaps up and over Hammond right after Ben. The MiB waylays Ben with a flurry of lightning fast blows. Then the MiB punches into the air- a wave of energy flies at Nigel hitting him with great force.

The burnt crisps of the scarecrows burst open, as new veins begin to grow out. They are regrowing.

The Pumpkin King fires a blast of eldritch flame at Hammond. Nigel Fires at the Sorceress, damaging her slightly. In response she casts a spell at the ground. Bursting forth from the earth, a group of undead warriors emerges. They are dressed in viking armor.

Hammond rushes to catch up to the MiB. They resume trading blows. Ben places a force field around himself.

The viking warriors attack Nigel. The posse battles to put them down quickly.

Ben uses the latin spell that was found in the prison against the Pumpkin King. He manages to pull off the spell, sending a blast of radiant light at the monster. The two scarecrows are instantly destroyed. The pumpkin King reels back in pain and rushes to attack in melee combat. clearly he has been weakened. Ben uses the spell again to obliterate the Pumpkin King. The explosion throws Ben across the room into a wall.

Nigel manages to strike down the Sorceress in a barrage of bullets.

The Man in Black picks up Nigel and throws him at Ben. Their bodies collide forcefully. They shake it off and join back in the fight.

The MiB cannot dodge attacks from all of them, and finally catches a blade in the chest.

“My debt is paid. Now I return to the place I was born.” MiB

The Vision

As the MiB breathes his last breath, the obsidian walls begin to clear. Swirls of time and space mix with color and distort. Through the walls they can see the hunting grounds.

They are shown a vision of the past. A man walks in a dirty cloak. He looks like a disheveled hermit. He is surrounded by a variety of entities, blobs and twisted forms of spirits. The man is none other than John Prophet.

Before him is a painfully beautiful women. She beckons him seductively. He comes to her embrace. They entangle for a moment, but he is able to break away. He generates a bloom of energy and blasts the Succubus with the energy. It’s form explodes.

John Prophet begins to walk away. He summons the image of a cobblestone path before him hill he walks off into the distance.

The remaining energy of the Succubus begins to reform. It’s shape begins to appear. It is united back intuit the form of a man. He is newly birthed, but fully grown. This is the birth of the MiB. The vision fades and the walls return to black.

Obsidian Chamber

Back in the chamber they advance to the back of the cave. There is yet another gate. This door is much more recently crafted.

The bars are crafted of a dark metallic material, one which is not familiar. It is engraved with the strange demonic writing.

The posse braces themselves for a strange vision, but nothing happens when they touch the gate. The whole piece moves with extreme ease. A cold shiver runs up their spines. The Incubus has left this open for them. They step through the threshold.

The Enchanted Forest

The posse emerges to find themselves in a picturesque wooded area. They hear the chirping of birds and the buzz of insects. There is dew on the grass and a sweet smell of wildflowers and other flora.

They glance at each other and find their appearance has changed drastically. Nigel is dressed as a nobel-man of old. Ben is draped in the cloth and leathers of a roguish brigand. Hammond is an armored knight of legend.

They ponder what kind of trickery this is. Are they in an illusion,like the ones they experienced in the Salem Apartment Towers?

They hear bells jingling nearby, approaching ever closer. An impish creature with a familiar face appears from the bushes. It looks like the gremlin from the underground area outside of Kingman, except he is dressed as a jester.

The jester greets them and speaks to them in a tongue of old english- a mishmash of language approximating an English accent.

Still not fully convinced this is real, Ben raises his weapon (a crossbow) and shoots the imp in the face. It falls to the ground dead instantly.

They surmise this is not a mere illusion, but perhaps a dream world created by the Incubus. It is unknown what effect their actions may have on the real world, so they will have to exercise a bit more caution.

Hammond climbs a tree to get a better view. There is a path that leads through the forest to a field. Past the pined he can just make out the top of a great castle.

Ben speculates that this dream world might be able to be bent to their will. He states that if they are heroes, then they should have mighty steeds.

Within seconds they hear another rustling in the bushes. Much to their surprise, it is not horses that emerge, but a large mechanized spider. The spider seems to follow their will.

They conclude that this must be cross between their van and the black widow. It seems this dream world is a re-imaged version of the real one. Each of the posse members is cloaked in a costume of what they represent idealistically. The things around them are the approximations of real things, seen through the filter of a fantasy / make-believe world.

They climb aboard the spider and head off towards the castle. As they approach they see it is a great white building, draped in banners bearing the Templar cross.

The guards outside are actually Haldeman and Dixon. They question the posse. Hammond responds in a terrible acting move, claiming to be Sir Hammond of Cleiboldton. The guards state they were expected, and allow them entrance.

Inside the castle is a large throne room. A large flight of stairs leads to the actual throne, upon which Queen Marilyn sits. Standing before her is a shimmering golden knight.

The golden one tunes around, revealing the helmet- oversized and bearing 3 sets of eye holes. This must be the Incubus.

The Golden knight professes his allegiance to the Queen, and begins to slander the posse members. He insults them personally, and makes claims that they are murderers and brigands.

He cites the incident of the imp in the forest as example of Ben’s disregard for life. He also makes mention of the time when Hammond killed a group of “guards” at the royal hotel (a reference to the abduction attempt at the Yard Arms in Junkyard).

The posse murmurs to each other, trying to develop a plan for how to proceed.

The Cultist Chamber

The cultists reveal their weapons and begin to close in on the posse. One of the cult members steps back from the rest of the group and begins to recite some demonic incantation. His hands start glowing with an etheric light as he waves them about. With a quick gesture and an unknown phrase, he casts a cloud or red about the cult members.

The red cloud seems to empower the cultists, enraging them and giving their eyes a thristy red glow. The cultists begin to attack with a wild ferocity. They manage to land a few blows on Hammond and Ben- The sight of the blood seems exhilirate them up, making them attack ever more aggresively.

The posse members do their best to avoid being harmed. However, with so many knives and clubs flailing at them, and bullets being fired haphazzardly, they find it impossible.

Ben and Nigel fire on with their rifles while Hammond slashes out with his sword. The cultist are only wearing their robes, which do little to protect them. While they sustain a lot of damage, the cultists continue to lash out like rabid animals.

Knowling that they likely have much more fighting to do after finishing with the cultists, the posse shouts to each other about how to put them down quickly. This strategy will help them avoid being heavily damaged by the ravenous cultists.

Ben takes note of the cloth robes the cultist bare, and compares it to the swat armor worn by the rest of the posse. In a snap decision, he calls forth a mighty blaze, lighing up the entire room with flame.

Fire engulfs everyone in the room, heroes included. The cultist’s robes ignite. Cloaked in burning death, they scream out before falling to the floor. The posse members shake off the fire and quicly tend to ech other’s minor wounds.

They look about the room and find a large portcullis blocking an entrance to the next chamber. The beams of the portcullis are thick, ancient wood. Each surface of the gate is inscribed with mystical writing. Some is runic, other parts appear to be pictoglyphs. It is a curious mixture indeed.

Recognizing they have little time, they get right to the point- trying to open the door. Hammond grabs at the gate to open it. As his hand touches the wood, the posse’s vision blacks out. Their eyes adjust to the darkness and they begin to see leaves waving in the mild wind, all bathed in the dim of moonlight.

A Dark Forest

From within the brush, a group of warriors appears. Draped in skins and leather armor, wielding iron weapons, decorated with bone; these warriors look to be the Vikings of ancient times. They are anxious, darting their gaze back and forth in an intense search. This is a hunt, but who is the prey?

Suddenly a rustle from nearby startles the Vikings. They run to encounter the source of the sound. The Vikings emerge to find a battle in progress.

Before them stands a hodge-podge of fighters, both Viking and native Americans. However, the two groups are not fighting one another. Their foe is the same. A large black humanoid figure stands in the center, surrounded by swirling tendrils which flail and stab at its opposition.

The Vikings attack with their brutal weapons. The natives fire with bows and hurl spears and sharpened rocks. The fighting seems merely alight diversion for the dark beast. It swipes across a large patch of the fighters, sending them flying back.

Close by, a group of shaman, both Viking and native, perform a ritual. They direct their magical chants and energies at rocky outcropping. The mystical energy is pulling in rocks from nearby, forming a small cave-like structure.

The Incubus continues to play with the fighters, slashing and destroying them left and right. As each one falls, another comes to take the place. It is clear they are only buying the shaman time.

When the cave is completed, several of the shaman break off and divert their attention to the Incubus. They project a force to push it back, toward the cave. Their light magic seems to actually harm it, or at the very least push it around.

The tactic works! They manage to push the Incubus into the constructed magical cave. While they hold it there, another group of fighters grabs the final piece. They hoist a large wooden portcullis, engraved with magic, into place at the mouth of the cave. Using an additional bit of magic, the shaman seal the portcullis to the rock.

The Cultist Chamber

The posse wakes from the vision in a violent flash. This place was a prison to the Incubus. A sad bit of irony that a supernatural-prison was built atop it, and that they somehow managed to free something so dangerous. They also realize, the magic that once lived in this gate is long gone. They work as a group to remove the mighty gate and set it aside. The opening in the next chamber is void, only darkness, but this is practically expected. The crew steps through into the next chamber.

Obsidian Chamber

On the other side of the dark is another chamber. This one is laid out in an almost starburst pattern. The walls look to be made of infinitely black obsidian which shimmers, despite the fact that there appears to be no source for the light in the room.

Before the posse stand the three underlings of the Incubus: The Man in Black, the Crimson Sorceress, and the Pumpkin King.

Level 5 of the prison

The posse exits from the elevator area. This level is dimly lit. They know the kind of mind games that the Incubus and his cohorts may try to play. Ben establishes a mind link with Hammond, and they turn on their walkie-talkies to keep contact. They venture forward into the main hallway of the prison.

With the lights so dim, it is difficult to make out shapes and details. Nigel switches on his low light vision. Ben uses the optics of his Land Warrior helmet to assist in seeing the way. Hammond activates his vampire vision.

As Hammond’s eyes shift into he blood red spectrum of the vampire vision, he begins to hear the sound of someone running down the hall. He turns quickly and sees several guards running toward them. The guards seem to be running from something. Hammond tells the others to look out. Ben hears the same sounds through the mental link with Hammond. He turns but sees Hammond staring blankly down the empty.

Hammy flinches as the soldiers run right up to, and through the rest of the posse. Ben sees Hammonds reaction, and hears the soldiers shouting out warnings to each other. Hammond watches the the soldiers turn around to fire on an unknown enemy. He rotates around to view what they may have seen.

Down the hall he sees a swirling cloud of darkness. It looks less like an object, more like billowing shadows overlapping and flowing through one another. Barely visible within the swirling mass is a figure. It’s motion like a walk, but more fluid, and its form similar to a man, but yet not. The black figure moves forward, the only contrasting elements are its eyes, yellow and red , fixed Jon the soldiers ahead.

The guards open fire, but their fight is futile. Extending out from the black mass are several dark tendrils. They move like shadowy fist, and strike the guards pummeling them to death while ripping their bodies apart. The black figure turns and looks at Hammond. It sees him, even though this seems to be an echo of past events. “I will destroy you” the creature states. It this moment that both Hammond and Ben’s suspicions are confirmed, this black creature is the Incubus- albeit in a much more powerful form than they have encountered.

The incubus reaches out its hand, grasping Hammy by the throat. He feels the corrupted touch of the demon grasp around his neck, strangling the life from him. He flails and fights the demon, but to no avail. In the midst of it, he switches out of his vampire vision, and in that instant the vision is gone.

Shaken by the vent, he describes what he saw to Ben and Nigel. They come to an agreement that this must have been a vision of the Incubus from long before. They see that it had once been quite powerful, with a body all it’s own rather than needing a host. Perhaps it was kept as a prisoner here and broke out. They will need to search for more clues while they explore the level.

The posse ventures forth at a slow pace, being careful to note their path. Ben thinks back tot he memory of what had happened to Twitch. He runs his hand across the wall, feeling a groove that sets him into a flashback.

He IS Twitch, or at least within his mind looking out. The young boy is being dragged down the hallway by a disheveled man. Frantically trying to get away, he grasps at the corner of the wall feeling the same groove Ben had touched. The man turns his head, revealing the same yellow / red eyes as the Incubus. He yanks the boy away from the wall and continues down and around the corner. Ben instructs the other which way to go.

The crew continues down the bend and comes to a side room that has had the wall busted through. Inside the room are a at least a dozen bodies of the guards, as well as countless bits and pieces of flesh. The bodies are so twisted and mutilated that they are only recognizable by the scraps of uniform.

Ben checks his memory once again. This time the vision reveals that Twitch was carried down a neighboring hallway to their right.

Solitary confinement area

Nigel, Ben and Hammond move down the hall. Each side is lined with tiny cells, each with barely enough room for a bed and toilet. Most have a sealed door with only a small eye hole to view in, others are open, revealing the confining conditions. As they continue down the hall, Ben feels a rising anxiety within himself, an imprint left behind from his melding with Twitch, perhaps. The group walks further, until Ben feels his heart spike with a jolt of adrenaline. He turns to find the room, in all its horrific awe.

A single pendant bare bulb light hangs from above. It sways slight with some unknown force. Below is a melange of splattered stains, some blood, others waste, others unknown. The cell’s mattress has been folded up agains the wall, fixed with crude shackles. The tortures that took place in this room have left a weight to the air within.

To their dismay, they realize that this is not the location Marilyn is being held. Quickly they turn back and head to the perimeter corridor.

Perimeter section, near the room of bodies

Returning to the main hall they stop as Ben goes into another trance. Twitch is once again being escorted down the hall by a man. It’s time, the man is dressed in a long black duster. His head turns back to speak to the boy. It is someone else. He states his name is Jason Graham, he is hear to help… But they just move quickly.

Jason pulls Twitch around the turn, past the room full of bodies. From the other end of the hall a voice yells out. The man possessed by the incubus shouts at them to stop. He runs forward to attack them.

Jason pulls a strip of paper from sprocket and reads from it aloud. " Oppete lumen et dispergimini" he states with focus and conviction. A brilliant light shines from his hand at the Incubus. The demon cringes and shields it’s face from the light. A few of its tendrils emerge from its back and smack Jason, knocking the paper awaya no disrupting the spell- however the beast is still blinded from the initial blast.

Twitch has been watching this in a daze. Jason shouts at him to head down the hall. “There is an emergency elevator. Push the button on the electrical box and pull he lever to reveal the door. Go on kid, get out of here!”

Twitch gets to the electrical box at the end of the hall and does as he was instructed. The wall opens up to reveal the small service elevator. He takes a look back to check for Jason.

Jason stands back up to square off with the Demon. He appears to be concentrating hard. “Sit porta aperatur”

As he completes the phrase, a portal beings to open. Looking within, Twitch sees something unbelievable. He sees what looks to be hell, or something like it (in fact he sees into the Hunting Grounds). In his fragile mental state, the vision of such a thing is more than his sanity can stand. In that instant his mind is broken.

Jason yells again for Twitch to escape. The portal grows, pulling the Incubus to the other side. However, Jason had made a mistake. he called the portal too close to himself. As it grew, it began to pull his body in as well. The portal twists his body into unhealthy shapes, and the spell is broken. The portal beings to close.

Jason lay on the ground, in terrible pain and barely alive. Just before the portal closes a small black tendril forces its way through. The portal disappears, severing the tendril from its root. The inky black mass flops to the ground, and wriggles off.

Twitch, nearly unaware of his actions, climbs aboard the elevator and pushes the button. The gate closes and he begins to ascend.

Back in real time

Ben emerges from the vision and quickly explains it while rummaging around in the trash on the floor. Through some stroke of incredible luck he finds the crumpled paper dropped by Jason Graham. However the writing has long since faded.

Nigel suggests they try and do a rubbing to see if they can pull the words from the page. Unfortunately, they are short on pencils, and haven’t the time to track one down. Hammond suggests they use ash instead of the graphite. They burn a scrap piece of closets and use the ashes to get a rubbing with the light spell.

They come down tot the corner and find the service elevator. Unfortunate it looks as though it has long since been destroyed. They turn down the last corner and find a hole has been cut out of the wall. It leads to a cave, which descends even further. Regretfully, they all suspect this is the correct way to go and climb into the cave.

The Cave

They follow the cave down to another level. All they while they hear an eerie but enchanting song coming from the depths ahead of them.

Eerie song

Come little children
I’ll take thee away, into a land
of Enchantment

Come little children
the time’s come to play
here in my garden
of Shadows

Follow sweet children
I’ll show thee the way
through all the pain and
the Sorrows

Weep not poor childlen
for life is this way
murdering beauty and
Passions

Hush now dear children
it must be this way
to weary of life and
Deceptions

Rest now my children
for soon we’ll away
into the calm and
the Quiet

Come little children
I’ll take thee away, into a land
of Enchantment

Come little children
the time’s come to play
here in my garden
of Shadows

The chamber

They find the source of the singing and chanting in a chamber at the end of the path. Inside is a group of cultists, cloaked in deep red robes. They stand in a circle, spaced out by candelabras , encircling a large glyph in the floor. It’s seal seems to have some archaic meaning, not unlike the seal of the metatron, but darker and more sinister.

The see a crimson haired women at the center of the circle leading the chanting. She looks up and sees the posse. With a quick wave, she disappears In a puff of smoke. The other cultists turn and acknowledge the posse members. From within their robes they pull various hand weapons and pistols. It looks like the crew has found the right place.

Warehouse area of Level 1

The living mannequins shuffle in around the posse. Their claw-shaped fingers swipe out as they flail around. Some of them are wielding actual weapons. The crew is quickly surrounded.

Hammond pulls out his sword and starts doing a figure 8 to keep them at bay. Ben fires around with his assault rifle. Nigel uses his over-charged plasma hand to break up some of the crowd.

Their attacks are successful, but the grotesque horde fills in the empty spaces quickly. The freakish mannequins lash back with a flurry of blows. The weapons and claws come in from all sides making it difficult for the posse members to avoid them. All three of the heros take a few scrapes.

Nigel deftly maneuvers through the crowd towards the lab door. He finds the door is sealed with another keypad. He yells this out to the other while resuming fire.

Ben and Hammond start inching their way towards the corner of the room to avoid from being surrounded. The twisted forms manage to strike them both a few times. Nigel attempts another plasma blast. He fires the shot, but the power draw shorts out one of his internal systems. He hobbles his way into the corner with the others.

Slowly the posse whittles down the numbers of the mannequins until all have been dispatched. They then turn their attention the to door of the lab.

Nanite Lab area

The keypad lock system to the lab is still partially functional. Nigel and Ben work together to jimmy the door open. Nigel enters first. Te lab itself has been completely trashed. Equipment has been picked apart or taken completely. Much of the contents of the area has been destroyed or looted.

But there is something else. The air in the lab is not breathable. There is not sufficient oxygen and it contains high levels of other inert gasses. Ben and Nigel confirm the lab must have been in clean room conditions. In order for the others to enter they will need to get some air flow. Hammond points out the windows, though they are most likely blast proof. Ben says its worth a shot. Hammy slacks the glass with his hammer. The glass does not break but the force is enough to pop the window right out of place.

While waiting for the air in the lab to become breathable, they check the other areas of the warehouse. The door they come through has been barred by a thick steel blast door, far too thick for them to get through in time. They also check out the elevator. They suspect it may be rigged with some type of boogie trap, but don’t find any evidence of it.

Nigel continues searching around the lab and finds some small metal filings on the floor near some busted test tubes. Ben and Nigel inspect them with various optics. They find that there is a very compact structure to the filings, and are nearly certain that these are the nanites they are seeking. Hammond finds a relatively clean test tube and scoops the filings into it very carefully. The posse heads down the only way they can, using the freight elevator.

Level 3 storage area

Much to the posse’s surprise, the elevator is both functional, and free of death-traps. They ride the lift down to the third level. The 3rd floor storage area has an array of boxes and crates. Some are still intact, others have been rummaged through. They venture out tot the main door, but upon opening Ben states that he knows this is not the level.

Hammond and Nigel question this. Ben states he knows because the color is wrong. Twitch’s memory that Ben had tapped into showed the floor color as being a distinct deep red, almost like old blood. They head back to the freight elevator and descend once again.

Level 4

The storage area of the 4th level is much smaller, but the sight when they open the doors has a much bigger impact. Immediately they see a barricade constructed from heavy crates. Curiously, the barricade was set up facing the elevator. Scattered behind the crates are a dozen or so of the prison guards. It appears they were trying to keep something from coming IN.

The bodies are quite old and decayed. Still, the posse can see that they were badly mangled and torn. Whatever made its way in, it made quick work of these guards.

They check the door to the main area. While the color of this floor is red, it is much more vibrant than what Ben had seen. They head back to the elevator and go down once more.

Level 5

The posse reaches the fifth level, last stop occurring to the map Hammond found.

The storage area of this floor is little more than the size of a medium closet. They open the door to the main section.

Ben catches sight of the floor. In an instant he is back in the memory, seeing the floor through Twitch’s eyes as he is pulled through the hall.

Realizing this is the place, Ben states it with an unmistakable phrase in total deadpan – “Ah, shit..”

Staircase into the dark

The posse descends the steps, leading into a slanted corridor. The walls are constructed of cinderblocks, many of which have cracked over time. The lights which line the ceiling have gone dark and look to be well beyond repair.

The walkway continues on, deeper and deeper, until the group reaches a reflective wall. It looks like a mirror, but the edges of the glass extend well into the walls on each side.

Nigel checks the temperature on the glass. It is not as cold as expected, indicating it is probably some type of reflective plastic. Ben chimes in, stating it is most likely blast-proof security glass. Hammond points a flashlight into the glass, checking to see if it is a one-way mirror. While trying to look through the glass he sees something moving “in” the image.

Ben sees nothing in the glass. On a hunch, Nigel peers into the mirror and tries to reach through and grab his own hand. As he begins to move his hand, he sees his own image reach up to his head and blast with the plasma hand. Shaken by the image he steps back and mumbles out what happened.

Ben checks around the edges, but can’t find a way to pry the glass. Hammond attempts to push the glass or slide it out of the way, but it does not budge.

They talk about possible options. Ben points out how the door in the corn field was just an illusion. Perhaps this is as well. He stands up straight and walks full tilt at the mirror. SMACK The front of his helmet connects with the surface of the mirror. The impact actually dazes him for a split second.

Hammond expresses his belief that the Incubus is projecting itself from the inside. He calls out the demon, staring down the image on the thier side. Ben and Nigel see no change. Hammond sees his reflection shift into that of a young man. The man stands, in a leering, over-bearing stance staring forward with yellow other-worldly eyes. The world burns behind him.

The Incubus speaks to Hammy through the glass. It offers him a deal. Since it’s victory is a certainty, it offers them the change to save Marilyn from total mutilation by walking away.

Hammond quips back- “I’m not a bettin man, but My guess is you’re bluffin. Besides, if you were really certain you’d win- you wouldn’t be asking us to give up.”

The man in the mirror reaches through with icy claws and pierces Hammonds chest. The pain shoots up through his heart and he stumbles backwards. Nigel and Ben heard only Hammonds side of the conversation, so they are a bit confused.

After several more minutes of deliberation, they start checking back down the hall. Ben spots a patch of moss on the left side wall. He presses the moss. Rumble The wall near the glass retracts into the floor. Inside they find a small vestibule leading to a well lit hallway.

“The Maze” level 1

The Hallways leads down straight ahead and out to the right. Doors line the inner portions of each hallway. Immediately to the right they see another door.

The posse opens the door immediately to the right and finds a small security room. One wall of the room is a window out to the corridor (the other side of the mirror). In front of the window is a desk with an old computer terminal. Ben asks Nigel to fix it up or try and access it. Nigel assesses the damage and realizes it will take far too long to repair.

They move on to the first door in the hallway. Inside they find a small office, which looks to have been for the top level administration and security. The rummage around for anything useful. Hammond finds a laminated floor map on one of the walls. He pulls it of and they use it to navigate their way through the halls.

Ben does not recognize any of this area from the memory he accessed in Twitch’s mind. They will need to push on.

The posse finds a stair case, but the ceiling has collapse in on it. The elevator shaft next to the stairs is open, but there is no car, and the drop to the next floor is too far to safely drop.

They work their way around the back side and find door to the warehouse area. There is a sign pointing out the freight elevator, but they decide to check the other side of the facility first. In the other end of the hallway they find another elevator shaft. This one has a car ready and waiting – and the door to the stairs next to it is welded shut. Ben points out that a path has been laid out for them, and is most likely a trap.

Hammond pulls out his hammer and smashes the door. The force is strong enough to breach the sub-par welds on the door. They manage to carefully make their way down tot he next floor.

Level 2

The posse enters the 2nd level. The walls and floor of this level are a bit more grey than those of the 1st floor. Otherwise the layout is, at first glance, the same. However as they begin to traverse the hall, they find the doors to be heavy, with only a small slit at about eye level. Several of the rooms have bodies, or, what is left of them. In one, they see a mound of dried oozy-goop.

The next door holds back a smokey presence. The smoke floats in the vague shape of a man. The figure seems to perk up, noticing it is not alone. It breaks into a stream and flows up to the door before reforming into the man shape.

“Release me.” The smokey figure’s eerie disembodied voice half commands, half pleads.

Recognizing that this being may be quite dangerous, the posse questions it first. It is not able to escape on it’s own as it’s powers are being dampened. Some type of technology is keeping it’s powers from working to their full potential.

Smokey does know of the Incubus, but indicates it does not side with him. (In retropect, obvious from the fact that it is still sealed in the cell.) The being simply wants to be freed, it will neither help nor hinder them. The posse deliberates about it, and decides to free the being. They smash a hole in the view slot and Smokey slips out through the spot – speeding off to exit the prison.

As they explore they find that the hallway is blocked just around the corner. A large barred gate blocks the way. They check the other end of the hall and find another gate. This gate was blow out however. There is an old repair job in place, someone had welded several layers of steel plates together to block the way.

They decide to blow the gate on the first side to get through. Ben loads some plastic explosives and detonates. BLAM the blast completely destroys the gate. “If they didn’t already know we were here, they do now” says Nigel.

They pass through the gate and find another security terminal in a nearby office. This one is active. They tap in to the system and find records pointing to some “incident”. This event cause a lockdown situation sealing up most of the rest of the jail. It becomes clear that they will not be able to continue on this route and hope to make it in time.

They check the records to find info about the power controlling tech. They find that there were multiple types, some injectable, some machine based. The injectible nanites sound like the most viable solution- and will be very useful if they need to incapacitate Soria. The log files show that there was a nanite lab located in the 1st floor warehouse area.

Level 1

The posse heads back up to the first level towards the warehouse. As they enter, the blast doors slam shut behind them. As their eyes adjust to the lower light level in the warehouse, they see figures filling all of the space.

The entire room is full of “mannequin” figures, all arranges in grotesque, macabre positions. Some dominant, some submissive- other engaged in lewd acts, still others being tortured/torturing. The site bears a grim resemblance to the bodies that were arrange by Vlados under the Incubus’s direction.

The group slowly creeps their way towards the door in the back end of the warehouse that leads to the nano factory. Suddenly they notice that the eyes of the mannequins are following them. Several of the figures turn their heads and begin to move, creaking and squishing, inching in closer to the posse.

Camp area outside of the corn maze

The posse awakens and packs themselves up to leave. They discuss their destination. Ben and Nigel feel that the cemetery is unlikely, as it seems too cliche, even for the evil being they are pursuing.

It is decided that they will make their way to the battlefields. This is where Twitch had been scrounging with his father when he was abducted. They’ll be heading out into the area East of the Wichita Maelstrom.

Battlefield Outskirts – East of Wichita

As the van pulls up to the outskirts of the battlefield, they slow down to take in the view. As far as the eye can see (which is rather far considering the flat land of middle Kansas) nothing is visible but piles of dust covered rubble commingled with husks of tanks and vehicles.

They see a modified school bus being surrounded by a pack of walking dead. The scavengers riding in the bus are firing out at the zombies, but seem to be losing ground. Some of the scavengers climb on the roof of the bus in desperation.

Seeing this, the posse drives in to the rescue. They spin up the black widow and quickly mow down the walking dead. The scavengers seem relieved, but are very leery of the posse- considering how out-gunned they are. Hammond shouts out to them and gets them to let down their guard. Nigel and Ben chime in, asking only for information, a small price considering the posse just saved their lives.

The scavengers reveal that they had been scrounging for items to trade in Near-Kansas City / Topeka. They have not seen or heard anything of similar to the Pumpkin King. The scavengers point them in the direction of Near-KC and head off on their way.

Battlefield – Among the wreckage

Hours pass as the crew scours the endless wastes. They find no evidence of an underground area matching “the room” (from Twitch’s memory). They also realize that the undead have been looming nearby- but they have not been attacked. The Incubus must be holding them back somehow. Karisha wants them alive and has made it know in the local circles of darkness.

They stop for a bit to determine their next course of action. They discuss the area. Thinking about likely locations, they conclude it may be a larger installation with a bunker. Ben’s initial training was here on Earth. Portions of the training took place at military installations near Kansas City.

During his time in Kansas City, Ben heard about an underground military jail in the area. Rumors about “The Maze” stated it was some kind of prison for particularly dangerous individuals- those with exceptional powers. There were also stories of terrible mishaps and strange goings-on. According to the legends, it was because it was built under a cemetery, but they only moved the headstones when they cleared the ground."

Ben finishes relating this story to Nigel and Hammond. They conclude the cemetery is most likely just a cover for the underground prison. They head out towards the cemetery that afternoon.

Cemetery outside near Wichita

They arrive in twilight. The grounds of the cemetery are relatively intact. A small maintenance shed sits on the edge of the grounds. There are three plots, situated around a group of mausoleums. Remembering the story of the Pumpkin King as relayed by the head of Near-Wichita, they recall the “legend” was spawned from an encounter near a cemetery. The posse keeps on guard while surveying the area.

Ben checks out the maintenance shed, it’s placement and menial nature could be hiding a secret entrance to the prison below. Inside he finds only rusted tools and old broken gardening supplies. Their attention turns towards the tombs themselves.

Monuments area of the Cemetery

In the center of the grounds lies a grouping of 3 mausoleums and 2 obelisk style monuments. One of the mausoleums has crumbled completely on top of itself. While they inspect the other monuments, the posse mulls over possible strategies. They realize that since Karisha has taken over Soria, they may have to dispatch her. Hammond is uncomfortable with this, but the reality is that while she is under control she is a extremely deadly. They will have no choice but to take her down.

Hammond checks the first mausoleum and finds it slightly cracked open. Inscribed above the door is a latin phrase “semper viam pugiles”. He gives the phrase to Nigel for storage/ possible translation. Semper is easy enough to figure out, but the rest is unknown. he digs around the inside of the tomb, but nothing else is found. He does note that the casket was emblazoned with a regal bird- making it highly likely this was a military grave.

Nigel explores one of the obelisks and finds the phrase “vigilit qui custodium”. Nigel attempts to translate "viglient? " the guardians. Perhaps vigilit is meant in the sense of watching. Watch the Guard

Ben comes over and inspects the other standing mausoleum. This one curiously has a large steel door, with no identifiable handle. He talks with the others and they all find this strange. Above the door is the inscription “ad abyssos nos infixit eas”.

The posse debates what the meaning of the phrases could be. They have a little bit of an idea, but feel they need to find a bit more to clue them in.

On the second obelisk they find another inscription – “inluminent viam ad caelum”. They understand it as “Light” something “to” something

Another hour or so is spent trying to discern the meaning of the phrases. On a whim, they check the stones again.

This time They find a slot carved into the side of one of the obelisks. On a hunch they create a small flame inside the slot. A loud chunk is heard, followed by a low rumble coming from one of the mausoleums.

They inspect to find that the steel door has retracted into the ground, revealing a descending staircase.

Staircase into the dark

Ben makes a quip about who would like to be the first to step into the dark, creepy tomb first. Hammond notes the fact that the prison is covered by a tomb does not bode well for them.

For Player reference, and reader’s ease
latin on the grave sites:

ad abyssos nos infixit eas – to the depths we fixed them

inluminent viam ad caelum – illuminate the way to heaven

vigilit qui custodium – watching the guard

semper viam pugiles – always the way of champions

The center of the corn maze

The center of the maze has been cleared in a large circle. A few tall trees are the only things that stand out in the field. Funny, even with their large size and ominous appearance, they were not visible from within the corn maze. Yet another of the Pumpkin King’s tricks.

The posse is surrounded by a dozen pumpkin-headed scarecrows. Each and every one moving independently, but all look identical. One of the scarecrows holds a lantern with a greenish glowing eldritch flame. This one holds up a hand can commands the others to attack.

Several of the scarecrows break off from the circle and rush forth. They attack with a variety of rusted, bloody, farming tools. They slash and swing at the posse members.

Hammond sweeps his sword around, hitting several at once. Nigel begins firing on the ones charging at them. Ben fires a few times before resorting to his powers. The crew and the scarecrows trade blows. All three of them sustain some moderate injuries, but not enough to stop them fighting.

Finally, Ben uses his pyrokinetics to light up the outer area (near the scarecrow with the lantern). This lights a few of the scarecrows, as well as one of the large trees. The tree seems to come to life, flailing in pain, it’s large branches swinging like arms. The lantern holder waves a hand, and is replaced by one of the other scarecrows. The lantern appears in the hand of a scarecrow on the other side of the circle.

Nigel lands a shot right through the head of the lantern holder. The pumpkin head explodes and the body slumps to the ground. But once again, the lantern appears int he hands of another scarecrow.

The posse notices what is happening, and quickly devises a plan. Hammond continues fighting the scarecrows in the immediate area. Ben and Nigel try and put some of them down as well, in order to get an opportunity to take a shot at the lantern holder. Nigel gets hit with the business end of a large scythe. The blade cuts deep and puts him out of commission of a bit.

Ben gets his chance, sending forth a brain blast which shatters the lantern. The eldritch flame flickers, then flies straight up into the sky, out of sight.

As soon as the flame leaves, the rest of the scarecrows drop to the ground. Everything around them, the trees, the pumpkins, the corn itself all wilts away. Everything crumbles to the dirt, leaving only a mixed slop of mud and rotten vegetation.

Ben and Hammond assist Nigel in getting back to the van. They perform what medical aid they can on each other and discuss what their next move should be. It is agreed that they should set up the auto-shelter and rest for the night, since they all have been been damaged and have been up for an unknown amount of time.

The Creepy Corn Field

The crew debates how to proceed. Hammond climbs on top of the van to get a better view. There is a noticeable path through the maze, though the rain and motion of the stalks in the wind makes it difficult to track.

They decide to enter the corn maze.

Within the Maze

The path through the corn seems to bend and twist about. The posse walks cautiously onward. With each step they hear shuffling of the corn in the wind. Far off echoes of laughter seem to mock them. As the corridor of corn becomes ever thinner, they form a line.

Nigel tries to track them out, by following his compass. Unfortunately their compasses are going haywire, constantly shifting directions. Hammond mentions using an old technique form his mining days. If they stay to one side- i.e. follow the right side, they can navigate through the maze. It may take longer, but it will always lead them out. As they start hugging the one side, they begin to feel the corn itself almost grabbing at their clothing. It is as if the plants themselves are alive, and trying to pull them into the thick.

Nigel calls out " You taunt us and speak to us, where is your master?"

Pumpkin King – “The painter puts brush to canvas, the poet puts pen to paper. The poet has the easier task, for his pen does not alter his rhyme. laugh”

PK – “I’m tired of love, I’m tired of rhyme. But blood, precious blood, gives me pleasure all the time…”

They push on though to the next area and come to an intersection. They ponder which direction to head, arguing left or right.

PK- “Left side, right side, who’s to blame. Go on try, they’re all the same. Oh yes, yes, take your time. in the end, they will be mine.”

Ben postulates that they need to communicate to the Pumpkin King in rhymes. “Show us the correct way, so that you have a chance to eat today.”

PK- “Foolish child, stuck in the wild. Ah, such a beautiful lark, ah but hark, do I hear the sound of children play? on this day, there shall be blood.”

They decide to head left. They round the corner and find a short distance to a “t” intersection. At the intersection, there is a small sign. Nigel zooms in with his robotic eye.

“I’m right behind you” the voice of the Pumpkin King says aloud inside of Nigel’s mind. He checks to see if the others heard it, but their reactions (or lack thereof) show that thy did not.

They continue with their plan and head left again. Immediately upon turning they see a scarecrow strung up on a pole at the end of the walkway. The head is made of a pumpkin with a carved face. The pumpkin is partially rotted, wrinkling the face in a twisted gruesome smile.

Ben suggests they shoot it from afar. Nigel agrees, but Hammond has already begun to approach it. The scarecrow hangs limp. A centipede crawls through one of the eyes and back into the mouth. The posse takes the left, just to stick with their strategy.

At the end of this hall they find a box. Ben pokes around and finds a rope buried in the dirt that leads to the box. They suspect the rope is likely part of a trap and they turn back around.

At the end of the opposite hallway they see a reaping scythe stuck in the ground. The blade is embedded in the ground. Hammond inspects it to find it is covered in flesh blood. He tries to pull it out of the ground, thinking they can use it.

The scyth does not move easily. In fact it seems to be stuck in the ground. Hammond tries as hard as he can. His frustration with it grows. He feels angered at Ben and Nigel that they are not helping. His anger grows, until he snaps to and realizes the rage is not his own. He leaves the scyth behind. They turn to head back to the sign area. Upon this second glance, the hanging scarecrow is gone. Another mocking laugh echoes out from the corn.

As they come back to the area with the sign, they find that it is also gone. The crew pushes onward. They find another section that is rather tight. While trying to navigate through, Nigel almost trips over a root. He looks down to see the root actually move back under the ground. The sides of the maze move ever closer. The corn begins to wave wildly in the wind as several vines spring forth and wrap themselves around the arms of the posse.

With a bit of force, they rip themselves free. Spurting forth from the vines is a red viscous fluid. The posse recognizes it as coagulated blood. This troubles them, and they propose maybe the corn is similar to the blood sucking tumbleweeds they encountered before.

They finally pass the thinner area and find a dead end with another scarecrow. Deciding to not take any chances this time, they allow Nigel to fire at it. The bullet vaporizes the pumpkin head.

Emerging from the neck of the scarecrow are several more vines. At the end are corn husks which seem to lock on their location. The husks open up and instead of corn, they reveal a whole mas of spines. The spines launch out and shoot at the posse. Ben avoids it altogether, Hammond is struck but they do not breech his armor. Nigel catches a few spines in the leg. Instantly the spines sprout, and begin to grow small vines. The entry point sprouts a tiny set of husks.

Nigel blasts the scarecrow with his plasma shot, burning the leg and dropping it to the ground. The scarecrow launches back at them with a few more vine shots. Benn shouts for them to duck, and lights up the scarecrow with his brain blast. The force blows apart the scarecrow. The remaining vines writhe around before retracting back into the corn rows- those left behind instantly rot. Nigel rips the remaining vines out from his leg.

Since this way is a dead end they head back to the nearest intersection and try the other direction. This portion loops around, bringing them to another split in the path.

The posse splits up just to see what is there, and will meet back after surveying each direction. Nigel looks around the corn and finds a door. Hammond and Ben come around the corner and find yet another scarecrow.

As a group they decide to avoid the scarecrow and head for the door.

The Mysterious Door

The crew knocks at the door. There is no answer. Hammond tries the handle and finds the door unlocked. They open the door and see it leads to a dark void. Thinking this may be their destination (possibly “the room” where they will find the Incubus), they step through into the dark.

the following scenes all happen simultaneously

A rocky area on Banshee

Ben looks around at the landscape. It appears to be a battle site on Banshee. A trail of fire burns around the area, barring an easy exit. A tall figure approaches him. To his horror he sees that the figure is a Skinny. The purple figure lifts it’s hands forward and launches blast at Ben. He manages to doge out of the way. Fear races through him. These things can fight off whole squads of men, and here he is fighting one alone.

He takes turns trading blows with the Skinny. He manages to land quite a few shots on it, but the Skinny also strikes him with a few blasts.

Slowly he begins to realize that this place is not right. The fire around the crater gives off no heat. The Skinny is not nearly as powerful as it should be. As soon as he verbalizes this doubt, he sees the Skinny reach up and pull off it’s face. It is the Pumpkin King. He taunts Ben, beckoning him to attack. The Pumpkin King urges him to shoot, and kill him once and for all.

Ben rejects, realizing this is part of the trick.

The basement of the Salem Apartment Towers

Nigel turns to find himself staring down on Ben. A frightening voice chatters in his head, gone is the familiar sound of his AI. The voice commands Nigel to kill Ben. Much to his dismay, Nigel is unable to stop himself from raising his weapons and firing upon him.

Ben fights back, and the two manage to damage each other. All the while Nigel fights with the voice of the manitou inside him.

After some struggle, Nigel realizes that this is not right. The location is wrong, they haven’t been in the towers for some time now.

Upon this realization, Nigel shouts out. The voice of the manitou changes to that of the Pumpkin King. Ben’s head morphs into the grotesque pumpkin face. He urges Nigel to destroy him once and for all. But Nigel objects.

Deep Underground Junkyard (Combine secret base)

Hammond finds himself face to face with Nigel. Nigel’s eyes glow with a frightening familiar energy. Baphomet’s voice emerges from Nigel’s lips. He mocks Hammond and begins attacking him.

At first, Hammond fights back. Then he remembers what Simon said. Baphomet was bound to his body, and was completely defeated. Nigel cannot be posses by Baphomet, and none of this is real.

The Pumpkin King tears Nigel’s face in two, revealing that he is the one behind the ruse. He confesses that Hammond has found him out and drops the charade.

Hammond’s view blacks out. When he opens his eyes again, he sees a horrific scene ahead of him. Ben and Nigel lie dead at the feet of the Pumpkin King’s scarecrows. He is underground and sees 2 more familiar faces ahead. Soria’s necrotized body stands next to the necrotized body of Twitch. Marilyn stand at the end. She turns and greets Hammy- the voice is familiar, that of the Incubus. She is visibly pregnant.

The Incubus speaks out, describing how wonderful it is to be in this body. It describes how the Pumpkin King deceived them and the posse lost. Hammond breaks free of his bonds and charges forth. He struggles internally and realizes there is nothing else to do. He must kill Marilyn. It takes every bit of his being, but he strikes her down, as tears well up in his eyes.

The center of the corn maze.

Ben awakens and rips off the pumpkin vine wrapped around him. The pumpkin was trying to envelop his head. He shakes free and sees Nigel doing the same.

They both get free and turn to see the vine around Hammond has nearly swallowed his head. they rip the pumpkin off. This pulls Hammond out of his dreamworld in full emotional flux. He babbles on about how he won’t let it occur. Hammond stands and grabs his weapon in a half rage.

Den of the old Farm House

The stitched-together man lunges forward at Nigel, who deftly sidesteps the swing. The adolescent girl asks Hammond if he would like to dance. She then gracefully steps forward, seemingly blinking through space as she moves across the room in a split second. The wolf man

roars at Ben. Seeing an opportunity Ben produces his auto-shotgun and makes swiss-cheese of the wolf. the creature is heavily injured but still able to attack. The girl swipes out a Hammond. She makes a small connection, packing a surprising punch. Hammy defends himself and gets a slap in as well. Nigel fires a sniper round straight through the brain of the hulk. A massive hole blows out from the side of it’s skull. The hulk stumbles a bit, then starts coming after Nigel again. Nigel starts running, trying to put some distance between them.

Ben finishes the wolf off with a few more shots. The stitched hulk becomes frustrated and grabs one of the chairs. He chucks it at Nigel, but breaks the chair in the corner. Hammond manages to slice the girl in half, which only seems to act as a minor inconvenience. She scolds him and calls for her father.

The dried skeleton-corpses rise(one from the chair, one from the corner by the smashed chair) and attack Ben and Nigel. Nigel over-charges his plasma and blasts at the skeleton in the corner. The blast radius hits the hulk and both of the skeletons. The father skeleton bursts into flame and falls to the ground. The mother burns through the middle, but her top half keeps crawling towards him.

The hulking monster takes a lot of damage to the arms and legs. Seeing an opportunity, Ben uses his telekinetic power to levitate the small wooden table next to the remaining chair. He flings it with great force at the vampire girl. The legs of the table stab through her heart and the force slams her into the back wall. She lets out a final gasp and slumps over. The mother skeleton goes limp.

Hammond and Ben continue the assault on the stitched-together monster.

At this moment a green scaly fish-man emerges from the kitchen door. He reels back and lobs a sizzling green glob of goo towards Nigel. Nigel just dodges the projectile. As it lands it begins to quickly eat away at the floor. Nigel quickly dispatches the fish-man in a flurry of bullets.

With all of the monsters dead. They inspect the area of the den. On the shelf they find a book, bound in flesh. An “O” ring is prominently displayed on the front, as though the metal ring was embedded under the flesh. Within the “O” is a metal, almost golden, “z”.

They cautiously open the book and begin to read it-

__INTRODUCTION.

Folk lore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal. The winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations.

Yet the old-time fairy tale, having served for generations, may now be classed as “historical” in the children’s library; for the time has come for a series of newer “wonder tales” in which the stereotyped genie, dwarf and fairy are eliminated, together with all the horrible and blood curdling incident devised by their authors to point a fearsome moral to each tale. Modern education includes morality; therefore the modern child seeks only entertainment in its wonder tales and gladly dispenses with all dis-agreeable incident.

Having this thought in mind, the story was written solely to pleasure children of today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the
heart-aches and nightmares are left out.__

Nigel reads through the rest of the book to relay it to the others. The story contained in the book is the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The posse puts the pieces together. The girl was dressed in the same type of dress as Dorothy. She called the dog-man “ti-ti” (perhaps just a misreading of ToTo). The Hulking monster was a man, stitched together (not unlike the scarecrow).

They exit into the room where the wolf came from. Whatever function this room had before is long lost. The room has been turned into an abattoir. Blood and left over parts cover most of the surfaces of the room. They push past and return to the foyer. Upstairs they find one of the bathrooms has been converted into a darkroom for the girl to use as a bedroom. A makeshift coffin sits in the middle of the floor. They find little else of value.

The posse exits the house through the front. On the way out of the yard they discover the opened well. The smell emanating from it makes it obvious the water is not safe to drink.

The crew returns to the van and heads off in the direction of their next lead- Their options are the cemetery, thick dead woods, and the corn field. Their know they are in search of the Pumpkin King, and so they opt for the corn field.

The creepy corn field.

The trip to the corn field is rather short. The size of the field makes it stand out from the rest of the landscape. They exit the vehicle and find that there is an opening in the corn field- a cleared path of sorts.

The stalks of corn sway back and forth in the wind. The wind billows in again, and a sort of laugh is heard emanating from the corn.

From all direction in the corn field, they hear voice " When you laugh and you grin, When you hold me so near- I let go of my worries, my anxieties and all of my fears. I look at you and you look at me, and that’s when I realize all of the best things in life are free. Come to me…"

The sky quickly turns grey. A heavy, and unyielding rain begins. The ground quickly becomes muddy.The very surface of the field seems to shimmer with the glimmering light reflected by the rain droplets.

“Life is full of secrets and lies. So when you’re surprised, don’t act so. I’m not supposed to love you, I’m not supposed to care. I’m not supposed to live my life, wishing you were there. I’m not supposed to wonder, where you are, what you do. I’m sorry I just can’t help myself, I fell in love with killing you…”

“I have a message for you from my master. Suffer the little children and forbid them not to come unto me, for such is the kingdom of heaven. She awaits you, come for her.”

Kansas

The landscape changes almost instantly when they arrive within the borders of Kansas. The destruction from the ghost rock bombs is much different- horrifying for sure, but it leaves much more standing. This place has been ravaged. Everything, down to the dirt itself has been bombed into oblivion. What little they find left standing comes in the form of piles of rubble, or burned out, crumpled wrecks.

The utter obliteration is coupled by an eerily still calm. Their only company on the drive is a bit of flickering wind. While this is unsettling, it at least makes for a relatively safe drive toward Wichita.

Near Wichita

If they had not know there was a city here before, there would be no reason to believe that one had existed. The main section of town looks more like the craterous surface of the moon.

They are actually surprised to see that a settlement has sprung up here. A makeshift wall outlines the small town. There is a gate at the North side which is manned by a few people. There are small grouping of folks outside the walls, and a decent trickle of them flowing in and out through the gate.

The posse parks the van a good distance outside town and exits. During the walk up to the town they notice there are very few guards. On top of that, the few guards that are there do not appear to be heavily armed. This is curious, but the crew chalks it up to the fact that they are in such remote location.

Upon arriving at the gate they are greeted by a “friendly” man. He has a slight European accent. He notes that they do not appear to be locals, and inquires is they need help getting around town. He introduces himself- and asks for their names.

Ben – “Jack Thomas”
Hammy – “Chuck Bronson”
Nigel – “Nigel”

Ben and Hammy give Nigel a look. He whispers something to the effect that his accent is liable to give him aware regardless.

The posse asks for directions to a pub and to the town center. The friendly man obliges. They also ask about places to stay. While there are no rooms for rent, the posse can – and should – camp out within the walls of the town. The crew asks about about the – should- part of that statement. Apparently there are terrible things out there in the dark of night, and it is safer to stay within the walls.

Ben hatches a scheme to find out about “monsters” in the area. This way they can find out if anyone has seen the Pumpkin King.

They arrive at the town center and approach. They are greeted by some armed goons. The muscle at the door asks what their business is with the boss. Ben instantly jumps into his scheme -

“Jack Thomas, reporter and investigative journalist for JunkYard News. We are doing a documentary on the monsters of the Wastelands. We’d like to get an interview about monsters in this area”

The chumpy fellow blinks for a moment. “Oh, one of ’dem librarian guys. Lemme go tell the boss.” The goon arrives back a few moments later. “You can come in, but only you Mr. reporter man, your friends stay out here.” Ben agrees. Just before he enters, Hammond places his hand on Ben’s shoulder “Have a good interview Jack- remember we’ll be right here” wink Ben gets the hint and mind links with Hammond so they can listen in on what is happening.

Town Center – the "Mayor"’s office

The “Mayor” answers some of “Jack Thomas”’s questions, until he starts to ask about the Pumpkin Kng. With a little prodding the “Mayor” reveals that the legend of the Pumpkin King is just that, a legend.

As the story goes, a group of survivors were out scavenging for supplies near an old cemetery. Although there had been many undead there, one of them stood out. As best as they could reckon, the zombie must have fallen and landed face first on a pumpkin. His head was lodged in the gourd and it managed to get up and shuffle about.

The image of the pumpkin headed zombie, coupled with the lost of many of the scavenging crew that day, gave rise to the Pumpkin King legend. “But enough of your questions” – the “Mayor” notes.

The leader of Near Witchita then begins to show his hand. He calls Ben by his real name, and indicates that they knew exactly who they were from the moment the posse entered town. The black widow on top of the van gave it away- and the 3 men fit the basic descriptions.

Exterior Hammond whisper to Nigel that they may be in trouble, and fills him in to what is happening inside the house.

The leader has heard of their involvement in places such as Kingman and Junkyard, and does not wish to see anything of the kind in his peaceful town. They will not be assisted and will be under a watchful eye during their stay here. Ben is allowed to leave peacefully.

The posse meets back up. They grab a quick meal at the pub. Afterwards they head out to the van.

The night is closing in an they will have to stay withing the town. However, while they still have sunlight, they reassemble the ultralight. Ben pilots the small craft up in the air to get a good survey of the nearby areas.

There are places of interest in each direction, but the 2 of top interest are an old farm house, and a corn field.

They make camp within the town and head out in the morning in the direction of the farm house.

Old farm house

The yard of the house is long overgrown. Some kind of vine has enveloped most of the house. they approach the front of the house and find that the front door area is clear of vines. In face, the door seems to be basically untouched.

They open the door. Despite the exposure to the elements, and lack of maintenance- the door opens without even the slightest creak. The posse enters the farm house.

Inside they find a foyer with a large staircase heading up. There are doors to the left and the right. Next to the stairs is a coat rack. Three coats sit on the rack – one typical of a man, one a woman, and one which looks like an adolescent’s coat.

They take the door to the left and find a dinning room. The table is set with plates, but has clearly been in disuse. On the wall they find a photo of the house, as well as one of a tornado.

Next they venture into the kitchen. The smell within this room is that of old, rotted blood. There is part of a deer carcass resting on the counter top. Sheer morbid curiosity causes the posse to open the fridge. Within they find some of the parts of the deer, but more disturbing- there are bags of blood.

They find a door leading outside. Hammond tries to open it, but the door is so thickly covered in vines that it will barely budge.

The crew presses on into the next room. This looks like a study. There is a fireplace at the center back wall. Inside the fireplace, a small electric fake-fire emits a soft orange/yellow glow. Several feet out from the fireplace are two wingback chairs.

As the posse moves farther into the room, they see that there are dessicated corpses in each chair. The hands of the two bodies have been forcibly twisted to interlock, as if they were holding hands.

Hammond comments – “Why would someone put them in that position?”

A voice chirps out from behind them -“Because that is how they always sit, side-by-side, hand-in-hand.”

They turn and find an adolescent girl with long scraggly dark hair, dressed in a distinctive blue gingham dress. She peers at them with large eyes. At first they appear orange from the reflection of the fire- but then they take on a distinctive red glow. The posse instantly recognizes this as vampire vision.

“I’m glad you’ve come to play with us!” She lets out a high pitched whistle. Bursting forth from the door on the right side of the room is a large dog/man type creature. Storming in from the kitchen side is a massive hulk of a man- or rather, several men stitched together.

Unbeknownst to the posse, out in the yard of the farm house there is a well. The cover of the well lifts off slowly. From within the dark hole emerges a webbed hand. A scaly fish-man creature climbs out from the well and heads toward the house

I-80 East past Rock Springs

Nigel continues driving down the open road. Ben catches something in
the rear view mirror. A dust cloud billows up from behind them. It
looks to be a hoverbike moving at a very fast speed.

As the bike approaches, Ben notices the front of the chassis is
chapped into a golden eagle. He gets a good look at the driver. Much
to their surprise, Cole Ballard the famous Law Dog is catching up to
them. ben points out this could be really bad, or really good.

Cole pulls up along side the van. Nigel does his best to stay on a
straight path. Hammond looks out the window to figure out what Cole
is doing.

Ballad eyes up the van, taking note of the black widow. He then
signals to the posse. Ben calls out to him.

Cole offers up info- “Look behind you. See those clouds?”

Ben and Nigel both look- spotting black clouds quickly advancing on them.

Cole- " Black rain is headed this way, Follow me if you want to live."

The posse follows Cole off the road to a rocky cliff face. The way
the earth moved has formed a natural shelter from the rain. They also
see that there is a small group of boxes near a camp site.

They secure the van under the land-shelf. The top of the black widow
sits just inches below the rock. Then they sit and speak with Cole a
while.

It turns out Cole recognized them from the reports in junkyard.
Seeing the military tech on the top of the van, he put it together.

Cole appreciates what they have done, though he does take issue with
the fact that the party let Rolan Delacriox get away. The crew
explains that they knew he was a mercenary, but not that he was an
assassin. This settles Cole down a bit.

Ballad offer them a bit of food while they wait out the storm.

Cole inquires about their destination. They provide the background
details on the Incubus. Cole reveals he and some others are meeting
up to head across the Mississippi to explore a city just on the other
side. Lots of walking dead have been showing up, and it is believed
they originate from that city.

The rain lets up and Cole gets back on the road. The posse gets
situated and gets back in the van.

On the way back to the highway, they encounter a large ball of
electrical energy. Ben recognizes it as a Storm Crow (opportunist
monsters that strike after natural disasters).

The Storm Crow blasts a few nearby trees with lightning before it
detects their presence. It begins moving towards them menacingly.

Nigel sits frozen, unsure of what to do. Hammond calls out “I’ve got
a plan. Nigel, gun it!”

Ben expresses his feelings about it “You’re plans are always terrible!”

For lack of a better suggestion, Nigel hits the gas and the van
charges forward. The Storm Crow seems a bit surprised and fails to
move out of the way. There is a noticeable thud. The vehicle absorbs
a bit of electrical power, but does not sustain any damage. the posse
speeds off.

Casper, WY

At first glance Casper looks like a ghost town. Many of the buildings
are still intact, moderately, but there is little left behind. The
center of town does have a small settlement of folks. As the posse
comes close thug, the townspeople quickly hide.

Hammond and Ben exit the van and offer up some trade. One man pokes
his head out of a doorway- expressing that they are not interested,
nor do they have food or fuel to spare.

Realizing these people probably do their fair share of hunting, the
posse offers up some ammunition for rifles. This breaks the ice a
bit. They are willing to trade some clothing (gloves, hats, etc.).
The posse makes the trade and head outside of town to lay camp.

Chadron, NE

Chadron is essentially bare. What little was left here has been
picked dry. Chances are anyone left after the war ventured out to
bigger towns to band together. The crew quickly moves their way
through town.

NE route 2 , slightly West of Grand Island

Nigel spots a crashed Semi and trailer on the side of the road. The
front face is smashed in up against a tree, but the trailer is intact.

Ben open’s the cab door. The impact forced the steering wheel
backwards, smooching the ribcage of the driver. Ben finds that the
driver is actually a fellow syker (though he does not recognize him).
He grabs the psychotic helmet off the dead man’s body.

In the trailer they find a fully-intact ultra-light aircraft. The
engine is small and gas powered.

They also find a few gallons of diesel inside the truck’s tank. Nigel
siphon’s it out and they take it with them.

Grand Island, NE

The town of Grand Island may have survived the war, had it not been
the location of Nebraska’s law enforcement training center. This fact
alone doomed the town. Nothing but rubble and the occasional basement
was left after the conventional bombing. The posse finds nothing and
heads on down the road.

Aurora, NE

Only 20 miles or so from the destruction site of Grand Island, the
posse finds the small town of Aurora. It stands in stark contrast to
Grand Island. Most of Aurora is still in decent shape. There are
even people out on the street, gathered around fire barrels to keep
warm in the night.

The posse is greeted with a few suspicious eyes. The people in town
seem a bit on edge, possibly fearful- but it is subtle and veiled.
There is something familiar in their uneasiness, but the posse can’t
quite put their finger on it.

The crew mentions trading for fuel. They are directed to a large
house at the center of town. As they approach, they see that the
house is quite nice. Outside, several armed brutes stand guard. It
seems this is where all the wealth is located, and the weapons.
Smells like Kingman the first time around.

The posse realizes the problems in town, but has little time to spare.
They make a quick trade with the brutes for some fuel. Despite the
clear injustice in town, the posse leaves to deal with the Incubus.

Boise

The posse plans out their trip to Kansas. Unfortunately they’ll have to go a bit out of the way, due to Combine presence in the south of Wyoming. They also cannot tread too far north for fear of running into Sioux Nation territory.

Finally they settle in on a proper route. All in all, the route is about 1600 miles. With a full load of fuel and ideal conditions they can only make it about 1000 miles, so they will need to stop along the way.

Ben recalls Fort Bridger in SW Wyoming- it’s an old for that managed to escape most of the destruction. The people there are more or less self-sustaining, though they do run some decent trade with Junkyard. Fort Bridger will be the first stop on the road, as they have decided to avoid New ’Tello.

From Bridger, they’ll make their way up towards Casper, WY. This will place them very near the Devil’s Tower. Despite their proximity, Nigel opts to avoid going there. He feels that their current mission is of more importance. Also, he does not know what the outcome of battling the manitou could be, so it may not benefit them at this time.

From Casper they will head due East towards Chadron, NE. Then Southeast towards Grand Island, NE. This puts them straight north of Witchita.

Near the intersection of I-84 and I-80

This leg of the journey puts them on the outskirts of Junkyard’s territory. As they begin to head on I-80 towards Fort Bridge, Ben spots a group of vehicles in the rear view.

As he vehicles come in close, Nigel is able to see that they well armed. They consist of a few bikers, a modified pickup, and a large suv. There is little doubt that they are a road gang.

Suspicions are confirmed as the bikers charge up to flank the van. One of the gangers on a bike edges in a bit too close, setting off the black widow’s alarm. The black widow whips around and pumps the biker full of lead.

Nigel focuses on avoiding obstacles in the car. Ben starts firing out the back window. Hammond assumes control of the black widow to focus on the trucks behind them.

Ben blows out one of the truck’s tires with a grenade, forcing it to swerve and pull aside. Nigel spots a biker trying to swing around his side- so he pulls out his pistol and fires a few into the ganger. Hammond sees a biker swing in close, so he opens the door of the van and leaps on the back of the biker and dispatches him with a quick stab.

The remaining gang members give up the chase. The posse loads up the dirt-bike in the bakc of the van for trade later.

Fort Bridger

Nigel, Hammond, and Ben arrive outside of the fort. They wait in the trading queue. One of the guards spots the black widow, recognizing it as military tech. He comes over to speak with the posse.

Stories of their efforts have carried out of Junkyard, and the guard quickly realizes to whom he is talking. As all stories, the posse’s seems to have morphed over time. Ben’s pseudonym has been changed to the Flaming Dragon, a change he is not exactly happy with. The Englishman and the Templar remain the same.

The crew tells the guard of their encounter with the road bandits. They also discuss the Iron Alliance (to which the people of Bridger have already joined). They make a trade using the dirt-bike for some food and fuel for the journey.

en route to Boise from Jericho

The posse leaves from Jericho. The trader they are traveling with was very excited to have done so much business there. Ben warns the trader that if he would like to continue trading there, he may- but if he ever mentions the place it will be his doom.

Along the way the crew stumbles across a grouping of vehicles wrought with bullet holes. The corpses of a few bikers lay strewn about. There is an unusual marking pinned to the bakc of their jackets. Ben recognizes it as the symbol of the “Cult of Atheron”. The entire culted was slaughtered en masse by the Texas Rangers and the Pinkertons (a rare joint venture in those times). There was another tale of them in the early 2000s, in a very Waco Tx like situation- a sacrifice was supposed to take place, but the Special ops group was able to take them out.

It seems that these bikers may have adopted the logo for it’s design, or at least for the creepy fear factor it presents. The posse decides that it is not worth their time to investigate further and continues on to Boise.

Simon’s Rock

The trader drops off the posse outside the Boise maelstrom. He and the posse exchange their final business dealing and he heads back to the market area.

Boise

All of the posse members pass through the Boise maelstrom. They notice there is hardly any effect on them this time, the passing feels like hardly more than a tickle. Inside, the atmosphere of Boise is much lighter, less foreboding than ever before.

In the few days that it took for their journey, news had made it’s way up to Boise. Notice of the defeat of the Boise Horror has come, as well as rumors of Simon’s death. The spirit of the town is much more unified (from a combination of both of those events). All of the town folk are wearing some form of the templar cross, be it a pinned on sheet, or a make-shift tabbard.

As Ben, Nigel, and Hammond enter, they are recognized by several townsfolk. The posse is quickly innundated by people asking as to what happened. Their reknown within Boise/Templars calls even more attention to them.

Hammond steps forth and offers up a few words. “I know yall got a lot of questions about what’s happening. Meet down in the town center, I’ll address everyone at the same time. We got news coming out of Junkyard that everybody’s gonna wanna know.”

Hammy informs them of the defeat of the Boise Horror, as well as Simon’s death. It is also mentioned that the Templars, and all of their follower are now part of the Iron Alliance.

He calls out to the first row of people and asks them to gather materials for a large pyre.

Ben and Nigel head out to track down their van and other belongings. Soria leaves to go get Marilyn.

Boise Temple

Hammond arrives at the temple and finds Jonathan Douglas standing in Biletnikoff’s usual spot. Douglas has basically been acting as head while Josephine is out of town.

They explain what they can to Douglas, without revealing the full truth of the Horror. They also discuss the Templar’s involvement in the newly formed Iron Alliance. They also discuss the Combine’s brazen attack within Junkyard. Both agree that the Combine is likely starting it’s push toward the Harvest- what they refer to as their ultimate take-over plan.

Boise outskirts

Ben and Nigel find the van in place and intact. They sort through the inventory and ensure that all items are still in working order.

Boise Town Center

The crowd has gathered by the large bonfire awaiting some direction. Ben and Nigel stand nearby Hammond. The people look to Hammond for some explanation or words of guidance.

“Good people of Boise. I know this is a hard thing to endure, but you must realize Simon gave himself to defeat the Boise Horror, because he knew that we could carry on on our own. The ideals he’s taught us, and the things he’s shown us over the years are enough to preserve ourselves, and likewise humanity as a whole. Humankind must carry on, death is just a part of everything, but we do waht we can to endure.”

“Though this is a sad day, it is an happy one, because we can appreciate all that he has been able to do for each and every one of us. And what he has been able to show us, but more importantly- what he has been able to inspire within us. I see in each one of you something, just as he did.”

“You didn’t come here because you had to. You came becasue there was a calling inside you. I ask that you step forward now as members of humanity. There is battle coming. The Combine down in Denver, they want to wipe the rest of us off the face of the planet. People like you and I, the folks in Junkyard, Members of the chamber and the rest of the Alliance realize we need to stick together in order to survive this. With everything Simon has taught us, we can survive this.”

“I see umongst you now some uncertain, but I assure you. Simon would not have let himself fall if he did not truly believe that we had the strenght to do this. Together we can stand as heros. I as you now, should the battle come down to us and the Combine— are you with me?!”

The crowd gives out a quick cheer…

Meanwhile (during the time of the speech.)

Jonathan Douglas scans the crowd. His eyes pass back and forth, not finding what he is looking for. He takes a moment and ducks back away from the crowd. He heads to the barracks.

Barracks (during the speech)

He enter to find Soria. Another woman in the room crumples to the ground. Soria sways and stumbles a bit. Marilyn stands next to her, caught in a catatonic stare. Douglas calls out “what’s going on here?”

Soria slowly removes her helmet. Douglas has seen her before so he is not phased, but then he notices her eyes. The are all black. He reaches for his sword when suddenly he is struck across the face by a phantom fist. The blow is so strong it nearly knocks him out. He rolls with the punch and spins to make a strike.

as he comes full circle, Soria holds up her hand, blasting forth a deep green energy into his face. The room darkens, as dark black tendrils emerge from Soria’s back and envelop Marilyn. A man dressed all in black enters from a nearby doorway. “Are you ready?” he calmy asks.

Soria(Incubus) “More ready than ever. Let them know, let them come, soon they will die.”

Boise Town Center

As the cheer of the crowd roars out- a loud gunshot echos through the town.

The man dressed in black stands atop a nearby building. “Hammond, I have a message for you. Do you want it?”

Hammond agrees.

“There’s an old friend who wants to talk with you. This time you’re not going to be able to refuse it. You already know where it’s going to be waiting for you. Don’t make it wait- for your sake- and for hers.”

The man in black punches down on the building, causing a large blast, debris crumbling down on the crowd. He leaps off in the distance in one massive jump.

Hammond rushes to heal the innocent. Ben and Nigel head to the barracks to find Marilyn/Soria.

Barracks.

Nigel and Ben find Douglas critically wounded. The collapsed woman turns out to be none other than Barb of Doom. They are able to revive both, at least to moderate health.

Barb is a little confused at first. Then with some prodding, the memories come rushing back to her in horrible succession.

She had been drinking one night in Junkyard. While stumbling about she had a chance encounter with a horribly sick person. The figure caught her by surprise- and in that instant a dark presence flowed from the body into hers. The figure crumbled to dust, as if the corpse had been held together just so by the dark energy. She remembers being able to see, but not control herself at all. Like being a backseat driver in her own body, while this thing did all the steering. It was horrible- the thoguhts it would force into her mind, and the darkness of it’s actions.

It used her to get close. The fact that Barb had access in to Boise, and knew Marilyn from before gave them easy access to the girl. Then, it used the same trick to leap out of Barb’s body, right in to Soria’s.

The posse realizes that they will have to make haste. Kansas was the location they knew it to be, but also in a place of great battle. Wichita will be the basic starting point, since the battle there was quite large.

Elsewhere- in a dark field somewhere in Kansas.

All around are wooden posts with potato sack men with pumpkin heads attached. Only one is standing, hunched over. It looks up, a noxious gunk flows out of the carved pumpkin head.

“Back I see, and what be. Ah, a prize a prize.”

The incubus with it’s new captive body, walks toward the pumpkin man. Along side it are Marilyn and the man in black.

Pmpkin- “It’s death again. He’s always there, watching, waiting, ever stare. Every time I look behind.” it mumbles off in rhyme somemore.

It finally works it’s way back around- “Your guest has arrived, dark master dear. My friend, come over here.”

The pumpkin creature beckons towards a nearby mass of corn and hay. A distintive figure walks forward, it’s eyes glassy and distant. This man was touched by the dark before. His long and troubled journey had come back to a loop. Kevin “Twitch” Bowers steps forward.

Incubus – “Good. All the pieces are together. Soon. Soon I’ll be born again, Just as I consume them … body and soul. They will watch as I am born again, and become a god.”

Boise-

The posse prepares themselves for the trip back to Boise. They decide to take a swing out to Jericho, Nevada to stop by a school for Sykers. Ben had heard of it from one of his bretheren and felt it they may be able to assist in the Iron Alliance.

Before they leave, the crew has a few bits of business in town.

Now that they know they will be encounting more of the Combine forces, they decide to ditch their stardard ammunition and switch to strictly armor piercing. They sell off the old and split their ammo between AP1 and AP3.

Hammond decides to pick up a sword, since he liked the way it handled during the battle with Baphomet. He purchases a standard sword and commissions a junker to make similar modification as those on his hammer.

Nigel searches out some replacement armor, while Ben gets a slight upgrade to his swat suit.

They find a trader caravan that is headed up to Boise. In exchange for protection services and a small amount of trade, the trader agrees to provide them with transport- out to Jericho, then up to Boise.

Jericho, Nevada

The town of Jericho is small, and remote. It’s relative lack of importance left it basically unscathed by the bombs of the war. Being right on the outskirts of multiple large state parks, it also has quite a substantial amount of natural resources (wood, pelts, etc.)

Ben uses his rank and Syker status to gain access into the Syker school. There they meet several men that served along side Ben and Nigel on Banshee. The posse is invited to stay for several days.

Ben shares with the leaders of the school the news of the Iron Alliance, and the ever-more-dangerous Combine. While their numbers are small, and many of the recruits are simply greenies, the Sykers agree to join. They will send someone to Junkyard to express their allegiance.

The posse stays in town for a few days. Nigel fors an interesting bond with an Earth Syker from his side of the pond. Ben assists in teacher the new recruits some of the basics of Syker powers. Hammond uses the extra time to reflect on his Templar teaching and practice his sword combat.

Junkyard – Combine hideout

The horrific form of Baphomet stands before the posse. Its grotesque demonic body is shocking even to these hardened travelers.

Nigel, seeing the effect of the spirit within Simon- begins to fear for his own fate. There is much similarity to his situation. After all, only a small bit of plastic and wire hold back the evil spirit within him. The fear is crippling, and he instinctual runs for the exit.

Baphomet first takes aim at Hammond, his hatred towards the Templars guiding his slashing claws. The two trade blows.

Ben catches the demon by surprise, blasting it with his weapons. Baphomet turns his attention to Ben. With its eyes glowing an eldritch green the beast calls out “Obey”. Ben feels a slight tingle, but is able to fight the demon off with his mind.

The three combatants exchange attacks in quick succession. While Ben and Hammond do manage to harm it, the demon seems to heal with each strike it lands.

Nigel shakes off his fear just as he is reaching the doors of the large room. He turns and fires back at Baphomet. The demon senses his recent fear, and cast forth a command of “Obey”. Nigel’s will crumbles under the weight of the dark spirit’s influence.

“We have decided that you must die.” – Nigel states in a cold and mindless voice. He drops his rifle, produces two pistols and fires on his posse members.

Hammond and Ben take turns tangling with Baphomet and hindering Nigel’s attacks- trying to minimize harm to him.

Nigel lands some damaging shots on Ben, while Baphomet scrapes away at him. The attacks leave him quite wounded.

Ben realizes that Nigel will not stop attacking them while under Baphomet’s command. This forces him to make the choice of disabling Nigel. He takes aim at Nigel’s upper chest and blasts him. The shot is successful, and Nigel’s body falls to the ground. Ben then takes cover momentarily to recuperate.

Baphomet sees his puppet has become useless and releases control. He then turns to Hammond in an attempt to possess him. The power of Simon’s sword aids Hammond in resisting. Nigel calls out to support his friends.

Baphomet stabs and slashes at Hammond. His claws rip into Hammy’s body, but do nothing to stop his will.

Ben emerges to pincer the demon. He and Hammond continue to pummel Baphomet. With a final stab, the great demon is thwarted. The body morphs back into that of Simon.

For a brief moment, Simon awakens. He thanks the posse, before giving in to the eternal sleep. They take a moment to patch themselves up. then collect Nigel and Simon and head to the surface.

Junkyard Town Hall area

Biletnikoff is the first to spot them as they emerge from the sewer. They agree to cart Simon off to a private location. Isaac Taylor spots them as well- but submits to Biletnikoff’s plead to all them a chance to perform “Templar rituals”.

In private Biletnikoff asks them of what occurred. He had his suspicions that Simon was the horror, but had never been able to prove it. He believes that the demon avoided detection because it had become part of Simon. They agree to settle on the story that Simon died fighting Baphomet (a technical truth).

Isaac calls for the conference to reconvene in a few days. This allows time for all parties to send in alternatives. That night Simon comes to the heroes in their dreams to bestow his blessing.

Junkyard (a few days later)

Simon’s 2nd in command Josephine arrives to participate in the conference. She is a bit more receptive to the ideas, and agrees to join forces with the Iron Alliance. She collect’s Simon’s sword and bid that Hammond, Ben, Nigel, and Soria should escort Simon’s body back to Boise.

Junkyard Hilton

The scream in the night is enough to wake up the whole posse. Nigel and Ben head out into the hall to look for the origin. Hammond makes his way toward Simon’s room to check on Mr. Mercer and Biletnikoff.

Biletnikoff answers the door, a bit startled awake by the knock. He indicates that Simon is fast asleep and seems to be in a better condition that the past few days. Hammy informs him there has been another scream, and that they should be aware. He also suggests that Biletnikoff come with them, perhaps he can aid in identifying something.

Nigel spots a bit of blood seeping out from the bottom of the janitor’s closet door. Ben is able to pick the lock and gain entry.

Within the closet is the body of one of the Hilton janitors. He is bleeding from his abdomen, just as the previous victims, but does not appear to be ripped apart like the other bodies. Soria and Ben check the body and determine the old man appears to have had a heart attack, from fear most likely.

Nigel inspects the place to look for a possible entry/exit. The air vent is secured, and even when opened, the layer of dust within proves that nothing came in through that method.

Once again, there is a Templar cross painted in blood on the wall. Hammond helps pick through to find more evidence, but it all seems to add up to another attack from the Boise Horror – though in this case, it appears to have been interrupted.

The posse speculates that this does fall in line with the idea of a possession type killing. Perhaps the reason it is unfinished is that the man had a heart attack, and could not complete it. This still does not rule out the possibility of it being the Incubus, but they have doubts.

The Junkyard Militia arrives, along with the detective. She is none too pleased that the posse has yet again shown up at a murder scene. She scolds them, but does note that she does not feel they are guilty of the murders (if so they’d have already been arrested). She does threaten that the crew would be unwise to interfere further, lest they end up in front of Judge Tolliver again.

With no additional help they can provide, the posse members return to bed.

Inner Junkyard

The next morning everyone sets out for the 2nd day of Taylor’s conference. As before, Nigel is forced to wait in the lobby area for security reasons. Ben uses a psychic link to maintain contact with him during the conference.

Inside the conference room, the various members pledge their groups’ allegiances towards the collective effort against the Combine. Finally it is Simon’s turn to speak. He elaborates the reasons for his earlier position.

Nigel hears some commotion outside, as if some kind of group has gathered. He hears shouting and chanting, but cannot make it out. Simon has just begun to explain that the Templars will agree to join in the collective, when suddenly there is a blast from outside in the hall.

Nigel sees the doors of the hallway blow open. He pokes his head out into the hall and sees two automatons advancing, followed by a whole squad of black hats. He uses his mental link with Ben to send a quick warning into the other room.

Ben barely has enough time to shout out a warning before a loud bang echoes into the conference room. A large circular section of the ceiling caves in, revealing an automaton up above.

Ben circles around to the other side of the room and shoots some flames up into the floor above. As he does this, he spots a heavily armored drone and some black hats.

Nigel sees the black hats fire RPGs into the doors of the conference. Fortunately they only bulge inward, but do not break. He then charges his plasma and blasts at the squad. He struggles to fight off the automatons and black hats, trying to buy the rest of the posse time.

Back in the conference room, Hammond and Soria join in the fight with the black hats upstairs, though at this angle it is hard to hit them. The automaton and the drone walk/fall down to their level. The automaton gets a few sweeps in with it’s gun as the black hats dump tear gas into the room.

Soria is put out of commission from the tear gas. Ben continues firing in, killing off some of the black hats and damaging the automaton. Unfortunately many of the conference members are heavily wounded or killed.

Nigel kills off a few of the black hats and makes a run to try and find an alternate exit route for the posse. One of the automatons from the hall ways rips its way into the conference room. Simon musters up his strength and slays the metal creature in one swift blow. However, he staggers from the power of it’s explosion. Nigel rounds the corner and comes to the stairs, where he is greeted by a much larger squad of black hats.

In a desperate move to save Simon, Hammond tackles the drone, causing it to fall on top of the automaton. The impact crushes the body of the robot and sets off it’s explosion. Fortunately the body of the drone absorbs much of the blast. However, seeing an opportunity, the drone leaps to it’s feet, grabs the weakened Simon and charges down the hall. Nigel is nearly run over by the large mechanoid on its exit.

The remaining black hats exit, following after the drone, down into the sewers. The posse collects themselves, helps patch up the survivors, and reviews the situation with Isaac Taylor. Biletnikoff, who was knocked unconscious when the ceiling collapsed, wakes up, and locates Simon’s sword among the wreckage. He bestows the blade to Hammond in the hopes that this weapon may aid in retrieving Simon.

Time being of the essence, the posse quickly gathers ammo and supplies and heads into sewers.

JunkYard Sewers

The posse quickly finds the trail of the drone and the black hats. It takes them roughly 3 hours to catch up. Along the way they have a few run-ins with Morlocks, but make quick work of them.

Junkyard – Combine hideout

Deep within the sewers lies a large cleared area where the Combine have made a hideout. When the posse arrives, they find Combine guard towers, but the guards stationed there have been brutally executed.

All along the entrance and paths, they find bodies savagely ripped apart. They enter a large chamber, most likely the center of the hideout. What they see is most disturbing. Nearly all of the Combine forces are dead. Those that remain are literally tearing themselves apart (including the drone). Their eyes glow with a dark energy.

Standing in the middle of the chamber, Simon turns around to greet the posse. His face is twisted into a demonic grin. An unfamiliar voice bellows out from his mouth. It is the voice of Baphomet. He explains he has been lying in wait all these years- but now that he is out, there is so much more killing to do.

For a brief moment, Simon’s face reverts back to his own, though with a grimace. Simon understands he was blind to the presence of the demon within. He realizes it is now tied to his body, and he will do what he can to restrain it so that the heroes may slay it- even if it will kill him in the process.

As the posse advances, Simon’s body twists and contorts, stretching and growing into the horrific shape of Baphomet itself.

Sky Pirate Airship (4 days ago)

Ben and Dennis Carlton send the others out the escape hatch. The automatons break through the hangar doors and begin firing on the two men.

Dennis tries to hold his own. Ben lands a few powerful blows. Unfortunately the automatons had gotten too close. Just as they dispatch the machines, Ben realizes Dennis is likely doing to die in the blast.

In a last second effort, Ben conjures up his force field and leaps in front of Dennis. This maneuver saves the young templar, but launches Ben into a wall knocking him unconscious.

JunkYard Hospital

Ben wakes up in the company of a JunkYard Militia member. The JM member informs him that the airship did complete the trip to JunkYard. The JM member also mentions that Simon and the others arrived earlier that day. The JM member will act as guard for Ben until they meet up with the rest of the posse, at which point he will resume his duty as attache for Mr. Mercer.

Dennis is in the bed across the room. He will survive, but his wounds are rather severe. Ben checks in with him, and to inform him of Simon’s survival. Then Ben and the attache head out towards the JunkYard Hilton.

JunkYard Hilton

Simon and the group arrive at the JY Hilton and get themselves settled. Simon retires to his room to rest. Nigel, Hammond, and Soria take the opportunity to eat a real meal and order some room service.

Ben arrives shortly thereafter. The posse is elated to see that he has survived, though as usual, Ben diffuses this with some smart ass remarks.

Nigel and Soria agree to fill Ben in on their journey from the drop off point. Hammond heads to the hospital to see if he can heal Dennis.

That evening the crew splits up to rest themselves. Hammond and Soria retire together, reconnecting privately so to speak. Ben settles in for the evening. Nigel takes some time to check out his systems and run his diagnostic and rest cycles.

In the middle of the night, Hammond hears a loud scream out on the street. He opens the window to find a bum, stumbling out from an alley way. The bum appears to be horrified and in shock.

JunkYard

Hammond wakes up the others and heads down to the street to find out what has happened. Nigel runs ahead using his advanced speed and discovers the site of another grisly murder. Ben and Hammond arrive a moment later. They stop the bum on the way to question him, but his state of horror is such that he seems uncertain of what is happening.

The men search for clues or evidence. All of them point out the similarities to the attack by the Boise Horror that occurred just before they left. The victim was kill viciously, with apparent claw marks on the main body (though the killing wound looks to be to the neck by way of a saw).

Just as before there are no signs of struggle on the victims body. Ben uses his Land Warrior suit to amplify the surrounding heat signatures, but does not see evidence of another person. They also find the Templar Cross painted on the nearby wall in blood.

The JunkYard Militia arrives, as does a rather stressed out and pushy detective. They do not take much of a statement from the posse and quickly usher them on their way.

JunkYard Hilton

The posse meets back up at one of their rooms. Running through some of the logic, they conclude that the Boise Horror has come along with them to Junkyard. Based on this, they believe it could be Simon himself.

They decide to put this to the test right way and head to Simon’s room. Naturally Biletnikoff is there watching over Simon. The group pulls Biletnikoff aside and discusses their theory with him.

He assures them that Simon is not harboring any kind of monster or demon, based on all of the evidence from various healers and spiritualists that have checked on him. This gives rise to the idea that perhaps Biletnikoff is the Horror.

Biletnikoff provides some evidence to admonish himself, but also offers a counter possibility. The gang seems to be centered on the idea that the Boise Horror may be some latent energy from Baphomet, or possibly the bloodwolf. However, this attack did not take place on a full moon, and the have been attacked in this city by the Incubus before- Biletnikoff posits that it may be the Incubus mimicking the actions of the Boise Horror.

They agree that this could be the case. Regardless, it is essential that they rest for the summit the next day.

In the morning they meet and head to Isaac’s conference. Nigel is not permitted in, after the attack on Simon by a cyborg infiltrator. Ben, Soria, and Hammond enter along with Simon and Biletnikoff.

Inner JunkYard (Taylor’s Conference)

The group is introduced to the representatives of the different parties involved. Soria, Ben and Hammond recognize a young person who is in the company of the Chamber’s representative, as they had briefly seen her around Globe, AZ.

The meeting begins and each of the members stands to give their words regarding an alliance among them. The sentiment is basically the same for all, they wish to cooperate in order to eliminate the great threat of the Combine.

When the time comes for Simon to speak, the conference takes a different turn. He agrees that the Combine is a problem, but vehemently opposes working together with anyone that would openly allow the looting and raiding by road gangs (Taylor). He also makes note of the ambush that was laying in wait for him on the way in to JunkYard. “Those gangs are nearly identical to the Combine itself- they simply lack opportunity”. Simon finishes his rant and exits the conference.

Taylor implores the posse to convince Simon to come back. They frantically head back to meet him at the Hilton.

JunkYard Hilton

Simon is highly resistant at first, but with a bit of time and a few clever choices in phrase the posse is able to get him to at least agree to hear Taylor out. They will resume the conference the next morning.

That night the posse is once again awoken by an ominous scream.

Somewhere between Boise and Junkyard

Nigel, Hammond, Soria, Winnie, Biletnikoff, and Simon successfully make to to the ground. Simon is noticeably drained and weak, so Hammond carries him while they look for appropriate cover.

They keep a watchful eye to the skies. Raptors are circling around, so they will need to hide. There is a nearby drainage tube on the side of the highway. As Hammond assists Simon, he takes a glance back up at the airship. The vessel is still in motion, a large billow of smoke showing it’s trail. Suddenly, two large explosions burst forth from the hatch from which they had just escaped. He looks around frantically to see if anything/one decends from the ship, but does not see anything. Another raptor search group swings by and he is forced to climb inside the drain.

While they wait in the hole, Nigel inquires about Simon’s condition. Biletnikoff explains that their healing efforts, including those of many supernatural types, has been unable to have an effect. Since they are stuck in place, they take this opportunity to heal each other and patch up those that need it.

The after a few hours, they emerge the early the next morning. The distinctive whine of raptor engines can still be heard, with a few of them sweeping- most definitely a search party. They will need to keep on the move towards Junkyard, but will need to do so stealthily.

Simon recognizes the road they are on as I-84. Based on the old farm buildings nearby, he places them about 80 miles outside of JunkYard.

I-84 in North Deseret

Nigel checks the nearby vehicles. Though they have not been disturbed, they are quite rusted and do not provide enough workable parts to craft a working vehicle. They decide to take refuge in one of the slightly dilapidated farm buildings, being careful not to choose one that looks “too cozy”. Instead, they find one with a partially collapsed roof and hunker down in there. Simon is still rather weak, so they construct an improvised gurney to carry him.

Simon finally comes out of his slumber. They fill him in as to their current situation. He proposes they must return to the road that evening, and travel only by the cover of darkness. He insists on pushing for at least 20 miles each day. Nigel and Hammond express concerns, but Simon is adamant that he can make it. They rest until dusk and head out on the road.

a little over 20 miles outside JunkYard

After the third night of travel they take shelter in an old barn. Simon appears to be in a lighter mood. He notes that it has been some time since he was outside of Boise for such a long time. The last time that happened, he was on an equally problematic quest. Simon proceeds to tell them the story of his struggle with Baphomet, the demon of Templar lore. This demon could take over people’s minds, and make them do it’s bidding, leaving them with no memory of the events.

Simon and his posse tracked the demon down. With the food, shelter and information from an old woman in the woods, Granny Butterworth, they were able to locate the demon’s lair. With determination and some luck, they managed to destroy Baphomet. After the tale, everyone sets down to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Hammond and Nigel are startled awake by the sounds for a scuffle. They jolt up to find Winnie and Simon engaged in a struggle. Simon’s shoulder has been pierced. Winnie appears to have a large spike sticking out from her right forearm. Hammond yells out to wake the others while rushing forward to defend Simon.

Nigel recognizes the arm spike as a on of the infiltrator unit’s possible tools. He also notices she is making some kind of arcane gesture and speaking some kind of chant or spell.

Hammond rushes in and swings at Winnie. As she turns to defend herself, her face and body morph grotesquely. In just a few seconds she takes the form of an unfamiliar man. The group struggles to subdue her while simultaneously protecting Simon.

They manage to pin Winnie down, but before they can question her (it?) she wriggles free and blows her brains out with a sidearm.

The group is noticeably shaken, knowing that one of their own has just attacked them. They heal what they can and hit the road, in the event that there may be other attackers nearby.

The desert outside Junkyard.

Traveling through the dark, the crew is very cautious. Nigel leads just ahead of the pack. While Nigel goes unnoticed, Hammond spots a road gang ambush ahead. The road gang’s lookout spot’s Hammond at the same time. Hammond shouts out to prevent the group from walking into the ambush.

Simon and Biletnikoff hand back and take cover. Nigel, Soria, and Hammond rush forward to deal with road gang.

The road gangers have superior equipment, but were thrown off by being discovered. Nigel and Hammond get in a few decent shots to take out their mounted gunners. Soria ends up using Viridian Goliath. The mere sight of her stuns several of the road gang.

Amidst the struggle, the posse notices that a few of the gangers gun’s malfunction- curiously exploding. Once the firefight ends, they move in a bit closer. Despite the lack of their telltale wardrobe accessory, they determine the gangers were actually BlackHats. This fact is disturbing to all, and infuriating to Simon- especially considering they are well within range of the JunkYard Militia.

They finally reach one of the JM checkpoints. Immediately they are rushed into the center of town to meet with Isaac Taylor. On they way the receive first aid.

Inner Junkyard

Isaac Taylor, surrounded by an elite force of JM soldiers, greets the posse and Simon in particular. Taylor provides them with lodging at the JunkYard Hilton along with a credit for food, drink, and incidentals. In and around the hotel, a deployment of JunkYard Militia will stand guard, and the VIPs will be accompanied by an attache.

Sky Pirate Air Ship

The captain gives them a quick tour around the facilities of the
airship. Ben is very excited to finally be back in a flying machine
again. They peruse the lower floor first- including the ultralight
launch hanger and basic crew cabins. They are informed that the
bridge is on this level, but are not allowed to view it.

The top floor contains the mess hall, repair room, armory, crew
cabins, and observation area.

It takes a bit of time for the airship to get up to speed. The
captain mentions it will take about 7 hours to arrive in Junkyard,
provided the weather holds up.

After the tour is complete the members of the posse break out into
separate areas. Ben heads down to the hanger to talk shop with the
pilots and mechanics. Nigel heads to the mess hall with Soria. Ben
decides to stick around and speak with Simon.

Ngiel talks with Soria about the perils of being undead, and freakish
look of the cyborgs that can change their faces. She is not phased-
claiming she has to deal with being a horror show all the time, they
are just getting a bit of self plastic surgery.

Crew Cabin

Hammond’s conversation is short. Simon commends him for his
dedication to duty, but requests to have at least a bit of time to
rest before the big meeting. After all, he will have Biletnikoff
constantly watching over him considering his condition.

Cleibold does ask if he can have any more information regarding the
conference. Mr. Mercer does offer up some of the members attending.
There will be representatives from a group known as the Chamber
(junkers not affiliated with junkyard), Biletnikoff will be in
attendance as a member of the Librarians. The Schismatics, a purple
robed variant of the Cult of Doom will be there as well. Simon
expresses his distrust of the Schismatics, citing their beliefs as not
being all that different from those of the Cult. However, if Taylor
feels that they can contribute, he will go along. There will be some
other smaller organizations, but none of more notable mention.

Hammy expresses his instinct that this whole situation could be a set
up. Simon understands the concern, but points out that as Templars,
they are not above using their enemies as allies- as long as it puts
them in the front line. Sometimes, justice is served when evil
destroys evil.

Mess Hall

Ben returns from the hangar and grabs a quick bite. Hammond arrives
and grabs a bit of dinner as well. The posse returns to the crew
cabin to try and sleep.

Crew Cabin

Nigel takes a few moments to run through his rest cycle, then takes up
guard duty. An hour or so passes. Winnie emerges from the cabin
complaining of being unable to sleep. She starts talking with Nigel,
asking what it is like to be a cyborg. Then she heads off to take a
walk.

The Bridge

One of the 3rd shift crewman is surveying the skies. He is wearing
night vision goggles. Off in the distance he notices a little flicker
of motion. Suddenly there is a squad of Combine Raptors hovering out
from behind a rocky cliff. The sharp eyed crew member spots it,
shouting out a warning to all on deck. They fire off the alarms and
startle the whole ship awake.

The airship manages to start making some evasive maneuvers. The Sky
Pirates launch their own barrage of missile back, hoping to land a hit.
One of the Raptors is hit and crashes to the ground. This alerts the
raptors that their presence is know, and they begin a full on assault.
Unbeknownst to the passengers and crew, a large cargo raptor flies up
above the airship and offloads a squadron of automatons onto the
airship’s “balloon”.

Various areas of the Airship

One of the raptors swing up the site of the ship firing it’s machine
guns. Throughout the observation deck (2nd floor near the cabins)
glass shatters in a steady stream. Nigel sees this and takes a look
into the observation room. He finds that the gunner at the front of
the ship has been killed and hops into the pod to take his place.

Ben scrambles down to the hanger to see if he can assist there. Some
of the pilots have been shot up, so Ben hops in an ultralight and
launches out after the raptors.

Hammond is a bit shaken, so it takes him a moment to determine a plan
of action. He grabs Simon and carries him to the bath/shower area,
assuming the thicker walls may provide some protection. He gets on
the radio trying to coordinate and determine what the hell is
happening.

Nigel manages to place a few bursts from the gun pod into an incoming
raptor. This deals some damage, but does not down the aircraft.

Ben coordinates with the ultralight pilots. Some serve to distract
the raptors while others attempt to get shots off with their high
powered bombs. During this time Ben spies the automatons on the top
of the airship and radios down to the others.

Hammond sees some of the Sky Pirates heading down towards the Mess
Hall. He asks Dennis to keep watch over Simon. Soria and Hammond
gear up and head towards the Mess Hall to join in the fight with the
Sky Pirates. As they come upon the entrance they spy an automaton
tearing through the ceiling of the hall.

In the observation deck, an automaton shoots a hole in the ceiling and
climbs down. Nigel exits the gun pod and spots the automaton. He is
joined by a small squad of Sky Pirates. They manage to take down the
automaton, but suffer some casualties in the process.

Ben shoot down several of the automatons on the hull of the balloon.
He then joins in with the others to try and take out the Raptors.

Hanger Area

One of the Raptors circles around and rams it’s back end into the
hanger. A loading door opens on the back and a squad of automatons
dumps out. They begin mowing down the Sky Pirates. The Raptor frees
itself from the hangar and flies off.

Various areas of the Air Ship

Hammond scores a head shot to the automaton. Unfortunately this kills
it instantly and the explosion injures or kills most of the Sky
Pirates in the hall.

Ben, having exhausted his only bomb, bail from the ultralight and
floats himself into the airship through one of the automaton’s holes.
He rushes to meet back up with the rest of the posse. Nigel also
makes his way to meet with the rest of the crew.

Realizing that the ship is likely lost, the posse plans to abandon it.
They grab Simon and head down to the lower level. Unfortunately the
automatons in the hanger prevent using the ultralights to escape.

Winnie at the hangar door trying to hold off the automatons. The
posse remembers that there are repel ropes on this level. They locate
the ropes and harnesses. Unfortunately there are not enough harnesses
for everyone, and the automatons will need to be slowed to allow time
for Simon to escape.

Dennis and Ben decide to stay aboard, fighting the automatons so that
the others may have a chance to escape.

Junkyard

Ben expands the auto-shelter and the crew sleeps for the evening. In
the morning they hit the road, towards Boise.  They choose to make
minimal stops.  The arrive the next day, around 2 pm.

Simon’s Rock

The posse pulls up to the town of Simon’s Rock.  Despite the urgency
of Simon’s message, the people here seem to be no worse for the wear.
The gang suspects it may be that the locals have not been notified.

Boise

All of the group makes it through the Boise maelstrom unphased.
Firstly, they head to the town square and park the van.  Nigel and Ben
head to the Hospice, figuring that Soria will be there.  Hammond heads
toward the Temple to report.

Boise – Hospice

Ben uses his mental powers to locate Soria.  He and Nigel enter the
Hospice.  A squire informs them that the Hospice is full, they have no
more space for anyone- but allows them in once they notify him they
only whish to speak with Ms. Gaithers.  They come upon Soria and have
a nice bit of catch up on their dealings over the past few weeks.  She
has been keeping an eye on marilyn, but also providing medical
assistance wherever possible.

Boise – Temple area

Hammond approaches the Temple and hears a scuffle from around the
corner.  Then he recognizes the quick remarks andthe clang of metal on
metal.  There is a sparring lesson going on.  He peeks around to find
marilyn and Jonathan Douglas circling each other.

marilyn makes a few quick moves, but Douglas sweeps her leg out from
under her.  She comes up to a crouched stance.

Douglas approaches her – “Are you ready to yeild?”  "You already know
the answer to that"- marilyn quips.

At this point Douglas sees Hammond. “But I think we are done.. Unless
you wanted us to continue Mr. Hammond?” – Douglas.

marilyn runs up to Hammond and gives him a large hug.  They exchange
a few friendly hellos.  He comments on her new found fighting skills.
Before they get too involved in conversation, Hammond asks Douglas for
some information.

Douglas sends marilyn off to fetch some items to give to the
townsfolk so that He and Hammond can speak freely.  Douglas relays
what he knows, which is little.  Though he has been given orders to
stay here in Boise for the time being.  Hammond heads to the Temple.

Boise – Temple

The Temple is clear of parishoners, a sure sign that this is a matter
of great importance.  Biletnikoff the libraryian, Simon and two young
Templars are the only ones in the building.

The one younger Templar has the image of a knight of old- making a
strong effort to look the part of Lancelot.  The other is a young
woman, with short cropped hair, weilding a katana.

Hammond makes his presence know.

Simon – “It is… in some ways, good that you are here.  This
situation must happen soon, so it is most fortuitous that you are
here.  I’m sure you have noticed that there are precious few baring
the red and white.  There are other factors keeping our members busy.
Circumstances have conspired to weaken our presence here at the very
heart of our own order.”

S- “Brad Modeen struck down 3 of our higher members, incuding McConnel
who has shouldered the burden of righteousness almost as long as I
have.  Fortunately the destroyer has been dealt with, to that honor, I
bestow upon you Mr. Hammond”

The young Templars look on in awe, amazed to see that his is the one
responsible for Modeen’s death.

S- “Of late my health has been less than I would wish, and my physical
shortcomings are beginning to tell. Two of our elder members (Stillson and Kaiser) are here
on permanent duty to assist me in this matter.  Luckily i’ve been able
to bring in as many as I can.  The others on their way however, will
arrive too late for this particular mission.”

Simon introduces the two young Templars – Dennis Carlton and Winnie
Franklin.  They will assist Hammond in this most important mission.
He cannot reveal the details, but it is of utmost importance.  You
must remain here in Boise and await the call to action.  If they have
companions, they should be officially brought forth, and must be
available for this duty.  Simon dismisses them all.

Boise – Town Square

Hammond brings Dennis and Winnie back to the Van to meet the rest of
the posse.  On the way the three Templars speculate what the matter
may be.  Anti-Templars? an assault on the Cult of Doom or the Black
Hats?  Dennis asks him the secret to taking down Modeen.  Hammond is
careful not to brag-  and insists the answer was in fact his valued
companions.

Ben and Nigel arrive and get aquainted with the 2 young Templars.
Hammond catches them up to speed on Simon’s orders.  The whole posse
informs the Templars about the Incubus that is after marilyn.

Ben and Nigel meet up with marilyn and talk about their adventures
over past few weeks.  Hammond catches up with Soria.  She decides to
accompany them.  They all settle down for the evening Hammond in the
Barracks/ Ben and Nigel and others in the Auto-shelter.

Boise – Night

In the middle of the night Hammond and Ben are awoken by a loud scream
coming from the Hospice.  Ben attempts to wake up Nigel while on his
way out of the shelter.

They arrive at the Hospice and find there has been a murder.  A man
was killed.  His organs have been removed and arranged on the floor,
almost in a surgical type manner.

There is a large pool of blood on the floor.  Ben notices footprints
running down the hall.  They follow the prints which lead to a fire
escape.  They find some strands of brown cloth caught in part of the
escape.

Back in the murder scene room, they find other evidence.  There is a
very elongated, almost claw like bloody print on the wall.  They also
find a bloody wedding ring with the initials WTM – which matches the
name Warren Moran, that of the man in the room.

Curiously, the man shows no bruising or signs of struggle- it appears
he did not attempt to defend himself, nor was he bound.  One of the
people in a nearby room mentions that they heard someone open that
room and leave AFTER the scream.  Whispers abound that the Boise
Horror has struck again.  They do note that the moon is full.

They all head to Biletnikoff to get any information that they can. Biletnikoff gives them some of the history of the Boise Horror, it’s previous explanation of being a Blood-Wolf, etc. He explains that such a creature was despatched, but that the killings did not stop. They notice the Librarian has very many books on his desk pertaining to the occult, specifically demonology. In line with something that Ben had noticed, Biletnikoff points out that it could be that the man was mentally controlled, possibly by a syker or other type power. It is also noted that no Templar has fallen victim to it as of yet.

Upon further questioning, they realize that Biletnikoff may not be a threat, but that he seems to have a peculiar interest in the subject of demons. With no other actions within their power, and the seeming danger over, they go back to bed.

Boise – Day

A young squire approaches the posse, summoning them to meet with Simon. Douglas assures them that he will keep Marilyn safe, so they head to the Temple.

Boise – Temple

Simon reveals the nature of the secret plan. This group will escort him to and from a special conference in JunkYard. They will provide security for Simon, JunkYard will provide the transportation.

Isaac Taylor (head of JunkYard) has summoned Simon himself, as well as the leaders of other positive organizations. Simon does not know the full details, but all members involved are oppositional to the Combine, as well as other problem groups.

Boise – Town Square

The posse, along with Dennis and Winnie, discuss potential issues with the escort.

All of the members meet at the Temple and begin their trek to the rendezvous point. Biletnikoff attends as well to catalog this historic event. Everyone travels in disguise, attempting to look like a small group of traveling regular folks.

Rendezvous point outside of the Boise maelstrom.

The group arrives at a large clearing in the woods. They sit at the edge and wait until darkness. Simon orders 4 members into each corner of the clearing and gives them flares to light.

A short time later, a distinctive droning sound is heard. The sound grows nearer, and nearer; becoming louder with each second. The sky is enveloped by an unnatural blackness.

Finally, a bank of bright lights shines down on them- lights from a large zeppelin (almost 170 yards in length).

Ropes drop from the vehicle with crewmen sliding down to the earth. They guide the vessel down. A compartment door opens and a charismatic captain greets the would-be travelers. Captain Howard Phelps beacons them on board.

Simon is understandably wary. His hand grasps at the hilt of his sword. Simon calls out a security word – “Vertrag”

The captain admits he is not good at this “spy stuff”. He gives the counter word “Eisen”. He guesses that since they didn’t run, they were probably the folks he had planned on picking up. He does point out that unless they see these kinds of transports everyday, this is probably the only ride that is coming for them.

Simon stares him down, then begins to move forward onto the ship. The captain invites the rest in. He states he will be back, after they get the ship up in the air. It takes a few minutes for the massive dirigible to take off. The feeling in the air is electric as they coast off into the dark night sky.

Rocky desert outside JunkYard

The posse tries to find a way to preserve the multiple pounds of gator meat. Nigel suggests trying to salt cure it- but frankly they don’t have the time. Ben uses his pyrokinetics to heat up a nearby rock and cook the meat. They eat what they can and take the rest for the trip.

JunkYard Gate area

This trip was a blessing. No bandit road chases, no magical transports to creepy abandoned towns. The crew is thankful for that much.

The do not meet resistance at the gate. Since Nigel no longer has to worry about revealing his status as a cyborg, they avoid having another mess on their hands. Using trade from the extra items they have, they are able to pay for their weekly passes.

Junkyard interior.

Ben and Nigel mention their desire to acquire some additional equipment. Ben is looking for the last part of the Land Warrior package. Nigel is looking for some armor. Hammond is focused on getting the fuel and essentials so they can get back on the road. They all agree they need to visit Winister to have the black widow repaired.

Ben is able to track down the final piece of the Land Warrior system. The shop owner senses his desire, and drives a very hard bargain. With a bit of clever negotiating, they work out a deal.

They also head over to see the reporter they had met during their last stay in junkyard. They agree to a radio interview to relay their victory in Kingman, on the condition that their real identities not be revealed. Ben poses as the Burninator, Hammond as “the Templar” Nigel.. well, he is just Nigel. The story is a major hit- bringing in very high ratings.

Nigel is able to locate some additional pistols (tokorovs) and the appropriate ammo. They also purchase him some SWAT armor.

Ben is able to sell of the Blood Stone to a collectables dealer.

Kingman

The posse takes a day or so to make all of their appropriate trading
to stock themselves up for the journey. Final arrangements are made
for who will become the town leaders.

(The actions in Kingman have a widespread effect on nearby settlements
such as Globe and Near-Tuscon. Quality of life is drastically
improved and society begins building itself back up.)

The crew spends some time plotting out their route.

Based on their options, they actually decide to take a very similar
route as their last trip. This time they will avoid the anti-mutant
town. If need be they can stop by Bitter Springs as just a place to
camp out.

Ben and Nigel note that they still have the Confederate money they
found at the toll-gates. They may actually be able to use it at the
Sears outside of Page. Hammond expresses his concerns, but ultimately
they decide to stop there on the way.

Sears department store – outside Page, AZ

Nigel checks his internal clock – Nov. 12, 2094, a Friday. The store
is actually open.

Nigel waits back in the van while Hammond and Ben head in to the
store. They are greeted by strangely courteous man wearing a name
badge, indicting his name is Todd.
Todd provides them with directions to a variety of departments
(automotive, etc).

The stock in the store is very thin, but there is at least 1 of every
item. Attendants fold the same materials over and over.

They radio Nigel and mention that there may be some things (such as
clothing or parts) that he may desire. Nigel puts the black widow
into auto-mode and enters the store.

Inside the store they do find a decent wrench, some transmission
fluid, a few items of clothes.

Also, they find that this Sears has a small grocery section. They do
pick up a loaf of bread (fresh… curiously). Ben convinces them he can
try it first, and purge his system if it is poisoned. They note that
the store carries fresh jerky – but are concerned as to its origins.

When they have completed, they go to the checkout area and pay for
their items. As they exit the building Todd asks if they had found
everything. “We thank you for returning Mr. Collins. I’m sorry
about the customer-relations issue that you had last time. I assure
you we have rectified that. Would you like to sign up for our rewards
card?” Ben declines.

Rocky Desert outside of Junkyard

A roaming pack of walking dead is seen out in the distance. The sound
of the van’s engine seems to alert them. The zombies start moving
toward the van. Nigel makes the point that a pack that size could
prove to be dangerous- so it may be best to take them out.

They stop the truck to get a shot from afar. Nigel, Ben and Hammond
open fire on the incoming group. Hammond fires the black widow, Nigel
uses the laser sight rifle, Ben uses his rifle.

A few of the walking dead drop. Those left over charge the van and
quickly close the gap. As they near the vehicle, one of them strips
over a rock. Then the posse sees the rock moving.

As it turns, they see that the rock is actually a desert gator. It
quickly chomps down on the fallen zombie and goes into a death roll.

Nigel dispatches some of the zombies. Ben and Hammond focus fire on the gator.

The desert gator charges the vehicle and leaps onto the front of it.
Ben shoots it with his brain blast. Hammond exits the vehicle and
attacks the gator with his hammer. Nigel continues to fire at it with
the rifle.

Finally the large beast falls. They salvage several pounds of meat
from it. They also find an animal tracking device attached to its
body.

Kingman

The gang wakes after the long evening. Some of the groups sort through the salvage and spoils. They honor their agreements with the Grave Hunters, Roland and any others. Nigel takes most of the day to rest and allow his body to mend itself.

The messengers sent out the night before have returned from Near-Tuscon and the mutant camps, bringing with them a slew of refugees.

There is a bit of a rabble in the middle of town. A group of about 35 people stands in a rough circle, surrounded by several groups of the militia, resistance and mutant refugees . These groups have corralled all of the people who were present in town but did not fight, and are arguing over their fates.

Many want the non-combatants to be executed- equating the lack of fighting as compliance with the Cult. Others wish to strip them of all of their possessions and exile them. A smaller group wishes to let them go freely.

Seeing the crowd’s anger escalate, Ben and Hammond approach and call out for leaders from each group. The posse feels it would be best to discuss this matter with civility to prevent a riot or massacre.

It takes some time to quell the cries for vengeance. Through some careful negotiation Ben and Hammond are able to talk the groups into an agreement.

Using Ben’s mind reading powers, they will probe each of the individual’s minds. Anyone who is determined to be guilty will have an opportunity to defend themselves. Their defense will be judged by the leaders of the individual groups.

Those found to be innocent will be stripped of all but the bare necessities and sent out into the desert. Those found guilty will be dispatched. Nigel agrees to perform ay executions to ensure they are quick and as humane as possible.

Several of the non-combatants were indeed found guilty. This included one man who was definitely a psychopath.

Next the posse moves on to scrounging for info and provisions. Hammond and Ben discuss Nigel’s conversation with the mysterious man. Lo and Behold, he walks up to them out of nowhere and asks what they wish to know. In a short time, they realize he is none other than John Prophet (the fortune-telling man they met in NewTello).

Mr. Prophet discusses his reasons for being here. Nigel’s message was intended only for him. Nigel hold the boon and bane to himself.

John Prohpet talks about the nature of fate. He proposes that there are many paths. No one is locked into a fate unless they choose to be.

Prophet reveals that the Horsemen used much of their power to alter history, and as such they have been left vulnerable. Only the Eldest Stone knows what truly happened. But, he believes, the Reckoning is both their defeat and their success.

Prophet has been in “our” time line for 13 years, though he does not know precisely how long he was in the Hunting Grounds. Hammond asks how Prophet ended up in the Hunting Grounds in the first place. Prophet describes a device- the configuration, almost like a puzzle- but it was in fact the key to “hell”. He solved the puzzle, and was pulled into the gates that opened before him. The configuration still exists, though its form changes, so it is unknown what it may look like.

Prophet was trapped, but somehow escaped and killed one of his captors. In that spirit world, destroying another causes their power to be infused within you. He was hunted, but continued to fight them off and grow in power. That is the nature of the other world, now it has started to spill over into this one (Hammonds Vampire Vision as an example).

John Prophet lays out the final prophecy for each of them – asking first for their birth dates.

For Hammond – You are clever and conscientious. Ever apt to completing what you have begun. As you go on you can expect your wealth to gain. There shall be abundance. And as you complete important projects, you will move on to even larger ones. Your circumstance shall become better, yet it shall become worse. Which will become first? That I cannot say. It is only up to you.

For Ben – You have an interesting way of things. Often something simple can become big, something big is something small. What you think may be a major disaster, may only require a small effort. However, some small issues may require large effort. If you have no goal, now is the time to set it, to etch it into stone in your heart. For without this goal you will fail in whatever you do. Things will be different. The bad, the dark, shall change. Keep in mind that there is dark to come. I cannot see the light through this, perhaps not there, perhaps hidden.

The message that Prophet brings is clear. Simon has declared that any Templars shall assemble at the grand Temple in Boise. You are being called in, and must report. This is a general call to any who can be found, but time is of the essence. John Prophet’s job is complete, and he exits off to whatever his business may be.

The posse spends the rest of the evening and another day to scrounge up supplies and take care of arrangements in the town. Leaders are chosen to ensure safety and civility within Kingman. They also take the time to erect a memorial to the victory at Kingman.

Kingman – Mortar Area, Barracks, Oil Derrick/Factory

The battles at each of the sites continue with full fury. The tide turns as the ogres (ridden by gremlins) join in the fights on each of the rebel forces. Both cult and rebel forces are slowly whittled down in numbers.

Kingman – Oil Derrick / Factory

Ben’s forces manage to overtake the oil derrick. He sends a good portion of them to the barracks to assist Nigel. He also escorts a small group to the mortar area to help stop the barrage of death from above.

Kingman – Mortar Area

Hammonds squad has been trading blows with the cultists. Things have been moving, but their numbers keep getting lower. Ben and his troops arrive and put the advantage in the rebels favor. With a bit more work they are successful. Ben hops into one of catapults and Hammond launches him over to the barracks to assist Nigel.

Kingman – Barracks

Amidst the battle, a strange dark energy begins to flux and collect in one particular area within the barracks. There is a strange distortion surrounding this point, outlined in light. They hear the screams of millions of dead. Nigel feels a tug in his chest, like a fish flapping around. For the first time he hears the Manitou scream. Emerging from the distorted darkness is a strange man. His appearance is blurred, and he seems only partially within this realm.

The cultists see him and immediately fire. As the bullets enter his body, he seems to phase out/in slightly- like a hologram. The bullets stop in his body and fall to the floor. Nigel isn’t sure who this fellow is, but he seems to be fighting on their side.

Ben’s first squad arrives at this time. They provide some good leverage. At just this time, Ben comes flying in from across the sky. He softens his landing and joins in with the fight. In short order they lay waste to the remaining cultists.

Kingman

The remainder of the day is spent taking care of the cult stragglers left in the town. They set up a triage and start tending to the wounded soldiers and civilians. The Oil derrick and factory are saved. They discover the warehouse in the mortar area, was actually full of food and drink. They use the barracks as a place to burn the bodies of the dead before they collapse it.

The solemn feelings surrounding those lost, quickly give way to a focus on what was gained. In the evening the survivors hold a mighty celebration. Multiple bonfires dot the city. The town folk drink, feast, and party the night through.

Nigel pours out an honorary drink, and quietly asks for the Baron to give these folks the party of their lives. He hears the flip of a coin into the fire. A cloaked man behind Nigel grins a familiar grin, blowing a puff of smoke. “No problem. Why don’t you talk to your friend, the one I sent to you. He has something to say, not from me, but something none the less- so I brought him here- seems like just the right time.” The baron walks into the fire.

Nigel makes his way to the mysterious man.

Nearby, Ben and Hammond sit with a number of the other major players of the battle. A make-shift mariachi band plays as part of the celebration. They discuss their adventures. Ben heartily boasts his feats of greatness to the troops and civilians.

Nigel finds the stranger and sparks up a conversation.

Fate intertwines this world. And you are a part of it, in death or in life. There is something that I have seen on the other side that you need to know. Something the cards cannot tell. It is a message through time. Know this, that is not dead which can eternal lie- yet with strange aeons even death may die.

Fate is not something that is always set. If fate was real, the horsemen would have lost already. Choice is the ultimate one. In all the aeons, all the years, it will come to one moment. You will know it when it comes. A moment of great loss, the greatest loss- for it comes at the hour of your great triumph. This is the last prophecy I have for you.

Nigel inquires- “the last?”.

You asked before if it was all worth it. I told you, in some ways it is, in many it will not be. This prophecy deals with a greater concern than the incubus.

Nigel – “I always knew the price would be great.”

You cannot buy freedom, but you will pay for it. Ultimately it is your choice what to embrace. Such a few moments in the existence of all thing, of life, or the possible eternity of death. Any more curiosities Nigel?

Nigel – “Perhaps some should be left as questions to be answered on my own. One can always hope.”

Hope is not something I can afford. I have seen the face of the beyond, and it has stared back at me. Your sleep was a pleasant one, the slip of a needle- then death touched you. Fate assumes only one outcome- but there are many. The existence of two Stones at one point in time attests to this. What you live now is but a figment, a future that should have never been. But now forever will be. To travel in time, to change history is not a feat a mere inventor can make. It took them so much, so much of their last power to cheat, and stop that which had already been done. I have walked the path of Stone and arrived here from where he left. And I am cursed of knowing of a future without him, and without them. You must remember, “that is not dead which can eternal lie- yet with strange aeons even death may die”. You have no more questions which I will answer. Good night Nigel.

On the other side of the celebration, Hammond approaches Michael.

Hammond – “I suppose we’ve got a lot to be thankful for. Certainly appreciated your help.”

M – Your thoughts Hammond…?

Hammond – “Like we talked about before, this is a beacon of hope now. To see that people can rise up against the evils of the world.”

M – And to find victory in that. That was the important part Hammond. Not that you fight, but that you fight not in vain. That is the issue I have with the Templars. They often seem to think that their cause is the only one out there worth it. I do not begrudge your opinions, I just disagree. And if Simon really had a problem with it, we wouldn’t be talking- we’d be killing each other.

Hammond – “You know before all this kicked off, you said you know about the incubus problem we have.”

M – As much as I can know. I already told you that he is the last. There are different sections of beings on the other side. You can call them pantheons if you want. Every belief that has been held fast and hard by the people that believe them has them. God exists, and most certainly does the devil. And with them, a myriad of other creatures.

The four horsemen have not been the first of the demon gods and destroyers. They are the first to think of such an audacious plan and pull it off. They are the first to find a way to steal that which may in some ways belong to them, but there are many gods of war, are there not? Why would the majority of power go to one? That is how the balance was kept. No one gained it all.

They tipped the balance. With that, the power was spread around unevenly. Three beings gained much. Much more than they had ever anticipated. These three were siblings of sorts. The incubus is the last of these three.

Hammond – “Do you know the fates of the others?”

M – I know of the fate of one. It was destroyed long ago in the town of Gomorra. There was a family known as the Whateleys. They were a family of blood sorcerers, inbreeds and dark magicians. Perhaps you are familiar with the “Jersey devil”? The Leeds family is an offshoot of the Whateleys. Within the family they worshiped something dark and powerful. They succeeded and brought Knicknevin into this world.

Knicknevin was brought out into the world and put down by a good number of particularly dedicated heroes like your selves. The second is reported dead by your own history. Long ago an ancient creature of power rose in these lands as well, far to the north. It came to these lands and started to control things. It had a power to manipulate people. This being was a being of manipulation.

Hammond – “I think I know this story. The Templars spoke of it.”

M – Yes but it was here long before the Templars existed. The people of the land sealed it into a cave. It learned it could reach out, and it did. Eventually it gained the attention of one man and his posse of heroes. They fought a great battle and in the end, the second of these demon lords, Baphomet, was laid down by none other than Simon Mercer himself. Perhaps that is what haloed him into the king-leader he has become.

One remains. I do not know it’s name. To know its name is to know it’s power. And in the killing stroke, the others heroes found the names of the first two. It is known only as the Incubus. There are other incubi, but he is the first to rise above being a lowly demon. He is THE incubus, at least to you.

He seeks to undo the prison of spiritual existence. As long as he is in the other realm, they can control him. The horsemen have him held on a leash in the spirit world. However, their presence in this realm means their powers in the spirit realm are weakened. If it can make itself physical it will be like you. Free to act and choose to disobey the horsemen.

The incubus has a place of power. In there he is the most powerful he can be. But in there he is not yet immortal. But entering this world he will have his powers unchained. That is why he seeks the girl. It is through her defilement that he may live once more.

Through her corruption, he could be born. It is through his seed that he will birth himself. At the end she shall be the mother of a twisted god. That is if you fail. You always have a choice. Wouldn’t it be easier to put a bullet in her head.

I know everything the incubus wants to do because it has tried before. Perhaps you can do, or not do, what I could not, and have. Though it may damn you, if you must -shoot her to prevent it. The fate that awaits her if the Incubus succeeds is far worse than merciful death. It will change you forever. It will mark your soul as it has mine – though some evil can be done for the sake of good.

Hammond decides they will start getting prepared the next day. They will also need to firm up relations with the gremlins. Then they shall head out after the Incubus.

Kingman Wall to the Fort District

Ben, Nigel, and Hammond lead off three groups to attack the main wall to the Fort. The combined effort of all three groups puts a lot of pressure on the Cult’s forces.

They use some of the nearby buildings to get on the same height as the guards on the wall. This tactic proves to be quite effective.

Try as they might, the Cultists fail to hold off the incoming rebel forces. In an effort to protect their forces, several of the Cult doomsayers bunch together and use the “China Syndrome” power to melt the incoming bullets.

Some of the doomsayers within the walls are attempting to heal their wounded. The posse tries to concentrate fire in that area to stop them.

Another doomsayer performs a strange ritual at the main gate. A glowing radiation symbol marks the location. Nigel zooms in and assassinates the green-robe before he can pull off his power.

The posse continues with their assault. What few cultists remain fall back to safer locations. They use the fire truck to ram the gate and start entering the Fort District.

Kingman Inside the Fort District

The posse enters, along with the rest of the rebels. Before them stands the Cult barracks. To the Northwest is the Fuel derrick. They start formulating a plan of attack.

They know that they must secure the derrick, but need to be careful so the Cult does not blow it up. They will be unable to do so, if they do not hold off the cultists in the barracks- so they will need to split up.

A high-pitched whistle is heard by one of ex-military troops. “Mortars!” A rain of explosives comes down just near the posse. Indeed, they see more fire coming from atop a warehouse to the Northeast. They will need to deal with the mortars in addition to the other two areas.

They decide it is best to split into three forces. Hammond’s group moves to take out the mortars. Ben’s crew heads to the derrick. Nigel’s force assaults the barracks.

The following sections all happen simultaneously

Warehouse – Mortar area

Hammond’s crew has a tough time making it over to the warehouse due to all of the incoming fire. It takes several pushes before they can make it to the walls of the building. They use a car hood as makeshift protection. Unfortunately the lower wall sections have been fortified with armor plating.

Suddenly, from the top of the warehouse, a loud “KA-Chungk!” is heard. Three massive metal spheres launch into the air. Two fly off into the distance. The third lands near Hammond’s crew on the ground.

As it comes close, they see that the sphere is actually a mesh cage packed with zombies. They’re using a Zombie-pult! The cage lands and ejects the zombies out. Hammond’s crew has to turn and fight off the zombies before they can deal with the mortars.

They take out the zombies and ascend the walls of the warehouse. Finally they begin to make some headway on the mortar crews.

Barracks

Concrete road dividers have been positioned and are being used as cover by he cultists. Nigel’s squad fights through the line and takes out the guys at the barricade.

From across the sky a large sphere full of walking dead flies towards the rebels. Nigel spies it and blasts it in mid-air.

Nigel calls on Michael to attack. Michael thrusts his spear to the side of the building, as the surrounding area distorts into a portal. Viking warriors and valkyries step forth and slay a group of cultists, then disappear back into the portal.

The Cultists retaliate. Bursting through one of the walls is a viridian goliath charging right at Nigel. Lt. Winthorpe produces his rifle and takes the monster out in one shot.

A group of small mutants runs out on a suicide bombing mission and blows up a few of Nigel’s men.

A roar comes from outside the walls of the Fort district. A Gremlin riding one of the large ogres charges up from behind and storms the barracks. It breaks a whole in the cult troops by chucking a road, divider at them. The rebels start pushing their way in.

Derrick and oil factory

Ben’s group bursts through the gate, only to find they are being fired upon. The shots are coming from a small fortified building equipped with mounted guns.

Roland spots an incoming ball full of brain-eaters and uses a nearby grenade launcher to destroy it.

Leaping down from one of the towers is a Doomsayer, morphing mid jump. He lands on the ground, a hulking viridian goliath. Ben keeps the beast busy while the rest of his crew continues the fight.

Ben’s squad keeps a steady fight up and makes some slight advancement. After some time, he is finally able to put the hulk down and continue on with the rest of the battle.

Both the Main Gate and the Marketplace battles occur simultaneously

Kingman Main Gate

The forces from Near Tuscon have started pouring in through the destroyed main gate. Hammond leads the charge along with Michael, Dixon, Roland, and Tulip. The numbers on both sides are more or less evenly matched.

Initially they focus fire on the towers to allow more of their forces to move into the town. Unfortunately some vehicles have been placed in the middle of the road as a barrier, creating a bottleneck at the inner gate.

Hammond calls out for Michael to focus on the Northeastern tower, since there is a very heavy focus of troops there. The clouds circle around above the tower as a massive bolt of lightning crashes down upon the tower. This results in an explosion sending quite a few cultists to their graves.

The rebel forces continue to enter in a steady stream, overwhelming the cultists.

The rebels swarm and take over one of the towers. The Grave Hunters start pouring in through the front. They circle around and start thinning out the cult’s numbers.

The cult gets a few reinforcements from neighboring areas, holding back the assault for a short time. The additional cult troops take out some of the rebel soldiers.

The Grave Hunters hook up the vehicle barricade to their bikes, and clear a path to the center of town. Hammond sends Tulip and a small group of soldiers to assist in the marketplace.

The tide of battle seems to swing back in the favor of the rebels. “For Kingman!” becomes the rallying cry of the resistance. They are able to hold the line against the oncoming troops. Hammond uses lay on hands to patch up a few rebels.

Hammond spots an obscured area that the cult is use as a triage. They are actually patching up the wounded using their doomsayers’ powers. They notice they have been spotted and the doomsayer comes out to join the fight.

Hammond engages him in close combat. His hands go up and energy starts gathering for his nuke power. Hammond calls out to Roland- He takes aim and shoots the doomsayer straight through the temples.

The death of one of the leaders sends the cultists into a frenzy of desperation. The battle rages on.

From outside the gates they hear a loud horn sound off. A large contingent of reinforcements bearing the green banner of the cult comes roaring through the desert. They quickly approach the town, but just before they arrive the earth beneath them rumbles. Bursting through the dirt are several giant ogres (the large mutated gremlins). Nearly a hundred gremlins emerge and start fighting off the cultists. They even pick up the cultists weapons and begin using them.

Hammond calls out to the rebel force not to shoot, that the gremlins are their allies. Tulip and Haldeman arrive with a small group of rebels to assist.

A few moments later Ben comes “flying” up to the front, along with some of the group from the marketplace. They see the gremlins aiding in the fight and are equally shocked and relieved.

With all of the extra firepower they make quick work of the cultists. Some of them manage to escape back towards the derrick.

Kingman Marketplace

Nigel’s group makes their way to the marketplace to join Ben and the others. The cultist presence is very high in this area, but the rebels use the guerrilla tactics to their advantage. The local merchants scatter as the firefight intensifies.

The cultists begin taking refuge in the buildings. The rebel crews launch some Molotov cocktails into the buildings to flush out the cult forces. Nigel sets up his group in a fire line to take out the escaping cultists. “Front line – take a knee and fire!” Utilizing the ancient British war tactic manages to befuddle the enemy, leaving them vulnerable.

Haldeman opens fire in a barrage and takes out quite a few men.

A group of elite guards emerge from the west. Their grenade launchers thump loudly, taking out several of the rebels.

Charlie makes quite an effort to heal the wounded with her med-packs, but they are falling too quickly to make any headway. Nigel and Ben use the radio to call out to the front gate crew for some reinforcements.

Ben rally the troops with his orders – “Stop dyin’ assholes!”

Nigel uses his undead status to absorb a few bullets and protect the resistance fighters. Again the cultists launch a stream of attacks. Ben uses his force field power to absorb some of the fire. Charlie uses the last of her med packs to revive a few troops, she is then pinned down due to gun fire.

Car-el comes crashing through a bunch of cult troops in order to save Charlie. Tulip and the troops from the main gate arrive and make a big turn around in the battle.

Nigel’s line formation advances and continues to lay waste to the cult troopers. The resistance starts giving the cult one hell of a fight.

Tulip assists in bolstering the spirit of the resistance even more. They keep up a very strong fight and continue to whittle down the cultists. The battle rages on.

Ben blasts several troops with his pyro powers. Suffering substantial losses the cultists begin falling back towards the derrick. More and more of them begin turning tail.

Ben and Nigel tell Tulip and her troops as well as Haldeman to head to the gate, since they have this area under control. They take out the rest of the cult troops. Ben and some of the mutant-crew head up to the gate. Nigel stays back to help secure the marketplace.

Kingman Main Gate – after battle

The gremlin from their previous venture emerges and greets the posse. They ask why the gremlins had joined in the battle, when they had insisted on staying away from everyone.

It explains that the gremlins chose to fight to ensure that their preferred type of meatmen would be in charge, rather than the cultists. The posse offers them the bodies of the cult members as an offering.

The posse starts gathering the troops together to determine where they stand in numbers and supplies. Those who can, assist with the wounded. They start making plans for the assault on the derrick/fort section.

Near-Tuscon

Hammond leads the Grave Hunters up to the town of Near-Tuscon. A secondary barrier wall has been constructed. The orientation of people has swapped. Civilians and refugees are inside and the trained guards are on the outer portion.

The new wall shows signs of combat. The guards are very wary of the large group pulling up. Hammond smooths things over and the Grave hunters enter the town. They find out that some of the Cult’s scouting parties have attacked; small bands of Trogs and Vengeance, but no significant force. The town guards and militia suspect there is someone out there watching, but they haven’t found them yet.

The towns people show a bit of fear about the Grave Hunters, leaving them on their own within the town.

A few hours later 2 cars pull up out of the wastes. The guard follows them with their mounted weapons. Hammond calls out to the town members to get up on the walls and brace for an attack.

The first vehicle is familiar, but the second is not. The vehicles stop and an odd looking man gets out. “We are expected, we are friends” The voice sounds familiar. Hammond calls to him “Nigel is that you?”

Nigel –“ Mr. Hammond.” Hammy- “What the hell happened to your face?” Nigel- “Expedient disguise”.

Ben offers them bad news and good news. The bad is that they found Charlie Silverfox. The good news is that she is alive… Car-el interrupts and announces that his presence is the real good news. Hammond is a bit confused about the voice coming from the car at first, but soon realizes what it is.

Hammond fills them in on the increased Cult scout appearances and the new recruits he’s brought with him. Ben and Nigel provide the intelligence regarding the status of Kingman, as well as their own rebellious allies. They also pull out the copy of the Kingman map from the resistance and begin plotting their plan of attack.

Several plans are kicked around, including one where they lure the Cult out into the mountain pass. While this would certainly be a good strategic move against a normal force, the Cultists have shown there is little to no regard for others, which could mean that they would nuke the whole area and destroy everyone.

Eventually they all decide on a coordinated interior/exterior attack. Ben and Nigel will head back in with the rest of the mutant team and some minor weapons. Tulip volunteers to go, revealing that she is in fact a mutant (blue vein-like stripes line the sides of her abdomen). However, they request that she stay with the main force from town, since she is viewed as a leader.

The interior group will need to create a major distraction in the center of town, while also keeping the rear end of the gate busy until the rest of the force can punch through. It takes the rest of the day and into the evening to make preparations for the battle.

A search party is sent out to find the Cult scouts. In the middle of the night they come across the Cultists and get a good jump on them. The search party is victorious, and both forces will have a clear path back to Kingman without fear of alerting the town.

Kingman

Nigel and Ben head back to Kingman with the rest of the mutant crew. They make it through the gates much easier this time around. They are directed to hang around the section near the scavenging groups until they can find an appropriate shelter for everyone.

Nigel and a small group of resistance head toward the back end of the gate to get themselves in position. Nigel climbs on top of one of the higher buildings to maintain radio contact with the main force.. Ben and the others meet up with the main rebel group in the sewer and explain the intended actions of the assault.

Mountain pass

Hammond rides in the van with the main leaders of the battle. The forces from Near-Tuscon pull up to the last leg of the journey and wait for the signal from Nigel. Hammond has not yet seen Michael yet, but has faith that he will appear.

Tulip uses the time to harden the spirit of the militia with a rallying speech. Roland preps his weapons. Dixon makes sure all of the heavy equipment and groups are ready. He commends Hammond on his heroism and leadership. They receive a signal over the CB: it’s time to move.

Kingman – main gate

Nigel and his group ready themselves to attack the inner gate. They chuck some Molotov cocktails at the guard towers and fire up at the Cult guards. A flurry of activity surrounds the gates. Nigel blasts up at the tower with is plasma. Haldeman charges up and provides some covering fire.

Kingman – marketplace

Ben and his troupe move into position underneath the marketplace. They are positioned beneath scattered manhole covers to spread the chaos quickly. They swarm out of the holes, send the traders and civilians into a frenzy. Ben lights up one of the buildings with a large fire. Charlie starts tending to the rebels with her constructed medpacks.

The Kingman guards responds by diverting toward the center of town.

Kingman – main gate

The convoy arrives and begins launching the assault. Militia hops off the vehicles and moves in to cover. Hammond shouts some commands out the window and fires up the Black Widow

The sky seems to light up even brighter, despite it being around noon. A massive flash of lightning precedes a massive thunder crack. One of the major kill-box towers explodes. Michael soars down from the skies, revealing that his black “tabard” was actually a large set of black wings.

Hammond directs some of the troops to fire the dual-purpose grenades, punching some decent sized holes in the gate. Then they use the missile launcher to turn it into dust. The blast knocks down many of those on the walls, including some of Nigel’s men. The militia starts forcing their way in through the opening.

The Kingman guards rush from the nearby sectors to support those at the gate. Nigel’s group launches their last attacks and heads back towards the center of town.

Kingman – marketplace

Nigel and his group join in on the fight at the marketplace. Charlie continues to bob and weave through the fighters, providing medical assistance to the injured resistance. Ben is firing off at various enemies while simultaneously blasting foes with his brain.

Outside Near-Tuscon

A giant dust cloud billows out across the desert. The cloud comes closer and closer, until finally it’s origins are revealed. The small army of bikers that is the Grave Hunters roars through the open sand. The sight is both alarming, and relieving for Hammond. They might just have a chance.

Kingman – Rebel hideout

Nigel and Ben find out the general location of the weapons cache from Sarge. There is a partially fallen housing building on the outskirts of town. The cache is located within that area. Unfortunately, the surrounding area is used fairly regularly by the Cultists and mutants.

Sarge also expresses concerns in regards to getting a stash that size outside to the others. Gator-Jay says they should only smuggle out a portion, leave the rest to assist the resistance forces. Nigel suggests using the cover of night to allow Ben to float the munitions over the wall.

Ben points out they will still need someone on the outside, or at least a hiding place to stash the weapons for later pick-up. The crew discusses other possibilities. If they are able to obtain Car-el, they may be able to use it to assist in smuggling the weapons.

Nigel inquires about underground tunnels. One of the resistance members mentions that the sewer lines pretty much end around the edges of town. There is a section of the wall near the cache that has slightly fewer patrols. If they are able to get the weapons to this area, they could bring them across at that point.

Even if they are able to get them to the right section of wall, they are concerned with who can transport them. Margaret the midget is stealthy enough, but can’t carry much. Nigel may be able to do it, but he would need to be covered. The rebels mention the section isn’t heavily patrolled, but there is a gap between the city and the walls where they could be seen.

Ben inquires how the traders end up with their goods, perhaps they could use the same methods. Sarge explains that there are agreements amongst the traders and the Cult. Dedicated salvage parties gather the items. The salvage parties all work for the Cult and hand over the best items. Everything that is left goes to the traders.

Margaret mentions that the guard didn’t search them when they arrived. They speculate it may be possible to smuggle some of the items out on the jeep- almost in plain sight. The Cult already expects them to go back out to retrieve the rest of Gator’s tribe, so this could provide a good cover. Unfortunately, the jeep doesn’t have much storage room left, once the crew is all seated. Also, having too much stuff loaded in the jeep may draw attention to them.

They propose another plan that involves creating a distraction. Explosions may raise too much suspicion, but a fire could easily explained as natural, or an accident. If they set off a fire in a vital area (such as near the residential area) a good portion of the troops will need to go and assist. They’ll also want to have a secondary distraction (explosion?) to create a chaotic environment. They can use the diversion to transport the items over the wall.

Ben notes they may not be allowed to leave once the chaos starts, so if they plan to smuggle anything out the front, they’ll need to do so before the diversion begins. They also decided it would be best to try and smuggle the weapons out the front. They can use the jeep, and possibly use another vehicle. Unfortunately they do not have a method to obtain a second vehicle.

Charlie chimes in and reminds them that they can use Car-el. After all, the crew is going to be bringing a whole bunch of other mutants. It would be reasonable enough for them to have acquired a vehicle for this purpose. Sadly, they will need to find Car-el. They can use Charlie’s commo unit to contact Car-el and find where he is. They spend some time repairing the communications unit.

Ben is able to contact Car-el. Car-el was trying to hide, but was found by a trader. The trader doesn’t know anything about cars, but his friend is supposed to come by tomorrow- most likely they’ll be chopping him up for parts.

Ultimately they decide to send Nigel and Margaret to retrieve the weapons cache. They will navigate through the sewers to get into place and bring them back to central. Ben will put on some of the rebels’ hobo rags and traverse the sewers to the center of town and sneak into the shop holding Car-el.

Kingman Marketplace

Ben is lead to the center of the market place. Car-el guides him to the outer area of the garage, attached to an old Texaco station. Ben picks the lock and enters the shop. He mind scans the building and detects someone upstairs, most likely asleep. Ben struggles with how to handle this person. He is reluctant to kill them, but feels it may be necessary.

Kingman Residential Outskirts

Nigel and Margaret find the collapsed building that Sarge had described. They stealthily navigate to the interior of the building. Nigel has trouble getting his bearings, but Margo is quickly able to find the cache. They load up as much as they can into the duffle bags and move them out to the sewers.

Kingman Marketplace

Ben is still conflicted about how to handle the trader. He reads the mind of the shop keep and finds the man has no particular malice. Ben sneaks his way into the garage without tripping off the bell on the door. He greets Car-el.

The two of them develop a plan to escape quickly and quietly. Ben heads up to the 2nd floor to silence the shop keep. He moves noiselessly through the dark up to the sleeping trader sleeping in bed. Ben covers the man’s mouth, waking him instantly. Ben moves his face in close- “I’m taking the car, you’re going to give it to me or you will be wishing for death.”

Near-Tuscon

Nigel, Ben, and Hammond debate the needs for the infiltration mission. Hammond mentions they will most likely need to be in disguise, considering there may be folks left in Kingman that could recognize them from the first battle. Even if those who recognize them are friendly, it could blow their cover. Ben argues that they killed anyone from the hill-people that might have recognized them. In the end, they err on the side of caution.

Hammond gives them the biker outfit and bandito costume to use for disguises. Ben suits up in the biker outfit, sans face wrappings. Nigel sports a hodge-podge of clothing and a biker helmet to obscure his face.

Nigel and Ben discuss a plan for getting in through the gates. Hopefully the mutants will allow them passage. Ben puts forth the idea of using Nigel as a human prisoner, perhaps being offered in exchange for their safe passage into the city.

Nigel replies “Why is it that every time we get into a difficult situation, I’m always the first one to get thrown in front of the gun?” Ben retorts “ Why is it that every time we’re in a difficult situation, Hammond’s always the one set on fire?” Hammond simply states “because you can take it.”

Ben and Nigel take Gator-Jay (the snake man), a rather large man with Rhino-like skin and Margaret the midget along for the operation. They develop a plan to offer up a story. They will claim that their people were kicked out of Near-Tuscon by the intolerant humans. They came upon a battle between the Cult’s patrol and the humans of Near-Tuscon. They are at odds with the Near-Tuscon folk and wish to join the Cult, since they are fellow mutants

Hammond gather up the supplies and recruits a few trained townsfolk. The two men from town can guard the trade supplies while Hammond negotiates with the mercenaries. They head out towards the way station in hopes of reaching it before night fall.

Outside Kingman

Nigel, Ben, and the three others drive through the mountain pass and arrive at the outskirts of Kingman. They can see that the town is considerably more fortified than the first time around. The mounds of junk that had previously surrounded Kingman have now been actually formed and molded into a proper wall. The gates have been rebuilt and guard towers were added.

Ben mentions it is good that they have the missile launchers. Nigel suggests they may be able to bring some of the wall down from the inside, possibly using the C-4.

Ben – “I’m just fleshing out steps B and C… of course, if step A doesn’t work, we won’t have to worry about the battle.” Nigel – “Mr. Collins, your sense of humor is noted, but not always appreciated.”

They cross their finders and approach the main gate. Four guardsmen point their guns at the approaching vehicle. There is a small platform jutting out from the wall. A man in a bright green cloak, emblazoned with the Cult of Doom’s symbol, steps forward and calls out. “What business do you have in Kingman”. His red flecked eyes glare down upon them.

Ben- “We have information of Near-Tuscon”. He mentions the Cult’s party in the Tuscon maelstrom. The Cultist is disturbed by their knowledge of this, and beckons him to speak quickly.

“How do I know that you are not the ones who killed them?” The red-eyed man asks. Ben relays the story they had pre-planned. The Cultist thanks them for the information, but questions what they actually want.

Gator-Jay explains his people’s plight and begs for entrance. The Cultist is interested, but wants to know what they are offering for asylum. Nigel chimes in that they can offer some weapons and supplies, as well as able bodies for labor.

The Cultist insists that the Englishman take off his mask. He is not convinced of Nigel’s mutation; the guards point their guns direct at Nigel. “Oh My.” Ben gives Nigel a quick look and a wink. He then points the gun at Nigel’s chest and fires. Nigel slumps back as if he were dead.

The Cultist is entertained- but wants to know why they brought a human. Ben lifts Nigel’s shirt to reveal his “mutant” skin. “Why did you shoot him then?”

Ben replies- “If you didn’t like him, we’ll get rid of him.” “I like your style. If you and your people have a similar viewpoint- we could use your help.” The Cultist states.

The crew is waved inside. Nigel whispers- “Mr. Collins, what do you plan on doing with me now?” Ben – “We’ll figure that out as we go”.

Just inside the gate a large killzone courtyard has been constructed. They have no immediate exit. One of the Kingman guard insists they stop to dispose of the body. They smell the distinct odor of burning bodies, Nigel is very apprehensive, but considers possibility of using the corpses as a way to hide.

Ben tries to use the excuse that his companions are interested in eating the flesh. The guard is not accepting of this. Ben pushes, saying that the dead man owes him something. The guard hints, not-so-subtly, that they could leave HIM something, and he will look the other way. They take Nigel’s SA rifle and give it to the guardsman. This seems to suffice, he sends them through.

Kingman

As they roll into the main town, they see things have become strangely ordered. Admittedly this is much more organized and structured than the Kingman they had left. There is an actual market and shopping district. There is a roadblock in place preventing vehicles from passing into the square. A few guards direct them to a parking facility.

On the way to the parking area they notice some trogs and Vengence patrols moving about. They arrive at a semi-stable parking garage (only the top 2 layers collapsed).

They figure that Nigel will need to have a better mutant disguise in order to move freely.
Nigel makes an observation” I think it’s interesting, for a group that touts itself on the acceptance of mutants, that they would scoff at me, a bona fide mutant, for not looking mutant enough.”

Ben quips- “I thinks it actually because you look too British.” Nigel –“ Well perhaps we could disguise my face”. They ponder the idea of burning his face. Nigel argues with is AI regarding the use of his Plasma hand to burn his face. Ben suggests using his powers to ignite Nigel’s face, but the chances of causing a serious injury is too high.

They finally settle on the idea of using some mutated flesh on Nigel’s face. There is a distinct lack of skin/animal hide around to use for this purpose, nor do they have anything to trade with. Since Ben will be able to almost instantly heal, he volunteers.

Ben scrapes off a layer of his gnarly chest flesh. Nigel nonchalantly uses his knife to peel his own face off. Since disposing of it would be a waste, Nigel ingests his face skin to assist with healing the gunshot wound Ben caused earlier. Nigel stays back with the jeep to allow time for the new skin to merge with his flesh.

Ben and the others head back towards the market area to get the lowdown. They notice none of the vendors is trading weapons or ammo. They approach one of the vendors and Ben begins chatting him up about the town. The trader is surprisingly open, and shares his own take on the conditions of the town.

The trader is happy as a clam. He very much dislikes humans. He claims the first battle of Kingman was a massacre of the mutants- things have been better since the Cult took over (though they now have to pay tribute, but it’s a small price). Ben reads the guys mind, and concludes he is telling the truth. He does provide some info about Kingman’s current structure.

Ben decides to use a different tactic. This time he’ll ask around to find out what parts of the town he should “avoid”. He finds another trader willing to chat a bit. This guy seems a bit more sly. His many hands extend out to shake with Ben.

The curious merchant attempts to hock his wares- most of which are trivial trinkets with little or unknown user. Ben starts asking some questions. The merchant makes it clear that survival in the town involves paying dues. “Are we shoppin, or are we talking?” Ben hands over his watch.

The merchant answers in riddles and double-entendres. He reveals that the Cult has set up their main barracks at the most important part of town (the fuel derrick). Eventually the conversation turns towards talk of the mysterious arms dealer. The trader gives a name – “Baker N. Main”. Ben picks up on the hint and heads back to the others.

The band of misfits grumbles about how hideous Nigel’s new face is. Then Ben informs them of the conversation with the trader. Nigel vehemently doubts the validity of this information. They admit that he may not be entirely trust-worthy and send Margaret to survey the intersection of Baker and Main.

Margaret returns after a quick scouting. There is little there save for some dilapidated buildings and a few bums. Only a few guards had patrolled. They all head to the spot.

Nigel heads in alone while the others huddle off near the corner. He heads towards what looks to be an empty building, though they think it may be good cover for a rebel hideout.

As he approaches the entrance a nearby bum drunkenly blurts out “Hey..What’r you doin? Crazy.. talking bout you, that’s my building.

Nigel replies politely” Oh then may I come in?”. The bum “What do you wanna go in there for?”. “Spot of tea?” Nigel replies. The bum is not amused – “No, I don’t think you should go in”.

The bum rustles up close and offers Nigel a swig of moonshine. He questions Nigel about his reasons for entering again. Nigel says “I’m looking for cover from the dark. Is there a particular reason I shouldn’t go in?”

“That depends…” says the bum as he leans in close and pokes a bum barrel through Nigel’s armor. “…Who are you working for?”

“Let me venture a guess. You’re sitting on the outskirts of town because it’s not very welcome to be in the center. You chose a place out in the midst of nowhere, where fewer patrols come, and the derelict building provide a good place to hide from the men in green.”

The bum responds “oh we don’t hide in there. Go to the guy at the barrel. Tell him you had a swig of the good stuff and need to go to the bathroom.” He then resumes a drunken ramble and wobbles away.

Nigel tells the Ben and the others what happened. Ben makes a smart-ass remark about trusting this random stranger. Nigel walks over to the barrel and relays the message. The man at the barrel kicks the side and the barrel slides away, revealing a manhole.

The crew climbs down and is greeted by a small group of armed rebels. The rebels lead them down several tunnels, each full of people and supplies. The rebels include all manor of folks, men women, children etc.

They arrive at a sealed door. The rebels give a special knock and are allowed inside. There is a group inside in the midst of an intense discussion. An older bearded gentleman is discussing the tactical situation within Kingman with a stocky fellow. The stocky one responds in a very familiar voice. The “Sarge” spouts off his desire to attack from one main angle with a distraction, but they need more firepower and men..

Nigel shouts out- “Actually, I think we have all of that”. An instantly recognizable squeal is heard from somewhere in the crowd. Charlie Silverfox pushes her way through and gives a very warm welcome to Ben and Nigel.

Ben and Charlie catch up on what has happened with each other. Ben tells of their adventures and Charlie explains how she completed Car-el and ended up in Kingman.

Nigel argues with the Sarge about Britain’s role in the end of the world. Sarge- “If the English were running things, I’d be sitting on my tuffet drinking some Darjeeling with Mrs. Mayberry.” Nigel- “ Yes and perhaps if that had happened, we wouldn’t’ have the 4 horsemen loose on the Earth killing everyone in their path” Sarge- ‘I’m pretty sure that was coming one way or another”. Nigel – “Well, at least they would have done it properly”.

They settle their differences and work on getting everyone up to speed regarding the Near-Tuscon forces and what type of strategies and tactics they will need.

Way Station

The jeep full of supplies pulls up outside a shantytown. A large building in the middle has a neon light giving the name “The Missionary”, along with a crude graphic.

Hammond and the two townsmen arrive. One of the guard is a bit shaky, and even admits he’s only fired the gun once before.

Hammond instructs them to stay with the supplies and enters the bar. The raucous crowd in the bar silences for a moment as Hammond enters the door. He gives them a glance over and heads to the bar.

The bartender seems busy and agitated. Hammy offers some trinkets and orders a drink. He leaves a little extra as payment for his questions. “Out of all the guys in here, he’s the toughest?”

The Bartender pauses for a moment…”The toughest, or the best?” Hammond replies “the best “ . The barkeep points him to the gaming table at the back corner.

As he approaches, one of the men at the table leaps up –“How the hell do you get 21 3 times in a row? You’re an F… cheater, you..” BLAM BLAM, the man is shot down.

The crowd clears away, and revels the smoking guns. Roland Delacroix sits at the table smoking a small cigarillo.

“We seem to meet each other like this” Roland says”. Hammond says “Fate has a funny way.” Rowland agrees. “So what do you want killed?”

Hammy relays the situation, they want to take back Kingman. Rowland expresses his dislike for what had happened. He has a bit of a desire for payback on the Cult. Hammond offers Roland some of the prize items form the jeep, as well as first pick on the spoils from the battle.

Hammond asks for others. Roland takes him to the brothel next door and introduces him to the Grave Hunters (a rough gang of mercs). Their leader Big Red drives a hard deal, but when offered the same as Rowland, as well as the jeep itself, they have a deal. The will finish up their business at the brothel and join up to head out to Near-Tuscon. Big Red also seemed interested that Tulip was involved- seemed impressed that she was a leader.

Roland has a bit left to clear up from the tavern, he’ll ride in with Hammond when finished. As Roland enters the “Missionary” a voice calls out from the darkness.

Hammond recognizes the shadowy figure as that of Michael (Jonathan Douglas’s old friend/lover). He sports a black leather tabard, but with a red cross. He also holds a spear.

Michael – “It has been some time Templar. And Here I find you once more. Out of place, is it not?”

Michael questions why Hammond wishes to take back the town of Kingman. He wants to know why Hammond cares about the Cult. The Cult may be right, maybe they should be taking over, and letting the humans die.

Hammond’s explanation- Humanity encompasses the mutants too. They all need to be able to live together. They all deserve that. He fights for Humanity in that sense.

Michael does not approve. “Humanity is too broad. It includes all of the evils, Throckmorton, Raven. Many others. “

Hammond responds- it is not just that, it is an ideal. It is not humanity as a concept. Man does nto have a good history… neither with his surroundings, nor himself.

Michael- “So what in this world is so important to fight, worth fighting mutants, demons etc. What would make you stand against the four horseman?”

Hammond –“ There is a goodness left in this world. I’ve seen it in the eyes of a young girl. An innocence, a hope.. a glimmer of what this world could be. The ideas behind the Templars, they are to rebuild the world better than it was. Simon is just a man, and the ideas are just filtered through him… sometimes with the biases of a human. But what they stand for, what we all should stand for—that goodness, that hope remains the same.”

Michael pauses a moment, He agrees. He also reveals he knows of the Incubus and what it could mean for the world. “You must fight against this darkness. He is one of 3. One is dead, the other is forgotten, most likely destroyed. The one who seeks you is the last, and very desperate, and dangerous. ”

“You fight against the darkness attacking this world. For this task before you, I will join and assist you. You will not see me again until the battle begins.” – Michael.

Roland emerges and the group heads back to Near-Tuscon.

Near Tuscon

The posse discusses how they should handle the different scenarios. Given the urgency of the situation, they consider splitting up to accomplish everything. Nigel objects, stating he’s “split up twice in the last 2 days and hasn’t enjoyed the outcome.”

Ultimately the crew decides to all work on the scavenging duty, since they can use as many eyes as possible. They round up a few members of the townsfolk who were available and set out towards the Tuscon maelstrom.

Tuscon

Traveling into the maelstrom is relatively uneventful. None of the posse members, nor the townsfolk experience any major problems. The group moves in on the outskirts of Tuscon.

They find a toolbox with a few decent items that could be used as melee weapons. They also stumble upon a police station. They scour through and actually find a small cache of weapons/armor in the evidence room. A couple of the townspeople dig up a nice pile of materials and components for use by the junker.

Next the group splits up to find a few more scrounging locations. Hammond looks for any kind of hospital or emergency response location. Nigel looks around for some kind of food / convenience store. Ben looks for items they may be able to use to barter with the mercenaries at the way station.

Hammond finds an ambulance in the middle of the road. Unfortunately the interior has been badly burned. All supplies are useless, the gas tank is empty and the engine is in terrible condition.

Ben finds an old pawnshop. The wide swath of items available provides plenty of fodder for bartering with the mercenaries.

Nigel manages to dig up a few meals worth of canned or preserved foods in a feed-the-children donation box. They all meet up at the pawnshop. The hours or searching have left them with little sunlight. They have time for one more stop on the way back.

Ben, Nigel, and Hammond unanimously decide to search out some fuel. They spot an old fire truck that’s backed up into a building. The tanks are full of gas. Ben checks out the engine and finds a few minor issues. They are able to patch up the problems and get the truck started. Given all of the additional fuel, and the potential use as a transport/ramming unit- they decide to drive it back to Near-Tuscon.

Near-Tuscon

The posse arrives right around nightfall. The sounds of Dixon and Haldeman training the militia can still be heard. Several people flock over to assist with the off-loading of scavenged items. Nigel, Hammond, and Ben plot out their next moves. First on the list is to obtain the assistance from the mutant camp. They’ll need the support of Tulip to show that they mean to co-operate peacefully. They meet with Tulip to inform her of their finds and fill her in regarding the plan for the mutants. They take the evening to rest up.

Mutant refugee camp.

In the morning they meet up with Tulip and head out to the mutant camp. Ben preps himself for negotiating mutants by pulling off his wraps to reveal his craggy face. He also calls upon Katie Blaze’s powers to make him more convincing.

As they roll up, they are surround by mutants of all shapes and sizes. From one of the buildings ahead a horn blurts out. “That’sss far enough human.” Calls a snake-man through his bullhorn.

Ben exits the vehicle and starts conversing with the leader. He explains the Kingman situation. The mutant leader seems reluctant to join- what concern is it of theirs; “they accept our kind”.

Ben explains that the Cult of Doom just plans to use the mutants, but that their group needs the mutants’ help. The mutant leader interjects- “so you would use us just the same”. Ben deflects this- the mutants would be free to live in Kingman as equals. Negotiations are tense until Tulip emerges and confesses her heartbreak over the mutant’s situation. The heated conversation takes a few hours before an agreement is made.

The mutants agree to join in exchange for freedom and equal treatment. They will move their camp closer to Near-Tuscon. They also discuss the resistance within the walls of Kingman.

The mutant leader states that if his people are treated unfairly, they will have no choice but to turn against the humans. Hammond, Nigel, and Ben state their understanding, and agree to join the mutants if such an injustice occurs.

The posse spends the rest of the day spreading the news of the mutant collaboration. They help prepare the other for their upcoming infiltration missions and the journey to hire mercenaries.

Chamber of the White Rock

The posse gathers together and reviews their current status. The battle with the Apostate has left them rather weak, but still alive. They begin to discuss the Apostate’s roll in all of this, was he a real believer? Was he just using them for the rock’s power?

Curious about the power of the White Rock they decide to check it out. Ben volunteers to go check out the altars that are constructed on the rock. Hammond insists that Ben tie some of the rope around him so they can quickly remove him should anything happen.

Ben feels the power of the rock, but does not experience the same types of hallucinations. They suspect it is because he is not touching the stone with his skin. The feeling seems to swell in him; a wealth of power allowing him to do nearly anything with his abilities.

On a hunch, Ben tries to push his Banshee stone onto the White Rock. Surprisingly the two rocks seem to repel each other (not unlike magnets). Their powers seem to reject each other.

He inspects the altars. They do not appear to be made by the Apostate. The wooden and cloth construction is very old looking. Strange symbols and glyphs mark the sides of the shrines. They find a symbol which is not unlike the Venus of Willendorf (ancient limestone figure believed to be mother deity/fertility symbol from 22,000 BC.) They also find that some of “cloth” is actually very thin leather, heavily worn over time, though they cannot determine the age or even the nature of the skin.

They also find some bowls containing gem stones, most likely some kind of offering. Ben suggests taking them- Nigel agrees, a Junker may need them for electronics or such. Hammond interjects and says they should take the bowls, since they are made of metal. They take the bowls.

They check the back end of the room and find a large entryway that has been carved into the side of the chamber. They suspect this is where the other mutants exited the facility. They decide it is best if they use their explosives to collapse the 2nd entrance to the chamber.

They place some C4 in a good location but there is no safe location for Ben to remotely set it off with his powers. They need to obtain wires to rig up a detonation device. They extract some wires from the faulty security doors. They head back up to the maintenance level and extract a small power source from the old computer system.

The explosion knocks Hammond, Haldeman and Nigel to the ground.

MOTHR Chamber

They then head to the MOTHR chamber to meet back up with the gremlin. The b.a.t.c.h. pool is already back up and running. MOTHR will not allow them to extract any more of the biogel. The gremlin thanks them for their assistance. MOTHR informs them they are not alone in the facility, but that situation is being taken care of by the security system.

They ask the gremlin to lead them out of the caves as a final favor. He agrees and leads them out the nearest exit.

Mountain Pass near Kingman, AZ

The gremlin leads them to a dead end and points up. They push and remove the cover to the hole. As the posse exits, they find themselves on the edge of the large crater. They ask if the gremlins can assist them in taking out the mutants at Kingman. Unfortunately, they cannot do that, but they can stop them from running back through the caves. He also agrees to allow the militia to use the mountain pass without problems. After the fighting is over, the gremlins wish to “make deal” since others will want to use the pass in the future.

He points them back towards the mouth of the pass and bids farewell.

Slowly the group makes their trek back to toward the van. Along the way they try to disable any traps they find. Finally they arrive at the entrance.

They find the zombies are still impaled on the timbers out front. They dispatch the zombies and remove the posts from the ground to clear the path. Next they try to tackle the minefield.

Ben, Hammond and Haldeman collect stones to trip off the mines. A few throws are successful, but most miss. Nigel, with assistance from Ben, attempts to blast a few mines with his plasma weapon. Ben uses his skills to disable several of the mines. They put a few of the disabled ones in the back of the van. The crew lays out the posts to sketch out a safe pass for the militia.

Near Tuscon

As the posse rolls up, they see that the townsfolk have really been working hard. It is very obvious they are much more organized than before. Guards are present all over, proving that training has been successful.

The gates are opened and the posse is flagged through. Haldeman heads to meat his Lieutenant. Ben takes the task of contacting Tulip. Hammond carries Nigel to the hospital.

Nigel has a bit of a struggle with the doctor, who is convinced Nigel is a zombie. Between Nigel’s logic and Hammond’s dumb luck, they set things right and the doctor helps them. Hammond agrees to help anyone else that needs healing. Both Hammy and Nigel relay their story to anyone who will listen.

Ben’s meeting with Tulip goes well. He tells the whole tale to her, with a bit of self-inflating flare. The story actually draws in a large crowd. They listen in to the awe inspiring tale. He ends with a rallying speech to take back Kingman (completed by “Humans are, and always will be… awesome”). Tulip and the remaining crowd are impressed, but they must discuss their strategy. If they wish to run an assault they will need to get a few more resources.

Some stories from a few Kingman refugees mention a weapons cache stored by one of Kingman’s vendors (an old military arms dealer). The crew suggests sending in a small party of mutants to extract the cache. Ben, being an easily identified mutant, expresses interest in heading up this task.

Some of the other guards mention there is a small enclave of mutants who had escaped from Kingman. They could be recruited for the infiltration mission.

The town is also very low on supplies. Someone will need to help scrounge up some more materials. Hammond volunteers to lead a party out for this scavenging mission.

Near Tuscon engages in trade at a nearby Native way station. They may be able to recruit some of the Natives, or at least some of the hired guns that frequent the way station. Normally they would object to this, but circumstance has made this a possible necessity.

Tulip arranges for the crew to have a nice room to rest in. They all take the opportunity to sleep.

In the night, Ben has a interesting dream in which he is visited by Katie Blaze. He is dressed as a comic book super hero. She inspires him to be more expressive of his accomplishments and bestows her blessing upon him.

The Chamber of the White Rock

“Time to suffer.” The worlds float out coldly from the Apostate. Nigel quickly lifts his weapon and shoots him in the side. The bullet hits, catching the Apostate’s attention.

Hammond bolts forward and takes a strong swing at their foe. The Apostate attempts to block using a chain-sword built into his arm. The block is unsuccessful and Hammond strikes directly in the neck-guard.

The Apostate fires a flurry of bullets at Nigel. Fortunately Nigel quickly leaps out of the way. The syker-automaton seems to shift out of phase temporarily- as nine duplicates of him appear throughout the room.

Ben recognizes this power, and understands they are all just holograms. He runs across the room to take shelter by the White Rock. At the same time, he does a Mind Scan to track the Apostate’s location. He is able to pinpoint the evil syker. He calls out the correct Apostate position to the others.

From his current position, Ben attempts to utilize the White Rock- which he believes to be a Banshee stone. Upon touching the stone, he is mesmerized by a vision.

He is racked with torture. His body feels as if it had been on fire and has scabbed over. Ants crawl all over his body, clustering around his festering wounds. Four black widows creep their way around him. A metal scalpel digs into his side. On another part of his body, a large oozing sore leaks puss. The realization comes to him… this is the pain of the planet. This stone is grounding him to the spirit of the Earth itself. The Spiders are the 4 horsemen. The Scalpel is Throckmorton. The Oozing wound is Las Vega and the Cult O’ Doom. The Ants represent people, huddled in clusters and mainly surrounding Junkyard.

He also realizes that he can draw from this power.

Hammond runs toward the Apostate and bashes him with a mighty blow in his guts.

The Apostate’s helmet glows for a moment. He shouts “Kill them!”. Nigel feels a strange separation within himself. He is conscious, but no longer in control of himself. The rest of the posse is unaware of this. The syker-automaton then fires on Hammond. Ben fires at the Apostate with a brain blast.

Haldeman pumps out a few rounds, injuring the Apostate. Nigel uses his mental link with the AI to disable is cybernetic augmentations. Nigel’s body turns and he says” We have decided you must die!”, then fires upon Haldeman. “What the hell?!” Haldeman shouts and shoots back and Nigel. Haldeman shoots Nigel in the guts, making him immobile again.

Ben brain blasts at the Apostate again. With his concentration broken, the holographic images disappear. Ben maintains a definite intense focus on the Apostate. Hammond attacks the Apostate again, smacking him in the gizzards.

The Apostate fires on Ben. Ben’s focus has allowed him to perform the power Aztec Surprise on the Apostate. The chest of the automaton body ruptures out in a gout of blood as the Apostates heart bursts through the side. Instantly the bomb within blows, dealing heavy damage to most of the posse. Haldeman’s leg is blown off. Hammond also sustains some rather nasty wounds.

Hammond heals Haldeman’s leg. They spend some time trying to patch Nigel back together. They throw Nigel back into the duffel bag for easier transport. Ben relays the visions he experienced touching the rock to the rest of the posse. They talk about sealing off the chamber to prevent others from getting to the stone. A power such as this could be dangerous. They also decide to re-establish the security system panels to get MOTHR back in control of the lower level.

MOTHR main room

The posse is very interested in trying to heal and rest while they have a safe location, especially considering they are going to be there for some time while MOTHR repairs. Hammond takes some time to catch a bit of sleep. Ben asks MOTHR about the pink goo in the pool. “That is a biogel used in the Well Of Metagenic Biology (W.O.M.B.). It is is used to physically construct the clones.”

He inquires regarding the possibly using some of the pink biogel to heal and suggests using Nigel as a test. MOTHR gives her blessing, on the condition that they use only a little and maintain the sanitary conditions of the tank.

They find some sanitary tubes to extract the biogel. Nigel is slathered with the goo. He feels a bit of pins and needles, almost a tickling sensation. The gel begins to bind him together, making his body look not unlike a melted G.I. Joe. The skin is sealed, but his nerves and muscles still need time to heal. His innards are jelly-like, a meat-blood soup if you will.

In the interest of healing the bones, they locate a syringe and inject it directly into his pelvis. Unfortunately, there seems to be no effect.

Ben asks Nigel if his AI may be able to give him an update on the condition of his body, since the effects are vague. Nigel’s AI reports body is at 65%, currently has a graft and requires approximately 24 hours to regain function.

Seeing decent results with Nigel, Ben decides to test it on himself, as a living specimen. He heals fairly well, though not in all locations it is applied. He also experiences the strange tingling sensation.

Hammond has woken up and sees the guys testing out the gel on Ben. Since it seems to have worked, he asks to try some as well. It heals one of his arms and leg, but the other arm gets a horrible burning sensation. There’s no additional problems, but it is a rather unpleasant side effect.

Haldeman follows suit. Some of his wounds are healed. However, his one arm also experiences the same burning sensation, then the flesh morphs before their eyes. His arm now looks like that of a Harrowed- sickly and dead, though still fully functional. Haldeman freaks out a bit over what has just happened. The rest of the group calms him down, and insists it could have been far worse, though Haldeman doesn’t exactly believe that.

Ben uses some of the down time to talk with Haldeman about the world they have been living in, and some of the horrible things they have encountered. He paints a vivid picture, and Haldeman is both disturbed and fascinated by the story. Ben then tries to get a bit of sleep, Haldeman as well. Hammond uses some time to mediate on what has happened, and then tries to get a bit of sleep too.

Hours later the crew wakes up, rested and ready to make a move. They ask MOTHER if there are any other automatons. All 5 are unable to be contacted, though from 4 of them she has received a “disabled” message. The fifth is unknown.

Geothermal Level

The posse heads down to the GeoThermal level. Ben tries to kick in the door, only managing to hurt his foot. MOTHR opens the door for them.

Inside pipes and valves line the walls. Steam wafts about and the air is noticeably warmer than out in the hallway. The room seems to guide them towards a hallway. The sides of the hall are made of a thick glass, offering a stunning view of the Geothermal mechanisms. Several massive collections chambers and turbines are fixed above holes in the earth.

Finally they come to a door labeled “G reactor”. The security panel has been jerry-rigged and only requires a touch to open. The room they enter seems very familiar. Storage crates and materials pepper the room. It looks as though someone has taken this storage/inventory room and converted it into a workshop of some kind.

They scrounge around looking for anything useful, or clues as to what they may be up against. Ben finds a brain in an armored jar. Hammond speculates it may be the brain of the automaton MOTHR could not find- though none of them is sure how it could be removed without setting off the bomb.

They exchange ideas. Perhaps the syker Ben saw is controlling the automaton, or has a link with the brain and is covertly observing them. Just in case, they decide to destroy it. Hammond smashes it with his hammer. They listen for an explosion, but nothing is heard.

The next door they find also has “G Reactor” on it. This door security panel is ad hoc, and easily opens. Multiple layers of doors pull away, revealing a very expansive room. It is nearly pitch black. None of them can see inside very well.

Ben beckons “Hello”, to which they hear a kind of snarling response. They enter the room and half way through, they notice dozens upon dozens of the gremlins are crawling about the ceiling.

Chamber of the White Rock

Before them, the darkness peels back, revealing a massive white rock. Ben’s heart begins to pound, like the rush of adrenaline. The Banshee stone around his neck begins to glow and pulsate. He begins to tell Hammond about how the stone is from Banshee-

-“It is… But it isn’t. Its been here for a very long time. It is how Hellstromme knew there was something on the other side.” The voice of the evil syker emanates from the dark as he emerges from the side of the great white stone.

A hulking automaton body walks towards the posse. The face plate of the machine lifts up, and the syker’s face can finally be seen. Screwed into his skull is a “Machine Head” device, allowing him (with some other supernatural assistance) to control the automaton body.

“I’ll rip your souls apart, but first… your bodies!” he shouts as his large minigun revs up.

EXP CH1

The posse discusses their dilemma. One way or another they have to heal themselves. With the radiation level so high, they can’t just stay here. However, Nigel’s body is only loosely together, moving him too much could cause a re-separation.

Ben suggests trying to shut down the lasers and head back out and up to the control room. They head over to the door leading into the laser room. First they place one of the crates inside the frame of the door to the room where the automaton appeared to prevent it from closing back up. Ben sarcastically thanks Nigel for his help, to which Nigel retorts “oh, like I could really do much with my legs no longer attached?” Ben- “I guess you don’t like being the butt of jokes”. Nigel – “I don’t have an ass at the moment, to be the butt of jokes.”

This time they check the keypad a little more thoroughly. Ben finds that the 4, 5, 2, and 9 keys have been used extensively. Having no idea what he code would be, they opt to open up the keypad box and try to hack it. With a little fiddling, the box sparks up, followed by some kind of message over the load speaker. The doors then open fully. They drag in another crate inside to place in the main entrance to ensure it does not entirely close.

To make the move easier, they position Nigel in the dufflebag and Haldeman slings him over his back. The gremlin reminds them they had a deal- they cannot leave “the Mother” now. Hammond explains that they are all wounded, they cannot go in and fight safely. The gremlin responds –“ there’s nothing in there but ‘the Mother’.

Ben cautions, he saw the syker with the large rock. The gremlin says ‘the rock god’ is not there, it is lower. “The man built a shrine to the rock god, and used it to give birth to the mother. The man made of metal, but with brain of flesh. We have but one name for him. He is the Hellstromme. He built this before the end of your world, and the beginning of ours.” The posse agrees to head in to the MOTHR room.

MOTHR main room

Inside there is a long massive room. In the middle of the floor is a large Olympic size swimming pool full of a pink-ish goo. Tubes extend from the ceiling and some of the walls into the pool. On the back wall is an array of computer boxes with a terminal.

“This is the womb of the Mother.” Says the gremlin.

Before doing anything, they want to check the computer system for information. As they walk up to the terminal, it blips on. A holographic display materializes before them. The entire back wall becomes part of the display.

The main screen appears as a digitalized face, composed of lines of code. Most of it is green, but there are some yellow and red spots. “W.W.Wwwwelcome to MOTHR, Ho—w can I help you today?”

Ben – “Explain operation MOTHR “

MOTHR: “ Operation MOTHR is a contin-tin-tingency against the oncoming of the apocalypse. MOTHR is the Metagenic Organic Tertiary Hueristic Repository.”

Hammond: “Status report?”

MOTHR: “Functioning at 57% efficiency. Would you like to create another batch?”

They do not accept. Ben inquires if they can change the genetic code, but MOTHR states the sequence is locked in. The gene sequence is display, but Nigel is unable to fully explain it. He does notice that there are some specific changes, resulting in the gremlins.

They ask MOTHR to reset to defaults, but it is unable to comply. The gremlin states, “They’ve made the mother sick, heal her.”

They prompt MOTHR to check the red and yellow sections- perhaps they are the errors. Upon touching one of the sequences on the holographic display- the code pulls out and expands- revealing some major and critical errors.

Ben and Hammond ask Nigel to jack into the system, if possible. He is very hesitant. Hammond mentions a system this complex must have some kind of self repair. MOTHR points out that her self-diagnostic is currently not functional and or locked.

One of the standout errors is a system-locks. They speculate that if they can unlock some of it, they may be able to make some changes, or get something else back on-line. They are able to see where the erroneous code is, but no one but Nigel has any knowledge of computer systems. Haldeman brings over the duffle bag containing Nigel. Ben – “Alright meatbag, get to work.”

Reluctantly Nigel agrees to interface with the system and run his own self-diagnostic code, to potentially repair part of the MOTHR system. His connection appears on the screen in the form of codes. He is successfully able to upload his own elf-diagnostic code and get it to run from within MOTHR. Some of the error codes begin migrating back towards Nigel’s AI system; fortunately his anti-malware prevents the errors from migrating into himself.

His system is able to fix the system-locks, and open up several of the locked sections of code. They are also successful in fixing MOTHR’s speech functions. Next they concentrate Nigel’s efforts on MOTHR’s security functions (Antivirus, etc).

With the security repaired, they are able to over-ride the security lock on the self-daignostic system. MOTHR’s self-diagnostic is then successfully repaired. Nigel ejects from the system so that they can run MOTHR’s diagnostic program (otherwise it may have tried to “fix” him, which could be bad).

They are able to get some of MOTHR’s monitoring systems back online, and determine that the radiation level is very high all over the facility (with the exception of this room). MOTHR asks if they would like to perform a radiation de-contamination in the other portion of the facility. The de-contamination only takes an hour or so, so they choose to perform it.

MOTHR mentions in several reports that there was substantial damage resultant from tectonic events (resultant from the bombs), and extreme etheric energies. She also reveals that some of the DNA code changes were resultant from etheric damage. They have MOTHR run self-diagnostic on several selected remaining systems.

While the scan takes place, they ask a few questions about accessing parts of the facility. Security systems have been recovered and MOTHR will be able to grant the posse access to areas they need to, and supplies passwords to Nigel’s memory. The only area currently out of her control is the Geodesic Dome on the Geothermal level.

MOTHR discovers the faults, but need to co-opt Nigel’s systems to help repair the other broken parts. He agrees and patches back in to resume the repairs. Which will take at least a few hours. The posse decides to rest/repair while they wait for the diagnostic to complete.

EXP CH1

The automaton fires off a slew of bullets towards Nigel and Ben. They take cover behind the storage crates. Fortunately the bullets whiz by or sink into the storage crates.

Hammond and Haldeman fire off shots at the automaton’s gun, but its armor absorbs most of the fire. Nigel and Ben fire at is as well, but have a bit more success, slightly damaging the weapon, but not enough to stop it’s function.

Hammond makes a dash up and over some crates to get to a flanking position. Haldeman stays back and takes another shot. The automaton ignores them and keeps its sights on Nigel and Ben.

From it’s shoulder, the automaton launches a mini-grenade. The projectile lands directly on Nigel’s torso. The explosion damages his head and arm , but blows the bottom half of his body apart. Nigel’s legs flop over as his upper torso falls to the ground. Ben is also hit in the arm by shrapnel. Haldeman also catches a bit of shrapnel.

Ben grabs Nigel’s gun and runs around the other side to get a flanking position. The automaton believes it has eliminated this target and turns towards Haldeman. Nigel props himself up and fires his plasma shot at the automaton’s gun, but barely does anything to it. The automaton retargets back to Nigel, realizing he was not eliminated.

Ben brain blasts the automaton in the torso. He then sets up the large machine gun with bipod on top of the storage box and unleashes a flurry of bullets on the automaton doing some actual damage.

Hammond fires off another round at the automaton but barely hurts it. The automaton turns towards Ben and fires back at him landing a few hits. Haldeman hits the automaton for some minor damage.

Hammond drops his rifle and pulls out his hammer. In one quick move he hops on the storage crate and leaps at the automaton. Swinging wildly, he strikes the automaton once, and again. The automaton tries to whip its gun around to hit him, but in the scramble it misses. A third blow from the hammer disables the automaton and instantly sets off its self-destruct explosive device.

The explosion severely wounds Hammy all over his body save for his head, and nearly severs his leg. The blast also does a little damage to everyone else in the posse.

It takes a bit for everyone to recover from the shock of the blast. Haldeman is a little weirded-out by the fact that Nigel is crawling around. The posse members all spend time working on each other to at least stop themselves from bleeding out. They send the gremlin up through the ductwork to retrieve some of the dead men’s flesh to help patch up Nigel.

The crew debates what to do; as it will take at least a night for Nigel to repair himself. The radiation in the facility would certainly do some damage to the rest of the posse in that time. The gremlin mentions that was the main part of the defenses, there are others too.

Maintenance Level of Shelter 19

Having just heard the loud vibration in the distance, the posse speculates the origin. They decide to double back to the algae room to investigate.

They check the computer systems, but see no change in activity. Nigel inspects the algae tank, but it appears undisturbed. On the other end of the catwalk there is a hatch. Nigel is at first reluctant to open it, but pushes on the panel as hard as he can. Hammond steps in and pries the door open.

Inside the hatch they find a mess of tubes, vents and wires. Nigel takes a look around but doesn’t see anything of interest. Moving around is difficult through the tight spaces. Ben says he doesn’t think this is the right spot. The others agree. Before they leave, they get the idea that perhaps “the mother” is some kind of chemical breeding tank- maybe the algae? The gremlin smirks and replies Stupid MeatMen, you think I would be calm if we had found the mother?

They head back to the maintenance monitoring room with all of the valves/gauges. As they inspect the rows, Ben and Nigel find that a portion of the wall in the corner has moved. Before them is a small closet with a freight elevator. There is a small control box mounted within.

They test the depth by dropping a bullet through the grate. It appears to be only about a story down. The lift is only large enough for three of them to go down at a time. They mount up their weapons and get ready to head down. Nigel and Hammond descend first, dragging the gremlin with them.

The lift slowly descends. Ben and Haldeman have an interesting exchange. Ben- _”So, what do you say we just leave? They’ll be fine.” Haldeman doesn’t really get the joke.

EXP CH 1

Hammond, Nigel, and the gremlin arrive on the lower level. Before them is a small room capped off with a pair of very large doors. There are signs on the wall indicating this is an Experimental Chamber- Authorized personnel only. They send the lift back up for the others to come down.

Seeing nothing else of note in the room, they head to the doors. There is a numeric keypad nearby. Hammond tries to use the original entry code they had received for the Shelter, but it does not take. A muffled voice blurts out from a speaker nearby, but it’s too garbled to make any sense. Hammond tries something crazy and knocks on the doors. No answer.

Since they have no other options readily available they head back upstairs to check for codes. They spend quite some time checking through the locker room and the administrator’s computer, but find nothing of note.

They head down to the Geothermal level and attempt to use the split card. Unfortunately it does not process and the doors do not open.

Frustrated, they head back to the Experimental Chamber fore-room. Hammond brings up the idea of sending someone through the ventilation system. They could use the help of the gremlin and send Nigel in as well. The gremlin does not want to go, since they could get to the other side, but in his words ”the mother is guarded. Not MeatMen, is else, moves like MeatMan. We will both be killed.”

They discuss the possibility of blowing out the door, but the danger is too great, and there is no way to guarantee it would work.

A few more suggestions for passwords come out (the admin’s birthday – from his ID card. Date of the bomb drops. Etc). Ben inspects the pad and sees that all but the 1 nd the 6 have been worn down. This leaves a huge number of possibilities.

The posse drops that plan and decides to try and hack their way through the door system. Ben disassembles the keypad and collectively the group tries to figure out the wiring.

Several unsuccessful tries, and a few electrocutions later, they are able to get the doors to at least budge open. They continue to try, each time the doors open slightly wider. Finally the door opens fully and remains in that position. There is another, different announcement, but again it is indecipherable.

Beyond the doors there is a long slim hallway. They enter and realize there are reflective panels on nearly all sides. As they pass the halfway point, two high power security lamps flare up. Another muffled statement through the speakers, followed by an alarm and a rumbling motor revs up.

A laser column fires horizontally across their path at abdomen height. Hammond tries to smash the reflective surface, but it is shock resistant plexi material. The posse members quickly run and slide under the lasers. Some of them singe their clothes on the lasers as they doge them.

Nigel fires off a plasma blast near one of the originating spots for the laser. His shot partially melts and distorts the surface in that location. Ben uses his telekinesis to float his hand mirror into the path of the laser. He is successful and scorches to the door, but the laser from the other side melts the mirror.

Seeing a structural fault in the door they all begin aiming towards it. Nigel blasts his plasma at the burn spot, punching a small hole in the weak spot. As the first set of lasers meet in the middle, a second laser stream blasts in from above/below, weaving side to side while moving down the hall. They all manage to avoid the second laser and continue toward the punctured door.

The third round of lasers rotates around the hall while it works through the hall. The lasers are now coming from both directions. Ben uses his brain blast on the door, while Nigel continues with the plasma. Hammond tries to dodge, but catches a beam in the arm.

The new hole in the door is just large enough for them to get through. Everyone tries to make a mad dash for the door. The array of lasers speeds up and rotates more frequently.

Ben and makes a dive through the door, getting tagged by one of the lasers. As he gets up to look back through the door, he is hit by a mass. The gremlin clamors his way off of Ben and camouflages himself.

Hammond attempts the same move and is also struck by one of the lasers in his other arm. Haldeman makes it through with a few minor burns. Nigel makes it out more or less unscathed.

They take a few moments to patch each other up. They check out the surroundings. There is yet another door, with a full keyboard. They check the keys and find that the T, H, O, M, R keys have been heavily used.

Hammond types MOTHR, and the door opens. Another security message sounds, but is still to difficult to understand. Inside they find several steel shipping/storage boxes. A large set of doors marks the other end of the room with M.O.T.H.R. painted in stenciled letters. They discuss what the acronym may mean.

They start scrounging around and instantly the doors close. Another security message plays, still indecipherable, save for the word intruder. A Large tube drops down from the ceiling, placing something in the center of the room. Standing before the posse is a large mechanized armored humanoid skeleton. In its hand is a large chambered minigun. They all instantly realize it is an automaton!

They quickly dive for cover behind the boxes as the automaton’s minigun revs up.

Shelter 19 within the caves of the Hill People outside Kingman, AZ.

The posse enters the Command Center of Shelter 19. The Command Center is one large room, sectioned off with a maze of cubicles. On one of the walls is a large array of monitors. Many of the monitors are off or displaying only static, but there are still a few displaying feeds from the security cameras.

Ben mind scans to see if there is anyone in the room. He can detect 4 minds besides the posse. The crew convinces the gremlin to scale up the wall and see if it can spot them. The gremlin comes back and indicates they are in the middle of the room. He also mentions that the Meat Men know they are coming, as they saw them on the “great eye”.

Ben and Nigel notice that one of the large monitors is displaying a live feed of the posse standing at the entrance to the room. Nigel tries to figure out the position of the camera.

The crew banters a bit about what to do, when out of nowhere the gremlin mentions- “why not ask? They’ve already seen you kill the others, just ask them for what you want.” Ben objects, since that’s basically the same situation as what occurred in the projection room- it doesn’t seem like that will work.

With a few grumbles, they call out to the mutants.

At first the mutants are very resistant, but after some back and forth they begin to speak freely. The posse asks about the white rock, and the Shaman controlling it. According to the mutants, the Shaman has helped them, so they will not do him wrong by him. “Anyway, you’ll probably just kill us.” The mutants say. Hammond retorts, “Your people are the ones that attacked the innocent townsfolk”

As this discussion takes place, Nigel begins sneaking around the back side of the room. He takes position to fire on the mutants, just in case.

The mutants try to make the point that the people of Kingman forced them out in the first place. They say that when they were all mutated, the folks at Kingman shunned them and ran them out of town.

After some time of doing what they had to in order to survive, the mutants had caught a lucky break. Hector was the first of the mutants that was born looking like normal. They sent him in to rise to power in order for to make it safe for the mutants to come back. But the posse’s meddling screwed up that whole plan, so they had no choice but to take the town for their own. They were offered a choice, get out or die. Besides, the “innocent” people of Kingman were all living under the rule of crime lords, so they really weren’t that innocent.

Hammond interjects – “Who do you think is worse, people who live in fear of the crime lords, or the crime lords themselves- and those that serve them? You picked the wrong side. Especially going along with the Cult of Doom. Those kind of folks are the reason the war started in the first place.”

Ben chimes in as well- “ The Cult of Doom is just as bad as the mutant-hating humans they oppose.”

The discussion goes back and forth for some time. Eventually they tire of the banter. “What are we doing here?” one of the mutants asks.

Ben and Hammond almost simultaneously respond. If they had just wanted to kill the mutants they would have done it by now. The posse asks them to stand, and they comply.

Ben reveals himself as a mutant, to show that there is more tolerance than what these mutants believe exists. The mutants acknowledge that not all humans hate them, but are still wary of the posse. Hammond presents these mutants with the same choice. “Leave now, or we’ll take down all of you.” The mutants agree. “Let them pass” Hammond says, and the posse allows the mutants to exit on their own. The posse watched the mutants on the monitors. They exited via the Geothermal door.

Ben and Nigel fiddle around with some of the computers in the Command center to try and get some information. Most of the machines there are significantly bogged down with viruses or other evidence of disrepair. There is very little they can extract, but they have determined that the geothermal is exactly what they expected- a thermal vent being used for power. There is no mention of layout or exits.

Hammond finds an architectural map of the shelter. There’s a decent amount of information. It appears that the Habitat and Recreation levels were once much larger, but the collapsed area cuts it off. The Maintenance area and the Geothermal area are roughly the size of the Command area. Maintenance is a mess of wires, pipes, vents etc, and very difficult to read. Geothermal is surprisingly sparse- with very little information, save for a few noted parts.

One last sweep of the room reveals a key card for the Geothermal level. However, the card was cut in half. They take both halves, and move down to the Maintenance level.

Maintenance Level

The Maintenance level has a host of tight hallways, each with doors leading to utilities rooms. First they find an AC/heating room. Next in line is a room containing the water heater and storage tanks. The third room contains 3 rows of maintenance meters and readouts. There are gauges and meters for nearly everything.

While searching around the crew discusses “the Mother”. They begin to speculate, based off of the phrasing the mutants used, that the Mother may actually be some kind of cloning machine. Such a machine would require a lot of power. They examine the meters and finds one in particular that has a lot of activity. “EXP CH 1”

The group examines the map but can find no area matching that name. They continue on to survey the rest of the floor.

They find a door leading to a long hallway cross-crossed with pipes, tubes and vents. At the end of the hall they find another door. Much like the others, Hammond tries to force the door open. A loud buzz emanates from the door as Hammond is jolted down to the floor. A female voice comes out from a speaker above the door. “Please supply the password.” They state a few suggestions, but the systems denies them entry.

Ben searches around and finds an access panel that reveals a keyboard. He starts typing, and the security system states he should only use the keys if the voice recognition does not work. They decide to move on and look for a clue or password later.

The next room contains a large and smelly tank full of what Nigel believes to be algae. They are uncertain as to the purpose, but speculate it may have been used for oxygen production or waste breakdown.

The final room on the floor is the maintenance locker room. Here they find a few various items. They also find a note in the pocket of one of the jumpsuits. The note is a complaint written by one of the works. In it, he mentions how he does not like that the maintenance administrator is always trying to get him to listen to classical music.

Using this clue the crew goes back to the door and starts spouting off composers and artists. None gain them access, but they are certain that the note is a clue. They go back to the locker room. This time Hammond checks the name on the jumpsuit- “Wolfgang”. They return to the door and spout out “Amadeus”. Access is granted.

The door opens to reveal a very dried out corpse sitting at a computer desk. The screen has a phrase typed in and is awaiting entry.

Walk on the living they don’t even mumble, walk on the dead they mutter and grumble

Ben types in F*** You. Hammond does not notice this and hits enter to see what happens. Question one not accepted

What is the beginning of the end, the end of time, the middle of yesterday, and nowhere in tomorrow?

Ben figures it out- and types “E”.

Access granted. They are presented with an accessible maintenance computing system. They search for EXP CH 1. There is no information, but a button comes up labeled “Unlock”. They click the button and somewhere nearby the is a large vibration, followed by a clunk- like a very large door has been opened.

Shelter 19 within the caves of the Hill People outside Kingman, AZ.

The mutant crew works their way into the room, all with weapons pointed out at the posse. The scaled green / brown fellow shouts “Put the weapons down fellas!”

Hammond responds “Alright, we ain’t looking for any trouble”. The rest of the posse begins putting down their weapons. He then looks back at Ben. They exchange a nod.

Ben bends down to place his machine gun on the ground. He rests it on the bipod and lets loose on the mutants in full auto.

The bullets spray out and hit several of the mutants. The posse quickly scrambles to grab their weapons back up.

Nigel and Haldeman try to fire on the mutants.

A heavily armored mutant with a flame-thrower shoots a blast at the wall just behind Ben. The flames burst out and engulf Ben and Hammond. Ben’s swat armor cuts down on much of the flame. Hammy is not so lucky and much of his body is lit on fire.

The mutants near Nigel and Haldeman fire back. Haldeman takes a shot to each one of his arms.

Ben gets shot in the leg by an auto shotgun. Ben shoots at the flame-thrower mutant landing a few hits, nearly ripping one of his arms off.

The flame-thrower, now heavily damaged, retreats and orders two more mutants into the room- “Kill them!”

A mutant with a rock drill attacks Ben, followed by a mutant wielding 2 flechette sub-machine guns. Ben is peppered with shots, but his armor manages to protect him fairly well.

Nigel is slashed with a blade, but is not seriously wounded. Haldeman takes another round of shots, this time in his leg. Hammond, still writhing from the flames, is struck by a sweeping battle axe. “Bleed little man” the mutant grunts. The rock drill mutant attacks Ben again.

Ben runs out after the flame-thrower (since his swat armor also provides protection from fire). Ben charges the flamer riddles him full of bullets, dropping the large mutant instantly.

Hammond’s rage built up, he wallops a few of the mutants with devastating blows form his hammer.

Haldeman lands a few more hits on the mutants with his rifle. Nigel shoots down the mutant up in the cat-walk with a sniper rifle. Hammond smashes down one more of the mutants. The second hit lands, but doesn’t kill. The mutant freaks out and runs away., spraying bullets at Hammy.

The posse fires down on the rest of mutants. Hammond splatters a guy’s head, then drops to the ground to put out the flames still raging on his body. Haldeman kills the last of the mutants.

Despite their wounds, the posse puts together a barricade in front of the stairwell. Once the stairwell is secure, they check out the safety of the immediate area. Ben follows the mutants’ tracks to figure out where they came from- looks like it was from upstairs. They find a camera in the auditorium area and destroy it so they cannot be watched.

The posse takes the chance to hear each other. Given the fight, the healing process takes a little longer than usual. Nigel managed to get through the battle basically unscathed. Ben notes that “When you’re the least threatening looking of the group, you tend to avoid fire.”

Having been twice burned to a crisp, Hammond gets the other Swat armor from Ben and begins putting it on. They search the bodies of the mutants and find a key card with a black circle (symbol of the Command level). They take any workable equipment off of the mutants (ammo, etc.). and pile up the bodies. They decide their best bet is to finish checking out the rest of this floor, then head up to the Command center.

They split up to check the remaining rooms. Haldeman and Hammy find a cafeteria. Inside they hear a noise. Upon inspection- they find the gremlin snacking on some left over rubbish.

Ben and Nigel find a rudimentary school/instruction room. They find a few books of note, which they collect.

Hammy negotiates with the gremlin, since he suspects the gremlin walked them into a trap. The gremlin is surprisingly candid. It knew the others were coming but did not alert them. It wanted to see if the posse was strong enough to defeat them. Now it knows. Hammond sees the logic, but points out that if he does that again, the gremlin will be amongst the bodies. The two reach an understanding.

“Hill People” caves outside of Kingman, AZ

The gremlin creature has agreed to help the posse in exchange for the freedom of its people. It leads them down a winding set of tunnels. Everyone once in a while it stops to get its bearings.

They reach an intersection and the gremlin notes they need to choose the way to go. They ask why they must choose again, since they wanted the long safe path. “Long and safe it is”. he replies, and jumps straight up into a 3rd tunnel.

Ben suggests they mark their way, but the gremlin points out that neither his people nor the Meat Men use markings. Doing so would alert either group to their presence.
The group requests that the gremlin holds on to the rope to help them climb up. He reluctantly agrees (noting his injured leg). First up is Nigel, then Haldeman, Ben and finally Hammond.

The new path is very claustrophobic. They cannot move unless squatting or crawling. The slow push forward seems to take forever given their restricted movements. Finally they come to a hole. As they stare into the darkness, the gremlin notes that it is much farther going down than coming up.

“Mind, the bottom is where they live, their area at least.” – the gremlin states.

The posse agrees to have Ben go down first. His telekinesis skill could be used to cushion someone’s fall. He leads the way and points out to the other where to climb.

They arrive at a small bend in the drop; a good natural resting point. Below the hole opens out into a larger cavern.

They brace together and dangle Ben down into the cavern. As he descends he spots a beast-like man roasting a large hunk of meat on a bonfire. The pig-man does not seem to notice him.

The others begin to wonder what is happening and send the gremlin down. Ben sends a message back that they are not alone.

Ben uses his Aztec Surprise to rip the heart right out of the pig-man; he dies instantly and flops to the ground. He sends another message back to the others and they all descend to the cavern floor.

At the bottom there is little else in the area, save for the pig-man’s body and the “meat” he was cooking. It turns out that the meat is actually a human. The gremlin picks up the pig-man’s heart and eats it.

They do see a large metal object off to one side of the cave. As they near the object they see it is a large metal door. “Shelter 19 – Hellstromme Industries” is painted on the door in large stenciled letters.

“That is where they keep the mother. They keep her here in a place where they can spawn us AND them. They use the mother to make them faster.” says the gremlin.

They use the Geiger counter on the outside of the door and detect a severely high level of radiation. They’ll have to keep their travel in the shelter very short. Ben mentions that they DO have some Dr. Pepper, just in case.

Nearby they find a small metal box with a keypad. They analyze the keys to find which ones are the most used. Ben check the body of the pig-man and finds a scrap of cloth with the same digits in a code. They enter the code twice, as was written.

With a slow but mighty effort the doors swing outward. Ben uses his mind scan to assess the threat within. His vision zeros in on a geodesic dome at the center of the complex. At the bottom of the dome is a giant slate rock of pure white. He begins to hear whispers, as eyes peer from the shadows. He senses a mind, its presence fills the room. The mind’s face emerges, painted, almost making it look like a skull. There is a brand upon his head with the symbol of the Apostates. “What are you doing here?!” The rock glows for a second, and Ben is knocked back into his own mind.

Shelter 19

Ben relays what he saw to the others. They cautiously enter. During the initial survey of the first floor they find little. Few lights are on, and most of the items in the place have been ransacked.

They find a set of stairs. On the wall is a layout. Top floor is Command, followed by Recreation, then (on their current floor) is Habitat, below is Maintenance, then Geothermal. Maintenance is marked with a Blue Hazard sign. Geothermal marked with a Red Hazard sign.

They head downstairs to maintenance, but find that the entry door requires a passkey. Realizing they’ll need to find a passkey to get anywhere else, they head back to the Habitat floor.

The posse surveys the rooms carefully, but quickly. A few minor items are found, but no luck with the passkey. One of the rooms they cannot enter- it has been welded shut and a dried bloody hand print marks the window.

They move up to the floor above, Recreation. They find a min-recreation court, with markers for basketball, and racquetball. There are a few items in there (including a saiga mk3 shotgun), but no passkey.

On the recreation level they also find a small theater/media/conference room. There are chairs set up and the remains of an old meal at a table. In the front of the room there is a screen, and in the back they find a small A/V equipment area.

They inspect the area and Ben finds a blue passkey card with the name “Rob” printed on it. As he pulls the key out of its position, the motion allows for a plug to slip back in place. Suddenly the nearby projector kicks on and begins playing. There’s some par-military march music, backing a promo-video for Hellstromme Industries’ shelter. It notes the safety and protection from radiation that the shelter offers. The posse kicks around some ideas about the origins/purposes of the shelters.

Hammond quips “Hell of a lotta good it did them to protect them from the radiation…”

_“Oh It did plenty good” shouts out a stout person with green-brown skin and scales, eyes of solid red. He’s holding a rifle and is backed by several others. “It did plenty well, its just that people like you don’t appreciate people like us.”

”Anyone poking around here” he clicks the safety off his rifle “…Ain’t exactly invited. You can lay down your arms and put your hands on your head- but if you raise your guns to us, we’ll send you to the boss man in a body bag.”

Hammond tries to reason with them. “We’ll put our guns down. Isn’t there someone we can talk to to straighten this whole mess out. We aren’t looking for a fight, there must be someone who’d want to talk to us”

”I’m sure he would. Maybe if you’re lucky you’ll get sent to the town to do some work. Either that or you’ll end up as chow. Not like you have a choice.”

More of the mutants come out and begin to shuffle around to surround the posse.

“Hill People” caves outside of Kingman, AZ

The swarm of cave-gremlins surrounds the posse inside of the large chamber. Nigel and Haldeman focus their fire on the tunnel leading backwards, as more of the creatures attempt to attack from behind.

The cave-gremlins shift their skin color to blend in with the cave walls. Their motions make it difficult to discern what is flesh and what is shadow- even Hammond’s vampire vision is somewhat useless.

Ben attempts to overawe the group by creating a large burst of flame. The heat and blinding light of the fire surge unsettles the cave-gremlins. Hammond lets loose a barrage of bullets and takes out three of them.

The large mob of cave-gremlins encircles Ben and Hammond, separately. The creatures slash and bite at them. With so many attackers, the men find it difficult to avoid being hit.

Ben uses a new flame nova skill to ignite all of the creatures around him, killing them instantly. He runs from the spot and puts his back up against a large rock formation to prevent from being surrounded. As he butts up against the rock, he feels it give a little; then it starts moving. With a groan the massive cave troll pulls itself up off the ground.

The troll growls at Ben, but he snarls back at the beast, which confuses it. Hammond does a double-take at what looks to him like a living rock, but is not shaken. The cave-gremlins take the opportunity to attack Hammond.

Hammon sees an opening and runs to a wall. Using his momentum he kick-jumps off of it, doing a back flip over the cave-gremlins and unloading his assault rifle at them. The attack is successful. The other creatures attack him and the struggle nearly winds Hammy.

Ben shoots the cave troll. The troll responds by charging at Ben. The two collide and Ben is knocked back slightly. Hammond is yet again attacked by the cave-gremlins.

Ben uses his telekinesis to fire his shotgun at the gremlins and fires his assault rifle at the troll. Hammond drops his rifle, pulls his hammer, and with a mighty roar performs a heavy swing across the group of gremlins. He takes out three of them. The troll takes notice and focuses on Hammond. The few remaining gremlins head toward Ben.

The troll takes a swipe at Hammond’s head. Fortunately Hammond’s violent swing causes him to slip and fall to the ground, avoiding the troll’s strike. Ben is attacked by the remaining gremlins. The big troll, thinking it’s killed Hammond, goes back after Ben. The gremlins, acting much like the scavengers they are, run over to feast on Hammond.

Ben blasts the troll with his shotgun, downing the large creature. The two remaining cave-gremlins attempt to run off. Ben and Hammond fire at them in an attempt to disable one. Ben shoots one in the leg. It falls to the floor. They come up and start speaking to the creature to see if perhaps it is semi-intelligent.

Hammond holds the creature’s limbs down, to keep it from attacking. To their surprise, it speaks back to them.

The creature responds, “Why does the meat talk?”

Ben uses his mind-reading powers while they question the gremlin. It knows what Ben is trying to do, and puts up a bit of resistance.

The creature mentions the other “Meat Men”. The Meat Men have control of the Mother. That fact makes the gremlins follow orders, otherwise the Meat Men will kill the Mother. There is also a Shaman, a “brain man” much like Ben. This shaman has some kind of control or domain over the “Rock god” (some kind of glowing white rock- they suspect it is Tannis).

Ben Hammond and Nigel work together to patch up the gremlin’s leg. They also give it some food. The posse mentions they want to remove the other Meat Men, but they will need to work together. The creature is skeptical, and wants more. They offer food and more healing, and they promise to help save the Mother from the Meat Men.

There are two ways quick or long. One is long, the other is not. One is easy, the other Meat Men get lost.

Hammond asks the gremlin to guide them. The creature’s leg is still fairly mangled, so they agree to take turns carrying him.

The dark back alley of a city residential district. (Twenty years in the past)

Two men meet in the shadows. “How many are left? … How many do I have to kill.” says the first.

The second man states “Not many, your days are over.”

The first man steps into the light. His dark complexion covered in scars. He reveals a large knife. “So are we gonna start this? I can’t wait to taste your blood boy.”

The second man emerges from the dark and reveals himself. It is the man-in-black from the earlier cut-scene (The Incubus in the form of Sylvia Chambers recruited him)

The man-in-black replies: “In the end it will come down to two. And it won’t include you.”

The two men struggle, but the man-in-black quickly bests the first. He decapitates the scarred man. An energy surge pulses out of the dead man’s eyes. The eyes of the man-in-black light up, nearly pure white as he puts on his sunglasses and walks away.

Near Tuscon

The people of Near Tuscon, both the original residents and the new refugees from Kingman are living a squalid life. Resources are stretched thin and the people have become anxious. Tensions are high as squabbles amongst the different groups break out over food and water.

The clouds flicker and a few crashes echo out from the sky. The rain starts pouring down. A strange turn of luck, the rain is clean. Ben heads over to talk with Tulip. Hammond tries to rally the townsfolk into collecting some of the water, since it may not rain again for quite some time.

Ben, Tulip, and the Blue Belle soldiers are discussing plans for distributing the supplies they brought back. Ben mentions they should try to collect some water. Tulip asks for some assistance in quelling the anxieties of the refugees. She feels maybe the posse’s work during the battle of Kingman may help bolster their trust. Ben reveals that the posse has plans to take back Kingman. She points out that they will need to motivate a militia.

Meanwhile, Hammond reveals his tabard and calls out for action to everyone. He presses them to try and work together. A few of the refugees start heckling ”We remember you, you left us all to rot! Have you seen what happened to the people they got when those cultists came? The other guy like you, yeah I remember him, why don’t you go back there and see what they did to him!”

Hammond is upset, but maintains his composure. “Maybe you ought to quit blaming me and start thinking about how the Cult of Doom is responsible.” ”How are we supposed to handle that? They got magic and stuff, blowing things up with green rays and crap” “Well, we got a whole mess of guns, ammo, armor, and supplies that says we can do something about it!”

Ben overhears the rabble and sees there’s an unhappy crowd gathered in front of Hammond. The groups of town people are bickering with themselves. Ben shouts “Why isn’t anyone collecting this god damned water?!” He barks some orders and folks and they are, for the most part, listening.

Hammy and Ben talk about the discontent in the town people, as well as the increased dangers at Kingman. They decide it would be best if they put a small infiltration team together. They’ll take one of the Blue Belle soldiers with them, and leave the other here in Near Tuscon to direct the fortification efforts.

To provide the BB soldier (Haldeman) with a better idea of the kinds of horrors they may find, Ben removes his wraps to show his face. The soldier is unfazed, but notes Ben could be taken for a zombie to the untrained eye. They develop a plan and head out on the road.

Desert near Mount Pass on the road to Kingman

The van makes the trip fairly quickly. As dusk settles in they arrive just outside of the mountain pass. They park and conceal the van. The men make their way towards the pass. They scope it out and notice there is a makeshift vehicle barrier of logs and impaled bodies.

The 4 men sneak forth. Ben notices a mine. They carefully make their way through the field, following in Ben’s footsteps. Luckily they avoid being blown up, but they make a note that the mines will have to be neutralized before they bring the militia through.

The distance closed, they can now see that the bodies on the logs are impaled zombies. This strikes all of the men as odd, considering the manitous inside would just be wasting energy. Hammond mentions there is a remote possibility that they are being used as undead security cameras- getting an early view of what’s coming. They see that as possible, but move forward, as they would have already been spotted.

In the pass, they find a vehicle trap but are able to successfully disarm it. They realize that if there is a trap here, there must be a hatch or entryway nearby. The crew tries to climb up the side-walls. All are successful except for Hammond, who falls flat on his back.

The others dig through their gear and find a short length or rope. They tie it around Ben and lower him down as far as possible. Hammy runs and leaps, just barely grasping Ben’s hand. Nigel and Haldeman pull the two men up.
They search around the upper level and find a worn footpath leading to a carved ladder. The men climb it and discover a scouting station next to a tarp on the rock wall. Dust covering the binoculars at the scout station indicates that they haven’t been used in some time. The tarp is removed and they find a dark entry into the caverns.

They enter the caves and light up their flashlights. The walk is on a definite decline as they move forward. The path winds a bit and comes to a point where it constricts providing a very claustrophobic feel. Nigel heads in first for safety. He finds a root or outcropping. He cuts it with his knife. A piece falls off; it’s a type of moss. As the moss peels away, a new whole is revealed. Beyond the whole is a large circular room with what appears to be a pool of water. They use the Geiger counter and the radiation in the pool is very high.

The crew works their way around the outer edge, avoiding contact with the liquid. They find a hose coming out of the pool. They pull the end out of the water to see which way the water is flowing. It appears the hose is pumping out of the pool.

They decide to follow the hose considering it must lead to someone/something important. The hose leads them down another winding path. They hear movement on one of the walls. They shine their flashlights and see a freakish gremlin-like humanoid climbing on the wall. The creature’s eyes are large and black, but it does not appear to see them. Its skin shifts color and blends into rock as it slinks away.

They follow the hose until it comes to a four way intersection. They decide to continue with the hose. This leads them to another tarp covering a whole. They enter carefully and find a much larger chamber. Off in the distance they see a figure hunched over a section of hose. Light reveals yet another one of the gremlin-men. It’s on its hands and knees drinking the spraying water. The men’s footsteps and whispers startle the beast; it whips its head toward them and snarls. Then it changes its skin to a dark color and runs off.

In the interested of getting a better feel for their surrounding they try and light up a torch. As it lights up, they can see the edges of the large cavern. Lining the walls of the cave are tons of these gremlin-men, all of which have become aware of the intruding posse. They also hear from behind them as one of the gremlin-men leaps down from the opening they just came from.

Kingman

Charlie Silverfox mills over her decision to head to MovieTown. The other members of the posse didn’t want to go, so she figured she’d head there on her own. Knowing how things had gone last time she was in Kingman, she figures they would be happy to have her fuel up there. Little did she know that Kingman had been taken over by the Cult and it’s band of muties.

Charlie is being processed by the Cult’s security detail. She is removed from Car-el while giving it instructions. One of guards makes a snide remark about how stupid she is for talking to her car. Suddenly his head explodes. A gunshot echoes out from some nearby housing. Car-el drives off to avoid the incoming fire.

Charlie runs but is nabbed from behind. A hand covers her mouth and she is pulled off into a small abandoned building. “Don’t worry, just be quite- I won’t hurt you, I am one of the rebels”. She turns and sees a reptilian fellow. He offers to help, but she needs to keep quiet. Charlie keeps pressing him to try and get back to Car-el.

Charlie tries to use her homing device for Car-el. She gets it working, but Car-el is unable to drive to her location without significant chance of total destruction. The reptile man leads her to an underground safe house located in the sewers. The rebels cautiously welcome her in, some of them actually recognizing her. They ask her many questions of the outside world; is there anyone coming for them? They fill her in on the goings on at Kingman after she had left. Charlie also spots a short wave radio, though it apparently needs repairs.

McGovern Air Force Base

Ben and Hammond finish filling in the 2 project “Blue Belle” soldiers on the way of the world since the war.

The soldiers inquire about the situation that the posse mentioned in Kingman and Near Tuscon. They see the need to set up a base of operations in Near Tuscon and agree to take as much of the supplies as they can.

They crew spends a while sorting through the supplies.  The soldiers mention that they have less than they were supposed to have received. Never the less the weapons, ammo, gear and consumables are much more than the posse has seen in a long time.

With the three jeeps nearly full, the three posse members mention that they have a bit of unfinished business here.  Hammond pulls out the cursed military ration and  gives it to one of the soldiers.  They use the base’s computer system to pull info based on the serial number.

As it turns out there was a bad batch of rations that was responsible for many illnesses and a few deaths.  The rest of the batch was disposed of and the containers were melted down in the smelting shop on McGovern.  This was the only container left.

The three posse members head towards the smelting shop while the soldiers finish loading the vehicles and setting the explosives to blow up the bunker (wouldn’t want the excess supplies or data to fall in the wrong hands).

Nigel, Ben, and Hammond enter the smelt shop.  The machinery is worn from disuse, but appears to be in good order.  Ben guides Hammond and Nigel through the steps of starting the furnace.

With a loud clank and a rumble the gate at the back of the furnace opens.  The iron inside quickly melts from the heat of the exposed ground heat vent.  Hammond lets out a sigh of relief as he chucks the MRE into the pool.  The container melts instantly- a small slick of
steel riding on top of the molten lead.

The molten metal flares up wildly.  The men hear a slam behind them, turning to see that the doors have been barred.  A growl emanates from the smelting furnace, followed by a word “Hammond.”  The crew turns back around to see the top of the furnace blow out.  The liquid metal starts rising up into a twisted figure.

The molten being slings a glob of flaming goo at Hammond grazing his stomach.  Hammond quickly tries to shut off the furnace, but nothing seems to work.

Ben spots an emergency button and points it out to the others.  Nigel runs over to hit the button.  The pool of metal begins to be sucked out into a cooling chamber.
Hammond tries to throw some scrap metal at it, hoping the added mass would cool the beast- but it just absorbs the scrap.  Ben tries to open the bared door with his telekinesis but it is unmovable- he can sense there is an unknown force holding it back.

The monster emerges and rushes after Hammond.  The searing heat from the molten beast causes him to be weary.  “If you do not submit, they will suffer in your stay!” growls the demon.

Ben and Nigel spot the old emergency fire sprinkler pipes above them and begin shooting to burst the pipes.  They burst one of the pipes and send water splashing down on the demon.  It seems to yell out in pain.

The burning metal monster does an about face and throws more molten goo at Ben and Nigel, but misses setting fire to a pile of rubble. They fire again and burst the other pipe in that section of the building- spraying the monster again.  It angers and runs after Ben.

Hammond leaps forth and rips down another pipe above the monster with his hammer, pouring the rusty water all over the beast.  “You want me, you’re gonna have to fight to get me!”

Ben uses telekinesis to burst another pipe.  The water is enough to cool the monster, freezing it as a demented sculpture.   Steam rises off of the metal structure.  Ben smashes it with the pipe and it topples.

The head rolls off,  but the molten core (the actual steel from the MRE) oozes out and forms a small metallic spider and begins scurrying towards Hammond.  The face of his hammer smashes it into a flat plate.

I reckon that’ll be enough partner  Hammond hears this.  “I reckon it will.”

Ben notices this, “I reckon what?… Hammond?”

From inside the burning rubble pile Hammond sees Ronin Lynch emerge. He gives a nod and bids Hammond farewell, their journey together is done.  He then walks back into the fire.

Ben sees Hammond talking to nothing, – “Uh, Nigel, I think the heat is getting to Hammond, we better get him out of here”.

The bars on the doors have disappeared.  The three men escape the burning building and head back to meet the soldiers.  Everything is complete.  They head off to pick up the van.  Travel through the maelstrom is surprisingly uneventful.

Near Tuscon

The entourage of vehicles arrives.  A crowd of refugees surrounds them, cheering praises- a post-apocalyptic fan-fare of sorts.  The posse notes that the number of refugees has increased since they left.

Tulip comes out to greet them.  They give her word of the Cult of Doom’s presence in the maelstrom.  That is far too close, they’ll have to set up defenses and begin working on a plan for the offensive.

 An old burned out corn field

A cloaked figure shuffles forth.  The figure is moving towards a cross.  A man is crucified there, clothed in burlap with a sack covering it’s head.  Eye holes are cut out and his eye’s peer out towards the cloaked figure.

“Well, Look at you, all hung up there with nothing to do.  I’ve got something for you.  Do you want to come and play again?”

“*yes, I want to play*”

The cloaked figure removes it’s hood.  It’s a new body, but the signs of corruption and decay reveal it as the incubus.  It’s dark tendrils (nearly invisible in the low light) remove the nails from the crucified man.

His body drops down and lands in a flesh puddle.  The form rises back to it’s feet.

“Come, I have some new friends for us to play with”.

Table Rock

The posse finds some dynamite. Twitch plants the explosives on one of the Table rock supports. Norman lures the TRex into the area underneath of Table Rock itself. Somehow, Twitch did good and the massive rock comes crashing down. The Trex isn’t crushed, but takes some hits from debris.

Big John attacks using the drill-dozer. The smaller allosaur emerges and attacks Big John and Twitch. Big John takes a nasty bite, nearly losing his guts. Norman kills the allosaur.

They continue after the wounded TRex. Many bullets are fired, injuring the animal. Finally, Norman leaps forth and kills the mighty lizard.

The death of the allosaur passes on a coup to Twitch, he now has the “spring jump” ability. Norman inherits the fearsom jaws of the TRex as his coup, though he is able to hid them.

They find the amber blood stone within the belly of the TRex and return it to the burial chamber. The whole canyon shimmies. The dirt along the walls falls away to reveal thousands of graves, each with the same types of pictographs as the shaman’s mound.

The men are able to escape the canyon undisturbed. Upon reaching the top they are met by by the group of natives. ‘Running Horse’, a man that helped Twitch and Norman back in MovieTown, speaks to them of the tribe buried here. They were called the Anusazi. The Shaman buried in the mound had hoped to use the amber blood stone to revive his people. little did he know that doing so would have raised an army of undead horrors. This group of natives plans to bury the stone forever, far out of the reaches of any man.

Running Horse offs the men peace, and talks of the rising concerns of attack coming from the Cult of Doom or the Combine. He feels that they all must rally together to resist these imposing foes. He and his tribe offer to break bread with them, and ask for the story of what took place in the canyon.

Table Rock

The monstrous T-Rex charges toward Big John. All of the men begin firing on the dino. A few of the men are wounded as the beast thrashes about.

Norman takes a step back then charges off of the plateau; leaping onto the T-Rex’s back. Several slashes with his blades, along with the incoming fire from the rest of them men, help them to scare off the T-Rex.

Norman and Big John meet back up and talk with the foreman about the other missing men. The foreman tells them about how he went up the tall plateau with the 2 other men. The first two supposedly got into an argument and shot each other. Big John doesn’t speak out at the time, but later tells Norman he had doubts about the foreman’s story.

Norman and one of the miners get what’s needed and head back up to the dirt mount on the plateau to check it out. The inside is covered in pictographs and paintings, but neither man can decode them. They also find suspended bed, like a hammock surrounded by ornamental grass and trinkets. Inside the hammock is a mummified body in Native American ceremonial garb.

Nearby they also spot the bodies of the two miners. Norman studies them. The placement of the wounds doesn’t seem to make sense with the foreman’s story. In fact it appears the men were executed. A further took around reveals that something has been removed from the hands of the mummy.

Norman comes back down, grabs Murdock and confirms the foreman was lying. They figure he must have taken the item from the mummified native and killed the others to cover it up. Disturbing the grave must have caused a curse on the place. The foreman is gone from his area of the cave. However they manage to find a hidden passage and speculate the foreman must be using it to escape

Big John takes Twitch and the miners aside to explain what’s happened.

Norman continues pursuit down the secret path. Then he hears some shuffling in the dark and sees a small light up ahead. As he approaches he sees that the light is the burning of a fuse connected to three sticks of TNT. Norman runs away as the blast goes off.

A huge Boom echoes out from the mouth of the cave, followed quickly by a cloud of dust. After a second of suspense, they see a figure emerge from the rubble. Norman was somehow able to narrowly escape.
The group pulls together to formulate a new plan. They settle in on using the drill-dozer, and possibly killing one or both dinos.

Cut scene: The foreman is escaping from a small cave. He begins running through a forest of stone pillars. In his hand is an amber orb filled with red. The blood inside is eerily still liquid and sloshes about as he runs.

A shadow looms over him. He turns and sees the toothy maw of the T-Rex. A bit of saliva drops down on to his should as the monster rears back. The man lets out a horrifically loud scream as the mouth closes over him. His empty severed hand is all that remains

*This adventure is taking place with the alternate posse. *

Table Rock (a mine/quarry in southern Arizona)

Within a cave, Norman and Twitch hide with the remaining miners. They have just had a rough tangle with a dinosaur. Fortunately they managed to injure it as well.

On top of the ridge, two Native Americans have a very large man captive under gun-point. “We don’t care for your program. You insulted our people.” Big John Murdock pleads for his life- but the natives kick him over the side of the ridge.

Painful as it was, hitting the side slowed his fall and he manages to survive the ordeal. He recognizes the area now as Table Rock (a revived Ghost Rock mine). No time to recover. A large figure emerges from behind a stone pillar. Before John is a 12 foot allosaurus. The creature seems slightly daze and has slashes and burn marks on it’s face.

The sizable man attempts o roll away slowly as to avoid the dino, but a man his size rarely goes unnoticed. The allosaurus spots him and lets out a roar.

Norman and Twitch recognize the sound- the allosaurus has found prey. However, it does not appear that anyone in their group is missing. Then they hear someone yelling back. Big John uses his mighty voice to retort, causing the dino to be confused and run off.

John is able to free himself from the loose ropes, grabs his glasses and surveys they area. There’s a large tall plateau with a spiraling walkway. If he was to scale it he would be out of reach of the dino. He also spots the remains of the mining area- large drilling machine and a cave.

He decides to scale the pillar. He has a few near falls before making it up half way. At this point, a break in the walkway would require a skillful jump- not exactly his area of expertise. He decides to descend and check out the mining area.

On his way in he hears noise coming from the cave and attempts to hide behind the large machine. Norman and Twitch exit the cave and spot a badly hidden person behind the drill-dozer. Big John reveals himself. Norman recognizes him, Twitch mistakes him for a blob monster. Despite fear of the blob monster, Twitch suggests they move inside to avoid being eaten by the dino.

They make full introductions and explain how they got there. Twitch and Norman were hired to inspect why the Ghost Rock had stopped coming, and to recover what they could. Murdock had a “misunderstanding” with the Native Americans (he had made some offensive statements on his inflammatory radio show). This was their way of expressing that disagreement.

They review the situation. Twitch suggests trying to fix up the drill-dozer. It could be used to punch a way through the collapsed material blocking the entrance to the canyon. They all agree, but know they’ll need a distraction.

Norman suggests they set up some men on each of the two plateaus and keep the dinos busy while the repairs are made. Murdock checks the miner’s supplies and finds some weapons he can use.

Norman begins scaling the taller plateau. On the way up he notices a massive footprint on the ground. The larger dino is MUCH larger. The climb is difficult, but he manages to make it. He reaches the top and finds a large dirt mound. Norman signals down that they can begin. Twitch and Big John move into place. Twitch quickly gets to work on the drill-dozer while Big John moves about to watch for any signs of danger.

Norman takes a quick look at the mound. There is curious writing all around the entrance, petroglyphs of some ancient meaning. He steps inside and feels the swirling wind around him. The walls inside are dry to the touch. However it is far too dark inside to see.

Norman signals down for a torch- a rather humorous game of charades ensues before they figure out his meaning. Twitch tries to help with his pyro power, but the distance is too far. Just then, Norman notices movement beneath the actual Table Rock structure. A massive T-Rex emerges from the shadows.

One of the miner’s arrives from below with a flint and torch. Norman tells him about the mound and the oncoming T-Rex. With know idea of the monster nearby, Twitch furiously hammers away on the drill-dozer. The bangs echo through the canyon and spark the T-Rex’s interest. It begins to move.

Big John and Twitch notice the booming rumble of the footsteps and start moving towards the mine. Norman readies himself to encounter the mighty beast.

McGovern Air Force Base

The Cultist’s mercenaries pump bullets out at Ben and Nigel. Nigel returns with a volley, taking out a Trog and a merc. Ben explodes a guy’s head with his auto-shotgun.

The Cultist, heavily wounded and losing, runs out the door of the mess hall. He then turns while gathering a bright green ball. He launches the ball into the back end of the room, exploding forth a Nuke blast.

The force of the blast kills all of the remaining Mercs and Trogs. The Cultist himself is blwon back into a wall, killing him on impact.

Nigel is the first to get up. Perhaps sheer luck, or a little help from his EMP shielding- he is basically unscathed. Sound is muffled and the room is full of smoke/dust, making in hard to see more than a few feet. Nigel charges out into the hallway to take out the Cultist, but finds his charred corpse.

Hammond rolls back over, feeling pain in his leg and his torso. He hears something but cannot make out the sound. Eventually his hearing adjusts and he realizes it is Nigel calling out. Then the sound of Ben yelling for help.

Nigel and Hammond find Ben splayed out on the ground. His leg has blown off and a large piece of re-bar has pierced his arm. Hammond quickly gets to work to stop the bleeding- Ben is in shock, but conscious enough to assist Hammy with the make-shift tourniquet. Nigel searches around for Ben’s leg.

All three pick up on the groans and creaks coming from the building. The Nuke blast did major structural damage, and it does not appear that this building will stay standing for long. One of the sections near the kitchen completely collapses.

Nigel locates the leg and they head out. Hammond carries Ben as they attempt to find a way out of the building. Ben notices they’ve taken a wrong turn, but spots a window. They climb through and get clear of the building just before this section caves in on itself.

They spot the hanger building nearby. Ben mentions how they could have avoided this mess if they had gone to look in the hanger first. Hammy- “You know what they say- hindsight is always 50/50” Ben- _"Uhm, I think that’s 20/20".

Hammond asks Nigel to assist in carrying Ben into the hanger. The main hanger doors are locked, but an old side door opens with a little help from the hammer. Ben Mind-scans before they enter and detects 2 “human” minds. Despite the risk, they decide to enter to avoid being vulnerable out in the open.

Once inside, they realize that this small room is actually a maintenance office. The janitor’s body sits in a chair. The back side of his head is gone; an old pistol lay on the floor next to the chair.

Nigel and Hammond clear off a desk and place Ben on top. They position the leg and Hammond begins to perform Lay-on-Hands. Nigel ventures into the rest of the building to get more info about these 2 minds detected within.

Nigel explores the next room. He finds a door from which a low constant humming sound can be heard. Nigel also finds some paperwork and pieces together that this is not a hanger, but a storage facility for secondary items (those not directly used in the war efforts).

The healing session goes well. Ben, though still heavily wounded, is back in one piece. He searches around for some new pants. The crew meets back up and checks out the humming door. Ben blasts it open to reveal it’s secrets.

Inside the room is a large structure made out of an odd looking metallic substance. The structure has a door and a small push-button mechanical keypad. The metal is very cold to the touch. The crew discusses possibilities (cryogenics, biological weapons, etc.)

Ben finds a key code on the ID of one of the corpses. They punch the numbers in and unlock the metal door. As it opens they hear the release of pressure and are hit by a waft of clean air. The short step in leads them to a vast warehouse. Large stockpiles of weapons, armor, and other supplies line the walls. Several vehicles in pristine condition sit in the middle of the room.

Along one wall they find a row of large tubes with small red lights on them. In the first few they can see dried corpses with tubes and wires. Nigel find this disturbing and proceeds to check the rest of the area.

Ben and Hammond check out the other tubes and find 2 with green lights instead of red. The bodies inside these tubes appear normal. These must be the 2 minds detected. At the end of the row they find a small storage unit with maintenance robots. Next to the robots is a small interfacing terminal screen.

The interface terminal requests 3 pass-codes to access. They find the remaining codes on the other 2 office workers. The codes provide them access to the main functions- Operations and Database. They find some interesting info- such as the name project “Blue Belle” and all as follows:

(In Summary) McGovern was chosen for project Blue Belle for its anonymity, the large pocket of Ghost Rock under the facility, as well as a the heat vent/power source. “Blue Belle” is a secret double classified detachment of the CSA Ranger Corp. They will be held in stasis and a set of supplies will be allocated to assist in their mission. Total destructive war is seen as unavoidable, this deployment will be deployed AFTER the war to solidify CSA presence and re-establish society. It is also in response to a similar program from the NA- and may be used to combat the NA presence. While there are multiple independent deploments of “Blue Belle” they can be synchronized using the pass code “Remember Richmond”

Hammond remarks – “No wonder the world went to shit. They were already planning a war after the war.”

They attempt to access the Operations menu to open the tanks. All functions under this menu require the master code. Hammy and Ben figure out that the janitor they found is actually the “Blue Belle” commanding officer. They search his body and find his key code. The command is successful and the tubes power up and open. The lights in the warehouse turn on and the air begins flowing.

The two Rangers step out- cool and calm, though a bit disoriented. “Identify yourselves” they state. Ben provides his name/rank and Nigel does the same. The soldiers identify themselves and ask about the year and the status. Ben notes that the crew has a bit of explaining to do “The original team is dead, the world has collapsed. Things have changed.”

Outskirts of Tuscon

The three men push forward into the dark maze of industrial ruins and warehouses. They reach a relatively clear area, what may have once been a field or park. The space is clear, but craters and scorched earth are it’s main make-up. Off in the distance they see the remains of McGovern Air Force Base.

Hammond asks Ben and Nigel if they can recognize any of the layout. Several of the secondary buildings are still standing, as well as what looks to be a hanger. Ben spots the barracks and the men head towards them across the pock-marked field. The dirt beneath them crunches with each step.

The silence is broken by a rapid beat of the same crush sound. Ben spies a scraggly character with a rifle running. The man looks scared. Then all three posse members notice the thing of which he is afraid. A gangly creature nearly 12 feet tall with a flat oval head and very few features. It has dark pits for eyes and a freakish grin. Ben and Hammond recognize it to be a “Night Stalker”. The Night Stalker hunts down those who meet eyes with it, tracking the prey until they are dead, or until the Stalker disappears into the sun light.

The running man stumbles and lands hard on the ground. The Stalker’s long steps close the gap and it makes a gesture with it’s hand. The man floats up and hovers in front of the gruesome smile. He begins to scream as his flesh slowly peels away in long thin strips all flowing into the Stalker’s mouth like “man-ghetti”.

Nigel uses his rifle to shoot the stalker right through the head. The shot lands but nothing happens. Seeing this the crew makes a run for the barracks. Hammond knocks down the fence. Just then Nigel glances back but quickly looks away to avoid the Night Stalker’s gaze. The fallen man’s screams finally stop.

McGovern Air Force Base

The three enter and find the ruins of an old office. Ben suggests they burn one of the chairs for light. They find the dried remains of several workers. There is a paper that indicates some directory information for the base. They set out for the food/catering area in search of the rest of the MRE supply.

They head down several long hallways until they come to the mess hall. They enter and head for the back toward the kitchen. They search through the documents there, but find little. They check a body at a desk and find an old notebook with entries dating near the Reckoning. The entry mentions a mis-shipment of MRE containers. There is also indication of concern regarding the highly increased number of job fatalities/accidents. With this information they decide to head towards the infirmary.

As the men start heading back to the hallway they spot a couple of Trogs, followed by some armed thugs and a Cult of Doom member. They try to slink away, but the Cultist spots them. “Well, Well. What’s this? Some scroungers from Near Tuscon? Kill them men!”

Realizing they are stuck in another battle, the posse pulls out their weapons. Hammond makes a charge right on the Cultist, delivering 2 hefty blows. The surrounding Trogs are startled but turn to attack him.

Some of the Trogs toss cafeteria tables at Ben and Nigel. Ben pulls off Aztec Surprise on the Cultist dealing some damage. Nigel fires on the Trogs taking a few out.

The Cultist’s hired guns start laying down some fire on the whole crew. Fortunately the frantic movement helps them avoid damage. Nigel and Ben thin out the Cultist’s gang with rapid fire. The Cultist blasts Hammy and Ben gets hit by stray bullets in the arm and leg.

Near-Tuscon

The van appears instantly just outside the gates of Near-Tuscon. The posse hears yelling from the guards. Ben suggests they get out and say “Ta-da!” Hammond dismisses him and steps out of the vehicle with extreme caution.

“Who are you, where the hell did you come from?!” the guards shout with a slight tremble of fear. Hammond recites his name and asks to speak with Tulip. The one guard goes to fetch her while the others stand with guns pointed at the posse. The three men look around while waiting. they notice a small shanty town has been set up outside the gates.

Tulip arrives and recognizes them all. She tells the guards to let them in, they have much to discuss. Near-Tuscon has changed quite a bit since they last were here. the population has doubled or tripled and the whole interior of the town is occupied.

Tulip asks how they managed to appear here. The three try and explain, but she is a little reluctant to believe. “I’d rather you just got out and said ‘Ta-da!’, at least that would be amusing.”

She tells them that the new folks in town are mostly people who have fled from Kingman. Based on the stories she heard, there was a big battle lead by a group with a Templar and a syker- she thinks she knows who they were talking about now.

The Cult of Doom teamed up with the Hill People mutants. Together they took back Kingman. There is a small rebel force there (composed of the freedom fighters). They are the only reason that the Cult/Hillpeople force in Kingman hasn’t pushed any farther out.

The people of Near-Tuscon have decided to construct some junker-tech defensive weapons for the town so they can allocate a few more troop to send to Globe to keep the trade/food safe. They have plenty of structural components, but James (the town’s junker and general fix-it man) needs other components, including ghost rock. They could also use some conventional weapons for the troops.

The crew offers their help; Since the guys are already headed into McGovern Air Force Base, they can bring back any items that will assist in the town’s defense. They meet with James to find out what he needs and head out on the road towards McGovern.

They drive up Route 10 as far as they can. As they near the Maelstrom they can see it’s form. The twisted souls spin around within the mighty cyclone; though their screams seem subdued for the moment. The van passes through the outer edge. The three men feel a sense of sullenness and decay, but experience no real harm.

Inside the maelstrom the moans of the dead can be heard all around. All of the surrounding seem darker and more dangerous than before the crossing. Cars and military vehicles litter the roadway; pileups block their way through. From here on in they’ll be without the use of the van.

The twisted metal of the wreckage seems almost menacing. The shadows of the hollow buildings almost reach out to grab them. It feels as if the whole land, the entirety of their surroundings is out to kill them. They head toward the base’s Army-detachment building (the origin of Hammond’s MRE.

A hazy gaming parlor

Mr. D’s smoke wills the room. The chips are dolled out and stacked before each of the players. The cards shuffle and are dealt with eerie silence.

Mr. D sits across for the three posse members. “The cards have always been stacked against you. Is this the first time you’ve noticed?”

The first few hands go to Ben. “Well Mr. Collins, you’re a lucky man” says Mr. D. “It’s a shame your life hasn’t been so lucky.”

Ben replies with a sarcastic quip -“At least I have my looks.”

“If you make it out, you’ll look like you used to” Mr D reminds him.

After a few curious bets from Mr. Winthorpe, Hammond mentions that he should try to remember they are playing against the house, not each other.

The chips shuffle around the table with each turn of fate. Hammond catches a lucky break and keeps himself in the game.

Slowly but steadily they pull the chips away from Mr. D. He offers a bit of advice to Hammond about not being cynical. “The cynical man knows the cost of everything, and the value of nothing.”

Mr. D reveals his name, Baron Samedi (a Haitian god of death/sex/pleasure/revival). If Samedi had been revered instead of nation’s fear of death- then the Reckoning would have just been a grand party he explains with a smile.

They talk more of the belief in the Baron, and of the many different “wacky” beliefs in the world- such as Wendigos and Native American spirits.

The conversation turns to Quiet Mountain itself. The real town is long gone. It used to be a nice vacation place for the wealthy.

The Baron mentions he does not associate with the 4 horsemen. Hammond inquires. Samedi reveals they have stirred up quite a bit of trouble, pissing some people off.

In the beginning evil was spread all over the world. There was death and horror all over. There we other spirits who were unhappy with this. The evil of the world was sucked into the Hunting Grounds and sealed by several of the Elder Spirits.

Samedi asks Hammy about being a templar. “Why do you fight?” Hammond responds- “Why does anyone do anything? We do what we do because it’s what we do.”

Nigel asks what Samedi would gain from this game. He replies that he would gain the three of them. “What if you manage to kill the 4 horsemen? Will you keep fighting?” Some more discussion continues, but the Baron becomes few up and commands All-In for the last hand.

As luck would have it Nigel, who was down to his last 2 chips, wins the final hand, thus saving the three men. The Baron hands each man a special chip.

You asked earlier why some dislike the 4 horsemen. It is because they cheated. The 4 had already lost. You are living through the second time in this world. The 4 Reckoners cheated and bent the world by sending an agent back through time. Their greatest Servitor, Stone, was sent back. Stone and his other self joined forces to help the Reckoners. There is only an ancient Stone is left now but he seeks out those who want to stop the 4.

The Baron points out that he plays fair, and offers to drop them off wherever they like. Half in disbelief, the posse requests Near-Tuscon and asks to bring the van as well. Samedi obliges and the crew appears inside the van. Out of the darkness through the windshield, they see a monstrously large version of the Baron pick them up in his hand- “Happy Hunting” he says before swallowing them. Suddenly in Near-Tuscon a van appears out of thin air. The guards are startled and look on in shock.

In the darkness

Hammond feels a sting in his throat. He coughs and opens his eyes. He’s in an old abandoned grocery store. He sees Ben asleep on top of some old crates. A black plastic trash bag sits on the floor, stretched by what appears to be a body within it.

A man sits on the end of a cashier’s desk not far from the group. He greets Hammond and says he rescued the three men from a terrible crash. “You shouldn’t have tried to come down that causeway.” He answers a few questions about the crash, but none of the details bring up any memories. They are in a town called Quiet Mountain. The strange man has never heard of JunkYard- how peculiar.

Quiet Mountain

The strange man puts out his cigarette and says that since they’re all waking up, he’ll be on his way. Hammond thanks him with a handshake and asks for the stranger’s name. “Mr. D.” he replies before heading through the door.

Ben wakes up. At second glance Hammy notices that Ben looks normal- as is no longer mutated. The two acknowledge this, but conversation turns to Nigel. The garbage bags jolt upright as a familiar face rips through the plastic. Nigel makes a mighty gasp for air. His pulse is elevated. “Come to think of it, this is all a bit off.” They are no longer wearing their own clothes, but “modern civilian” clothing.

The three men note the strange occurrences, and the presence of a dull pain within them. None of them has a memory of the crash. Nigel finds a lighter in his pocket. Ben checks his own and turns up a screwdriver and a set of lock-picks. Hammond’s pocket holds 2 tokens for the Nightshade Amusement Emporium.

They cautiously venture outside. Extreme fog obscures their view beyond a few yards. It appears to be day, but the sky is so uniformly grey it is impossible to tell what time. There’s a nearby electronics shop, but its metal gate is drawn down and locked. Hammond finds a cigarette butt with the logo “D.E.”

They see an intersection and head over to get their bearings. The sign indicates that they are on Erebus rd. and the cross street is Abaddon. Hammond and Ben recognize the name Abbaddon- Biblical angel, watcher in the dark, Greek for destroyer, king of locusts. Nigel has heard of Erebus- God of Darkness, Son of Chaos.

They head back past the grocery store. This time they continue down the road to a wooded area. The road continues to a collapsed tunnel. The men turn and find a grisly crash site. It’s the van; the front end split in several ways by tree trunks. How in the world did they survive this?

Something seems amiss. The fuel has soaked into the upholstery, but it nearly evaporated. The van is far more rusted and broken down that it should be. Nigel enlists Ben and Hammy’s help to climb a tree for a chance to see out over the fog. He grabs hold of a branch, but it snaps sending him falling to the earth. The wood is dry and nearly dead. They make a crude torch from it. Nigel grabs a bullet casing from the van’s interior.

A sound echoes out in the fog. Thwup-Thwup, A sound like a heavy rug being shaken out. They see bird-like things above them starting to circle. Suddenly one of the bird-monsters swoops down. They are huge, nearly man-sized with long wings. The posse runs back up and dives into the grocery store. One of the bird-monsters follows but loses them once they enter the building. It lets out a screech and flies away.

They plan to make a run and try to enter the electronics store for some kind of supplies. They head out and try to rip the metal gate off, but are unsuccessful. They hear the screeching again. Ben runs back to the store, Hammond takes off down the road and around the corner, and Nigel stays to try the door again.

The creature lands on Nigel, slashing his shoulder badly. He runs down the road towards the woods. Ben crawls out and is completely ignored by the creatures. He begins to think they are only able to sense by sound.

Hammond rounds the corner and heads down Abaddon street. He finds a wrecked car with no motor and hops into the engine compartment, slamming the hood behind him. He grips the hood while one of the bird-monsters climbs about the car. It steps onto the roof, which crumples slightly, making a large clang.

On the other side of the road, the bird-monsters hear the loud clang and fly after it. Ben and Nigel regroup and start quietly making there way out to find Hammond. The bird-monsters poke around the car a bit but eventually fly off. Hammond waits until the coast is clear and exits the car. He searches around inside and finds a journal. The entry in the journal reads:
I feel like I’ve been here for days or weeks. Found this. Want to write about us. No way out. Just those things. I hear them in the dark. Going to try to use this car to drive my way out. Crash my way out if I need to.

The three men are reunited and they check the trunk of the car. They find a Baseball bat, a pistol with 12 shots, and a crossbow with 12 bolts. They divvy up the items and start talking strategy. Ben notices a shape shuffling oddly down the road towards them.

As the thing nears, they see it is shaped like a human, but looks as though it were wrapped in a flesh bag. There is a grotesque mouth in the middle of the chest that has small tendrils hanging from it. They are totally monstrous, shades of the abyss- not of their world. Two other creatures appear from behind the men, they are now surrounded.

There is an intense struggle between them. The creatures swipe with their tendrils. Each time they contact, there’s a slight burning hiss sound- like corrosive acid. With some luck and teamwork they dispatch the foul beasts. Each one dies, disintegrating into ash.

A group of the bird-monsters has noted the struggle and sits perched upon the building in the direction of the grocery store. The three men see no choice but to continue down this new road Samedi Blvd. They continue down until they find a boardwalk at the edge of a lake. There’s a sign for Nightshade Lake Boardwalk. The dark black of the lake stretches out before them. The fog does not appear over the lake, in fact it appears to be emanating from it.

On the left they spy the Nightshade Amusement Emporium. A glare shines through the windows- there’s an arcade game still on inside. They enter and find the windows are blacked out from within. The only light comes from the game- “Gates of Doom”. It plays in a continuous demo. A man, wearing a freakish grinning mask, slaughters person after person.

Hammond retrieves the tokens from his pocket and inserts them into the game. It lights up and Rara ceremonial music plays. The machine sprouts legs and moves aside to reveal a door.

The three men enter and find Mr. D. sitting at a table smoking. From behind the cloud of smoke a skull appears over his face. “Care for a drink” He gestures. He knows that Hammond has “something of his” (a reference to the cursed ration perhaps?). He informs them that they have come to play for their very existence. They must ante up. But first Nigel must hand over Mr. D’s lighter- (the black chip).

Boise

The next few days are relatively easy. The posse members heal up and make preparations for travel. The few remaining Templars in town gather up a few mercenaries and head to track down the rest of the Anti-Templars. The townsfolk get back to their day-to-day activities.

Every once in a while one of the Squires tries to win Hammond’s favor by showboating or telling him of a good deed. Marilyn has gone into inner Boise to help scavenge supplies and search for useful items.

Ben seeks out someone to assist with his armor project. He’s looking to use the remains of the kevlar vests to create some protection for the posse’s legs and arms. He finds a tailor who is willing to help, but the Kevlar first needs to be cut and formed.

They seek out Douglas to use his blade to cut the Kevlar. They find him in the Temple. He obliges their request, but the blade is not very useful in this task. He suggests use of a saw, which they may find amongst the workers at Simon’s Rock.

Simon’s Rock

The area of Simon’s Rock is constructed within an old gated community. There is a large “rock” in the middle; a chunk of building which had fallen to the ground. It’s landing was said to have been a prophetic symbol of Simon’s arrival.

While walking about Simon’s Rock they do some last minute shopping and plot out their driving path down to McGovern Air Force Base (near Tuscon). At the very least they’ll need to stop at JunkYard to refuel. They scout around for gas/spook juice and are directed to speak to a man named Eli.

They find him; a scruffy tan-skinned fellow thumbing through an old porn magazine. He is able to supply them with 10 gallons of spook juice (on account of the caravan having lost most of it’s supply). They buy the fuel and he throws in the container as well.

The three men head out on the road. Nigel takes the wheel. The first 8 hours drag by in a n uneventful fashion, which is a good thing.

As they begin to make their way towards the flatlands around JunkYard they spot a poorly disguised tack-strip. Nigel swerves to avoid it. A nearby boulder sheds it’s outer layer- a tarp revealing an armored SUV with a mounted chain-gun. A man in a black-tabard leans out the window- “Kill ‘em!”. Nigel steers back on course and hits the gas.
The SUV makes a quick turn around. They begin chasing down the van. The chain-gun fires and grazes the Black Widow. Ben fires unsuccessfully at the driver of the SUV. Hammond follows suit but this shot lands.

The Black Widow is switched to full-auto and launches a volley of bullets at the vehicles. Ben takes another shot, smearing the driver all over the inside of the cab. A second goon in the back seat quickly takes over control of the SUV.

A bullet from the chain-gun strikes one of the tires of the van. Another bullet catches Ben in the leg. Ben kills the second driver in a single shot. The Black Widow fills the chain-gunner with holes. With no driver, the SUV weaves out of control and crashes.

The group quickly turns around. The Anti-Templar is gone from the wreck. Ben find him with Mind-Scan. Hammond hops out and chases the black tabard down. Leaping off of a nearby wreck, he strikes a devastating blow. Ben finishes him off with a shot to the head. The two grab the tabards and head back to the van.

Meanwhile, in an unknown location…

A darkly dressed man sits in cabin. “Not too many people know I’m here.” he says to a figure nearby. “And the only ones who would come are those who wish to kill me.”

The figure moves, revealing 2 sub-machine guns. With ungodly speed, the man dodges the flurry of bullets. The man and the figure struggle, until the man gets the advantage. He throws the figure across the room. It stands raising its arms and a host of dark tendrils. The figure’s face is revealed. The dried rotting visage of Sylvia Chambers. “That’s no way to treat a friend.” She says

”Who are you?” he asks. With a sly smirk she says “It’s not who I am, but what I can do.” “I’m Interested” he replies.

A Large Crater

Many years ago, within a deep crater- like a giant canyon stained with blood. It is littered with humans and anouks. Air units fire down on a mighty white pillar of rock. Nearby an airship is blasted by purple lightning. Ben Collins is within. The ship begins to crash. It comes to a full stop just above the ground. Though the window Ben can see a “skinny” known only as “Karg”

Karg begins crushing the ship, laughs, and then hurls it towards a mass of human troops. It crashes into the troops’ APC. The explosion rings out “POP”…

Ben opens his eyes to the sound of a champagne cork “POP”. “I knew there was a reason I didn’t drink.” – Ben mutters to himself.

Boise

Ben and Hammond discuss the celebration. Hammy and Nigel have a talk about bar-b-q. The purchase some soda from Sam Hinkelman- a vendor in town. Ben recognizes Sam from when he had come back to Boise. He used to drink Sam’s horrible soda to help him forget the horrors of Banshee.

Some of the caravan members come up and thank the posse. Marilyn meets some other kids and begins telling them some of her adventures. A few of the templars are milling about. There’s a stern looking woman with a katana and a stalwart man with a broad sword. Kayla Blaze dances in with the crowd. They also spot Jonathan Douglas. While Douglas joins in the festivities, he is constantly scanning the crowd with intent scrutiny. Simon and Biletnikoff are not present.

Hammond confronts J. Douglas about the relation he has to the Anti-Templar they met in Junkyard. Douglas has anticipated the question – “you want to know about Michael”. They retreat to a more private location.

Jonathan and Michael knew each other before the war. Michael does not consider himself an Anti-Templar. When they crossed paths, the two discussed he situation. Michael convinced Douglas that the oath of blood was a waste for both of them. Douglas followed Michael in disguise. He observed Michael performing deeds of great altruism, never exhibiting the negative sides of the Anti-Templars.

Finally Douglas came back to Boise and spoke with Simon. Based on his acts of goodness, and the fact that Michael’s powers were totally unlike the Anti-Templars (Michael had summoned lightning from the sky), he did not find him to be a threat. While he was not happy Simon understood and, with a little convincing from Biletnikoff, he allowed Douglass off the hook.

Douglas confesses he is also in love with Michael, and this was yet another reason he could not fight him. The discussion moves to Simon’s sickness and Marilyn’s dilemma.

Ben spends some time getting parts for the van and the black widow. Soria talks with Nigel about his history- before being a cyborg, time on the Unity, what his job was… etc.

Ben talks a bit with Marilyn about helping rebuild the van / black widow. She asks if the posse is leaving her here in Boise. Ben is a little surprised by the question.

Marilyn realizes after talking to the town’s children that she isn’t like them. They have more simplistic thoughts on things. She also realizes she’s not selfish like they are. She’s conflicted. On one hand she is interested in staying to help the people of Boise (since she’s so good at scroungin’ things). On the other hand, she wants to stay with the posse.

The group gathers around and discusses the situation. They mutually decide to have Hammy talk with Simon about getting Marilyn in as a squire.

At the temple, Hammond enters and interrupts a conversation between Biletnikoff and Simon. He brings for the idea of Marilyn’s possible squirehood. Simon states she will be tested, but she must stay here in Boise while they attend to their business. He will have Jonathan Douglas watch over her. Soria will be allowed to stay in town as well to help care for Marilyn.

The conversation with Simon turns to the other deeds that the group accomplished. They speak of the Dead Towns. It is much like the old stories of a band of vampires who traveled the West on a train. Others continue to be reported, it is a growing concerns. Simon Charges Hammond with solving this problem. This discussion leads into talk of the Incubus and the need to destroy it.

Simon also inquires about the events in Kingman and JunkYard. He is very pleased with the outcomes (particularly in regard to JunkYard). Hammond also tells him of Globe, Near Tuscon and the trade routes established.

In the end Simon charges Hammond with investigating the Dead Towns, trying to convince Michael the mysterious A.T. to abandon the black tabard (or else), but of most importance is the dispatch of the Incubus.

Meanwhile, J. Douglas begins giving Marilyn a little lesson in the basics of sword fighting. She’s not very good with a weapon, but she’s determined and a fast learner.

Daphne thanks the Posse and gives back their kevlar vests. She also mentions that the Boise Horror has struck again.

Ben Hammond and Nigel tell Soria and Marilyn about staying here in Boise. Hammond talks with
Douglas about Simon’s charge to confront Michael. Ben tries to convince Soria to come with them, but she is has a purpose now- watching over Marilyn.

Nigel and Hammond discuss the odd possibility of Simon being the Boise Horror. Night Falls.

Ben is met in the hostel by Barb of Doom. She flirts heavily with him before pulling up his wrappings and planting a kiss on him. The two of them enter his room- she quickly disrobes….

In the barracks Hammond here’s a noise in the night. It turns out to be Soria. They talk for a bit. She wants his opinion if she should stay. They agree she should, for Marilyn’s sake. She then reveals some intimate feelings for Hammond. The moonlight is kind to her tonight and the two lock hands before embracing on the bed…..

Blood Orchard

Hammy gets a running start and performs a kick-jump off of a nearby tree, trying to take a surprise swipe at Modeen’s head. Brad just avoids the attack, but is startled. Ben takes out the Anti-Templar nearby by using both of his weapons again.

Hammy stabs at Modeen again, the blade barely scratches his armor as Brad uses his full strength to stop the hit. Some gang members fire on Ben and other try to take out the back widow.

Modeen takes a massive swipe at Hammond, but misses and cleaves a nearby tree. Marilyn continues to fire the Black widow. One of the scouts runs up and shoots at Ben, grazing his arm. A goon lands a successful shot on the black widow, causing some serious damage. Another lacky tries to shoot Ben, but his gun jams. A third Anti-Templar charges him as well, but misses.

One of the Anti-Templars attacking the van attempts to leap on top after the black widow. He fails and falls backwards. The second Anti-Templar smashes through the window with his ax and attempts to strike Daphne. He misses, but rips the door off in the process.

Ben is struck in the side of the head with an ax. Fortunately his armor holds and he is just a little shaken up. Daphne gets slashed in the arm. Amidst all of the chaos, Soria rips off her duster and begins transforming into the monster (viridian goliath). She immediately attacks the nearest Anti-Templar, nearly crushing him, in armor, with her mighty claws. Marilyn uses the SAM 50 to shoot the Anti-Templar who was attacking Daphne.

Modeen takes an unsuccessful slash at Hammond. Daphne shoots the nearby Anti-Templar in the arm. Barb launches her Nuke power and everyone in the area takes notice.

Several gang members are instantly turned to dust. Ben manages to take cover behind a tree to avoid some damage. Neaby, one of the Anti-Templars is burned to death. Hammy takes several burns, but stays on his feet. Barb is knocked out by her own power.

Ben uses T.K. to pull Aiken’s Blade out of the fallen tree and strike at Modeen’s guts. Daphne shoots one of the adjacent Anti-Templars. Ben slashes yet again.

Modeen makes a few unsuccessful attacks. The other Anti-Templars attack soria and Daphne. Marilyn fires on them as well. Modeen, Hammy, and Ben’s floating sword dance around in a series of whirling near misses.

Marilyn nails one of the Anti-Templars in the head. Soria rips an Anti-Templar in half, grabs his ax and charges after Modeen. Modeen is shaken by her presence and strikes her in the guts. Seeing an opportunity, Hammond hops on Modeen’s back and slits his throat.

The posse releases the caravan members. They try and heal as many as they can. Daphne’s father is still alive and is elated to see her.

Ben uses telekinesis to move “Despair” into the van, insisting that no one touch it. Hammy collects the other end of Aiken’s Blade. As he nears the Destroyer’s body he feels a strange tinge and closes his eyes.

In his mind’s eye he sees himself in a swirling blackness. An emaciated face appears, followed by a great bloody sword, a pieces of rotten flesh, and finally a skull. The skull turns to view him; it is draped in a cloak and carries a scythe. Hammond feels the touch of evil.

Since the caravan had no vehicles left, it takes everyone a day or so to make it back to Boise. The sun rises and a soft wind blows. The townsfolk had set up blockades and defenses. The dust clears and the posse enters with Modeen’s body strapped to the hood.

Boise

This time passing through the Maelstrom has practically no effect. The people of the town cheer and rejoice. The posse drags The Destroyer’s body out and down to the Temple. Biletnikoff sees them and is awestruck at their return. Simon is back on his throne, though is still noticeably weary.

Simon approaches and grips Modeen. "You insolent child, you are my Lucifer. One of my greatest, and my greatest failure. But you chose this path. May your soul burn in hell for all eternity.: He turns to the posse – “And my all of yours be blessed for you all are still alive.”

Some revelers enter in through the main doors. Simon calls Hammond forward. Several other templars emerge and join them (Jonathan Douglas included). Simon unsheathes his sword and honors the rest of the posse; knighting them as companions."

He has some words of praise for them all. He asks Ben about his time with Hillary Jackson. Simon then asks Hammond for his opinion before bestowing Ben with the companion title.

Simon tells Biletnikoff to make ready a great celebration. The Anti-Templars are still around and must be dealt with. J. Douglas is instructed to burn the body and mount Aiken and Modeen’s weapons in the hall.

“Rest and recouperate. Enjoy this celebration, for the happy times are few and far between. What point is there to fighting this evil if it does not help to bring happiness into this world. The posse exits the temple to join in with the celebration.

That night, Ben, Hammy, Marilyn, and Soria are visited by the spirit of Aaron McConnell. He thanks them and offers his blessing.

Blood Orchard.

The clang of the weapons rings out in the orchard. Brad Modeen catches Hammy in the guts, giving him a small wound. Hammond fakes out Modeen, drops the hammer, and swings around stabbing out with the bayonet. Hammond gets a little help from the spirit of Ronin Lynch.

The bayonet blade pierces Modeen in the chest. A quick flash of fear shows in his eyes before he lets out a laugh. “They fell into the trap boys, get them!” Brad shouts. His war band looks bewildered and fumbles to get into action.

Ben uses Arson on some of the nearby goons, covering them in a wall of fire. Soria exits the van and fires on more gangers. Nigel scoots closer and unloads into the crowd of baddies. Marilyn takes over the Black Widow, unleashing a storm of bullets onto Modeen’s men. Barb uses her blasts on a few guys.

Hammond swipes at Modeen. The Destroyer parries the attack and slashes back, catching Hammy in the shoulder. The rest of his gang gets it together and opens fire on the posse.

Ben takes a few shots in the arms, then uses Telekinesis(T.K.) to lunge his piece of Aiken’s Blade at Modeen. Brad sees the blade at the last second and ducks out of the way. The blade flies by and embeds in the side of a tree.

Two of the Anit-Templars rush forward and attack Ben. One of them catches him in the leg. Ben uses T.K. to assist Hammy to strike Modeen’s face. The blade just catches his cheek, leaving an insignificant cut.

Daphne and Barb attack. Barb starts preparing her Nuke power. Ben fires his rifle at Anti-Templar 1 with T.K. and uses the auto-shotgun on Anti-Templar 2. A second group of Anti-Templars attacks the posse in and around the van. Soria is slightly wounded. Marilyn unleashes with the black widow, carving a path rough some of the lesser gang members.

Ben turns and uses both of his weapons on Anti-Templar 1 in the hopes of quickly dispatching him. The plan works and the Anti-Templar is instantly minced. Simultaneously, Modeen slices a deep cut into Hammy’s leg. Marilyn and Soria see this and begin firing on Brad, distracting him just enough for Hammy to avoid losing the leg. Some of the gang members fire on Nigel and Ben. Marilyn kills a few more and Nigel takes out some as well.

One of Modeen’s War Band Camps.

Ben attempts to use Aztec Surprise on the Anti-Templar. The Black Tabard clutches his chest and gives a knowing glance. “Kill that mother-f*er!” he shouts and charges toward Ben wildly swinging his ax.

Marilyn fires on the Anti-Templar. Nigel runs over and takes a bead on him. Hammy swings around and breaks the Anti-Templar’s back with his hammer. The rest of the war band member start running away.

Marilyn and Nigel take shots at them. Soria blasts a gang member in the leg. Nigel cuffs him and drags him over for questioning.

A little back and forth, and some coercion reveals- Modeen has grown tired of waiting for Simon and plans on hanging the rest of the caravan at the orchard. Nigel asks what Modeen would think about the gang member for talking. Modeen would kill him, horribly. Nigel mentions that the gang member is lucky, since Nigel himself is so merciful- then shoots him in the head.

The posse spends a few moments gathering items and gets back in the van. Hammy grabs the Anti-Templar’s ax and ties the black tabard to it. They patch each other up on the road.

Blood Orchard.

The posse discusses the plans before rolling in. They decide to have Hammy drive up, with only Daphne, Marilyn, and Soria in the van. Nigel and Ben are going to sneak in from the outside in the woods.

Hammy pulls up the van and honks the horn. He gets out and calls for Modeen. One of the other Anti-Templars approaches and ridicules Hammond. Hammy throws the dead Anti-Templar’s ax down, and insists he speak with Modeen directly.

Modeen arrives and puts up a pretty good front trying to dismiss Hammond, but Hammy keeps pressing. After alluding to the idea that Modeen hiding behind his war band, Hammy calls out Modeen to fight one-on-one. “Are we gonna do this or not, ‘cause I’m done talking”
“Then come..” Modeen beckons with his mighty ax (Despair) in hand. Hammond charges Modeen and the two clang weapons together and stand off.

One of Modeen’s War Band Camps – near Twin Falls

The van screeches to a halt. The Anti-Templar fires on Ben. Ben floats his own rifle around to fire on the war band members. Hammy exits the van and fires on the Anti-Templar’s group. Marilyn shoots one of the gang members in the 2nd group. Soria takes a few blasts at them.

The Anti-Templar signals his group on the posse members exiting the van. They unleash a barrage of bullets at the crew, but no one is significantly injured. Then the Anti-Templar rushes in and swipes at Hammy with his ax. Hammy drops the rifle and swings back, locking them into a one on one.

Nigel fires onto the second gang group. The Anti-Templar and Hammy continue to square off. Ben fires on the Anti-Templar as well.

Daphne takes out a war band member. Two of the gang members shoot at Ben. Nigel takes out several guys in the second group by going full auto. The remaining gang member chucks a grenade right at Nigel. In a split second Nigel attempts to grab the grenade, but it explodes, knocking Daphne back and down. The van takes the brunt of the damage.

Battle rages on…

Boise

The posse decides who to take with them. They wrestle with the idea of taking Marilyn, but as there are no other Templars present and Modeen has plans to attack Boise, they agree that bringing her along is the safest option. Ben manages to talk Barb into coming with them. The crew trades around to acquire equipment for Daphne and Barb. The whole group agrees to rest for the night and head out in the morning.

I-84 Toward Twin Falls, passing through Mountain Home

The path takes them by the Death Bat Church for the 3rd time. They easily navigate the winding path. Hammy rings the bell, keeping the bats at bay.

Orchard

Ben relocates the oil trail. Barb mentions she knows the location of the camp she was held, although it may have been only a temporary camp. They load back up into the van and follow Barb’s directions toward the camp. While on the way, Hammy changes into his Biker costume, but keeps his tabard on underneath.

The trail takes them through an area that is actually wooded. There is little ground brush, but the trees are still lively. If they didn’t know better, they would almost think the world had never ended.

Barb spots a downed road sign, remembering it as a marker for the entrance to the camp. Nigel parks the van and they outfit themselves for a fire fight.

One of Modeen’s War Band Camps

Ben and Nigel sneak out into the woods to scout out the place. They find a large group of men (30 or so) all hanging around the camp. In the middle, there is a large tanker surrounded by motorcycles.

Ben tells Nigel to head back to the van and get the others. “Wait for the boom” He says with a smirk. Nigel stealthily makes his way towards the other group members and fills them in on the plan.

Ben covers himself in a force field, then uses his powers to detonate one of the bikes close to the tanker. In a combo explosion the tanker ignites and erupts fiery death in all directions.

Nigel, Hammond and the others hear the blast and race in the van towards the camp. The tightly growing trees make the driving difficult, but they manage to maneuver through them.

Ben surveys the camp and sees that there are still a few of the war band left, including an Anti-Templar. The Anti-Templar motions in Ben’s general direction, but is not obviously aware of his presence.

Ben uses telekinesis to hover his gun several yards away and fire on the men. He doesn’t hit anyone, but creates a great diversion. The ruse works and several of the gang members head off to investigate the gun fire. Ben takes cover behind a tree.

The van screeches around a winding turn and Nigel slams on the brakes to avoid crashing into the flaming wreckage of the tanker.

Passing by Mountain Home en route to catch the Anti-Templar group near Twin Falls.

Driving down I-84. Daphne sits in front, directing them through the paths towards Twin Falls. The route through Mountain Home’s outer area is rather rocky. May parts are broken down or blocked by abandoned cars and debris.

Nigel successfully navigates through the winding ways. Ben spots a church slightly off in the distance. As they pass, the church bell begins to gong.

Hammy and Ben look out for an attack. Suddenly a black mass bursts forth from the tower. A swarm of Death Bats descends from the tower towards the van. Soria tries to blast at them, but the swarm breaks apart and avoids most of the projectiles.

Nigel accelerates and swerves around the potholes and wreckage in the road. Hammy fires on the swarm using the black widow. Ben fires a grenade into the mix, exploding into the crowd of bats. Nigel nudges a broken down truck to steady the van.

The swarm closes in and envelopes the van. Ben looks back at the church and notices 2 skeletons on the pavement, as if they had fallen from the tower. Ben and Hammy look at each other, simultaneously coming to the same conclusion. Ben shouts to Nigel, directing him to head back to the church. Hammy grabs Nigel’s sniper rifle and fires at the bell. With a little luck he lands the shot.

The bell rings and the bats are sucked back into the tower. All is quiet once again. Nigel sighs in relief, and looks ahead. He quickly jerks the wheel, just narrowly missing a tree.

Back on track, they question Daphne about the encounter with Modeen. Turns out its not just him and several of his Anti-Templars; there’s also a host of men in a war band.

Plains area outside Twin Falls

The posse slows down as they enter the Twin Falls area. Daphne helps navigate them through. They get off on a small county road to avoid the car piles and broken roadways. After some time they come to a small prairie.

Daphne points out some buzzards circling a burnt out vehicle. It’s some of her caravan. Ben does a brain scan, but finds only animals.

Nigel finds a spot to conceal the van. Ben looks around for evidence of where the Anti-Templar group may have been headed. Hammy checks out the vehicle and notices the horrific scene within. Many corpses litter the inside with a variety of wounds. Amongst them is the body of a syker from the “fightin’ 43rd”. Wild and domestic animals are inside scavenging the bodies. The vehicle itself shows damage of all kinds, from personal firearms to heavy weapons and rockets.

Ben locates some tracks in the dirt. It looks like one of their vehicles was leaking oil, and the droplets have created a path. The posse gathers back into the van and follows the path to an old apple orchard.

They come upon a grisly scene. Bodies hang from the apple trees. Some black crows pick at a few of the bodies. Rotten apples and dead crows litter the ground.

Daphne spots a lady she knows as a doomsayer hanging in one of the trees. Suddenly the woman begins thrashing around, desperately flailing her legs. Ben manages to cut her down. “Get away from me, leave me alone!” the woman gasps hysterically.

Hammy manages to calm her down and brings her some water. She introduces herself as Barb. She tells the posse how the Anti-Templars took them to a field nearby. In the middle of the night a Templar and some others came to fight them. The Templar was Aaron McConnell (the first Templar after Simon).

McConnell quickly made his way through the camp and found Modeen’s tent. “You’re the best Simon could do?” Modeen brashly questioned. The two men began to fight. At one point it looked as though Aaron had the upper hand. He thrust his sword right through Modeen’s heart.

Modeen laughed and cut Aaron in the gut. As Aaron trembled in shock, Modeen whispered something into his ear. He then called the others, as they would be some hangings. Aaron was hung first, “in that tree over there” – Barb points out.

The crew moved to the tree Barb mentioned. It’s not hard to find, as it’s up on a hill and is easily distinguished by it’s gnarled appearance. 3 bodies hang from it; all of them are Templars. The posse gently cuts them down.

Barb mentions she has an ability that will allow her to speak with the dead, but it requires a small amount of ghost rock. Ben still has his small stash, so he breaks off a chunk and hands it to her. Barb conducts the ritual. The ghost rock flame pulses with each word as Aaron’s spirit speaks:

”He is Modeen the destroyer. He has given himself to the forces of evil, and is now a Servitor. He can only be killed by the sword of the first Anti-Templar. (Julia Aiken)”

Back on the I-84 through Mountain Home towards Boise

They all agree to head back to Boise. Along the way they must pass by the church in Mountain Home. The Death Bats return and attempt to attack the van. Ben successfully shoots the bell and the bats are once again sucked back into the tower. Nigel points out that the last time they drove through, the bell had rung 12 times, but that this pass it only rang 11.

Boise

When they arrive at Boise they go to the Temple and bring with them the bodies of the 3 Templar who were hanged. Simon is not present, but Biletnikoff is around. They inform him of Modeen’s status as a Servitor and the need for Aiken’s Sword.

Biletnikoff tells them Simon has fallen ill, and no other Templars are available. Word of Hammond’s work (and that of the posse) has spread, and based off of these accomplishments Bilitnikoff hands over Aiken’s sword.

They must disperse Modeen’s army and force a move. Modeen is a proud man, and his pride could be used against him.

As Hammond takes the sword it sends a shiver up his arm and down his spine. Not having much prowess with a sword, he gives the hilt end to Ben and affixes the blade to his rifle (bayonet style).

They decide to head back to the orchard to follow the trail. They meet up with Marilyn. She gives them all a few things she’s scrounged up. They discuss plans for possible scenarios. As part of their mission, they are given an ample supply of gas.

Newtello

Nigel stops in to see John Prophet to have his cards read.

*Past*__Intuition, problem solving, negotiation, quiet authority, distant, kind, problems will be solved known to the figure, it may be best to let the heart rule the head__

*Present*__Healing emotionally and physically, encourage recovery, things are fixing and improving__

*Future*__Disappointing, the reward eludes you, cast out, feelings of suspicion and frustration.__

The posse turns in the bounty to Newtello’s sheriff. They deliberate about the direction to go. Ben suggests making an “S” shape by passing Twin Falls and Mountain Home, both of which have Maelstroms around them.

The van drives near a small depression in the earth, not unlike a dried pond or gulley. Ben spots a large storage container in the middle of the depression. An old parachute has snagged on the container and flaps in the wind, as if beckoning them closer.

The crew agrees to pull in closer to check it out. Ben and Hammond go out to inspect the container while Nigel readies his rifle. The box is somewhat rusted but still in decent shape. As they come closer, they see that the parachute is still harnessed to a rib cage.

All three of the men begin barking at each other about how to move forward. Finally Hammond jumps and climbs up the side. He opens the container revealing a stash of miscellaneous items. Among them they find a grammar book, Inferno grenades, a roadmap of Rhode Island, an unopened package of paper towels, and a battle axe.

As Ben and Hammy unload the items from the container, Nigel notices the ridges of the depression rapidly closing in on the container. The container shakes and begins to drop into the earth, as if being devoured by the soil. Ben and Hammy just manage to escape.

Nigel recognizes the event as indicative of a “creeping gulch”. They are living lands that lure people in with desirable items and swallow them up. The one before them has lost its meal, and so it “resets”. The container emerges once again and the scene is exactly as they had found it. Nigel recalls that one must destroy the original items of desire contained in the gulch.

In the interest of safety, they decide to destroy it. Ben uses a grenade from his launcher. As they drive away he lobs the grenade into the open container, destroying the contents and killing the creeping gulch. The rest of the ride is relatively quiet.

Boise

As the van comes closer to Boise they slow down. The posse inches closer to the Boise Maelstrom and they all express concerns about how it will affect Marilyn. Hammy describes to her how it may affect her. He also winds up the music box and plays it to keep her focused on something.

They pass through the Maelstrom, but are relatively unscathed. Inside the Boise Maelstrom it feels no different from the outside (unlike typical Maelstroms).

The van pulls in towards the center of town. Tents line the town square and various vendors surround the whole area. One of the vendors approaches, but the posse tells him they have other business to handle first.

First stop is the “Temple”. Nigel is a little confused by the less-than-impressive building (an old Freemason building). The posse enters and is called up to speak with Simon in private. Hammond is asked to tell of his past year’s travels. However, Simon is noticeably disturbed by something else.

Hammy tells of how He and Ben had found the exceptional young girl that travels with them. He also tells the tale of the Incubus, revealing the danger that could befall Marilyn. The whole group shows concern of the situation. Simon offers her sanctuary here in Boise. It is understood that this demon could be far more powerful in the flesh, and so this must be stopped.

Hammy begins to tell the rest of their travels (Near Dalls, Near Tuscon, Kingman, etc.) Simon interrupts, divulging that there is a more immediate problem. The “Destroyer” Brad Modeen, former Templar and leader of the Anti-Templars, has captured a trader group bound for Boise. Some of the traders were killed, and one girl (Daphne) was sent to deliver a message. Modeen intends to take the Temple, and destroy the Templars.

Simon requests that Hammond and the others in the posse go after Modeen. They are put in touch with Daphne (the girl sent as the messenger). She can lead them back to the place Modeen was last seen. Unfortunately she also informs them “The Destroyer” has over a dozen Anti-Templars in tow. The group of them was last seen around Twin Falls.

The posse discusses a strategy. They determine that it would be best to sneak up on the Anti-Templars by taking several back roads that Ben knows. They gather up their gear and head back out.

Newtello

The party rolls into town. It is nothing like what they expected, a tent town.

Two men with hunting rifles are standing guard at the front gate, literally a cow gate that swings open. They motion for the vehicle to stop and the party does so. Ben steps out and tells the guards that they are there to collect a bounty and fix up the van.

The group doesn’t even see vehicles upon entering the town. They see some scraps, mules, and malnourished and potentially mutated cattle penned to the side. The party can feel the eyes of the town watch them as they drive into town.

Hammond asks Steve where the local law dog/sheriff might be located. Steve directs them to a structure in the middle of town with wooden star on it.

Hammy and Nigel head to the sheriff’s shack. They pass some withered crops and thin cows. They arrive at the building. It looks like an old tourist info hut from a park.

They enter and find a portly fellow sipping on what smells like alcohol. He’s less than welcoming to the two of them. They mention the bounty and show him the bounty sheet from the JLA. The sheriff demands some kind of proof. They offer the data slug, but he has no way to view it. If they want the bounty, they’ll have to find a way to show him.

The two of them head back to the front of town to meet the rest of the party. Ben has completed the wheel repairs, but needs additional materials to repair the body and a plunger to pop out some of the dents. The posse converses about how the townsfolk seem a little off.

Marilyn and Soria hang back and watch over the van. Ben mills about in town to see if anyone is willing to speak. He shows off his Dragon emblems in the hopes someone will recognize the symbol and open up. It actually has quite the opposite effect; many of the townsfolk actively avoid him.

Nigel and Hammy ask around about getting a data recorder/player, but they get the cold shoulder. Steve gives them a little advice- “They keep to themselves, and if you want to be safe, you should do the same. Basic trading is fine, just don’t start a ruckus.”

They pay a man to look for a the supplies they need. While the man is rummaging around, a shady character offering to do some REAL trading approaches them. He claims to know what they are (cyborg, templar, and syker). However he is only willing to do business in private. Also, they will need to buy something from him now and then make a public scene about how they’ve been ripped off- just to keep up his reputation as an “insider”.

Hammy makes a counter offer- He could openly claim to be the mysterious trader’s long lost friend, and bring the trader under scrutiny from the town. The trader accepts and with a wink, storms off shouting out “Not worth doing business with you cheap ass strangers!”

They all reconvene at the van. Ben and Soria stay back to watch over it, but keep the radio communications open. Nigel, Marilyn, and Hammond all head to the mysterious trader’s hut.

The place is fully stocked with items of all kinds. The trader sits at a table listening to a music box. He creepily describes the three of them, with eerie details of their pasts. After this he is willing to do business. “Ask, and I will most likely have want you want- but know this, I do not seek sustenance for payment.”

The trader proceeds to ask them what they “want”. Not what they are looking to trade, but what they really want. Nigel wants to have his human essence. They trader can arrange something, but what will be the payment. While Nigel thinks, the trader asks Marilyn.

She says he has nothing that she wants. He agrees, for he cannot bring back her parents. Just then Ben radios in and mentions the parts for the van. They make a deal. They trade him deodorant and black mind seeds in exchange for the data reader and an aluminum boat hull (parts).

Ben comes to make the payment. When he arrives the trader asks the same question of him. Ben replies, stating he wants to “get the hell out of this town- but there’s nothing in this world I would want from you.”

When the trader asks Hammond, his request is a bit of a surprise. Hammy requests the music box. Intrigued, the Trader points out that the box may hold an answer for Hammond- if the price is right. Hammond offers the Bible as payment. The trader questions why. “The music box contains answers, and for me this book has also contained answers.” The offer is accepted.

Nigel finally decides to trade his tea set. The trader hands him a scroll and begins to tell a great tale of a brave chased by a bear. The brave hid on a peak, known as the Star Chamber, while the bear fruitlessly clawed away at the mountain. This place has come to be know as the Devil’s Tower. At this point there is a thin divide between our world and the Hunting Grounds. Go there and perform this ritual. “You will have an opportunity to defeat the Manitou and reclaim your independence.”

The transaction complete, the trader asks all to exit except Hammond. They do so, but as they exit Ben realizes there is something he would like. He runs back and interrupts the two men. “I want this translated” he says as he reveals the grimoire. The trader agrees and takes Ben’s Dragon clasp (his own, not his love’s clasp)

The trader reads the passage. It is part of an old song. This is the book of a demon. He thrives on the corruption, especially of children. Marilyn, being as strong willed and lively as she is, is a perfect candidate. The demon plans to use her as its mother. “It will choose another. A tainted one to impregnate her.” The birth will bring the incubus into this world, free from the rule of the 4 horsemen.

It is a powerful demon, but it can be destroyed. It is one of defilement, and its undoing will come from a counter to that.

The trader agrees to continue the private discussion with both men, as he now sees their fates are entwined. Both have given themselves to greater causes, and their actions may also be essential to the fate of this world.

The trade answers their questions. Hammond asks if the trader is a man. He IS mortal. He then asks Hammond of his thoughts regarding if a terrible man can find redemption. Ben asks about the battleground/torture bunker he had seen in Twitch’s brain- this is the lair of the incubus. The place they seek is located in the heart of Kansas. The trader asks Ben if he would have performed all of these good deeds if his love had not died. Hammonds also asks of the curse ( the trader points it out before he can even finish the questions). Go to it’s origin (McGovern Air Base- AZ) Solve the mystery.

Hammy then asks about the comment regarding their influence on the fate of the world.

The trader speaks of things to come-

A great flood of machine force and mind will come from the mountains in order to overtake the jewel of the desert

Then the trader offers to read the men their cards, a glimpse at whatever the question is in their mind. Think of one thing you wish to know- then choose cards

Hammond’s Cards read:
Past Responsibility, hard work, solvency, without extravagance, new things are favored.

Present A gift, token from a friend, or perhaps a gift given.

Future Ambition, strategy, a practice that is successful, seeing the big picture, things may come to a head, but may not pay attention to the details

Ben’s Cards read:
Past Suffering, victimization, depletion, constant battle, faltering

Present Pressure, external stress, reject further demands, need to put self first

Future Honor and compassion, calm integrity, passion and wisdom, understanding, honorable conduct, comfort, positive response

The trader then pulls a final card, one that applies to the whole party. “I seek an answer, to the question. The path you tread goes forward. Where is that path’s future? This is an important omen. Before you is a dilemma; a suppressed doubt. A person may need to make a decision on their own. The limitations may be self imposed. “

Then the trader offers to give them some info about himself. While he appears roughly 30, he had spent 200 years in the Hunting Grounds. He found a shaman and wandered the hunting grounds through heaven and hell. Eventually he was so overcome, he cried a great river of tears. He tried to drown himself in the river, but when he awoke he was in this body, in this time. All of his travels and the spirits he had defeated in the hunting grounds gave him additional spirit powers. He elaborates how he was able to identify each of their arcane backgrounds. He sends them on their way. Hammy asks for his name- Prophet. John Prophet.

JunkYard

Nigel awakens, very hungry for meat. He talks with one of the orderlies and finds out his stay has been paid in full. Nigel is in good enough shape to check out of the hospital. He gets some directions to the Hilton and heads out.

Ben wakes up to the sound of Hammond knocking at the door. They discuss the grimoire and decide it is best if they keep it with them at all times. They plan to take it to Sacramento (Librarian central)for further translation after they visit Boise. They pack up some items and head down to the lobby for breakfast.

Nigel bumps into Winister on the street. The Junker is looking for a flight “black box”. He would pay handsomely for it. Nigel takes note of this and continues towards the Hilton.

Back at the hotel Hammy and Ben order some food, then decide to go check in with Nigel. As they exit, Ben notices Nigel walking the wrong direction down a side street. The two men catch up with him and discuss the fates of Charlie and Crow. They also talk about Marilyn’s experience, and the grimoire.

Nigel goes into the hotel to grab some breakfast. Ben and Hammy start packing up the van. Nigel informs them of Winister’s request. They jointly decide it best to continue on to Boise. If they find the device they’ll hold on to it for later. They complete packing and head off towards Boise, with a quick stop at Newtello.

On and Around Route I-15 North towards “Newtello”

It takes a bit of a ride before they can find a path onto the highway. They hit a rough patch of road, but safely make it to the border. Ben spies a large mass swirling off in the distance. With the aide of the binoculars, he identifies it as a Gore Storm; a massive whirling tornado of blood, flesh, bone, and debris that tears apart anything in its path.

He alerts Nigel and they change course to avoid the storm. As they shift directions, every crackle and bump seems amplified, and fear of being spotted by the Gore Storm trembles through the posse.

Fortunately they go unnoticed and find a path that puts them back on track. As they approach Newtello, they see that here there is actually grass growing, albeit the grass is rather brownish and just clinging to life. Along the way they spot a car that has veered off the road into a ditch.

A man steps out of the car and begins kicking the rear side. Just then, the man notices the van approaching. He quickly darts to the other side of the vehicle and takes aim with a rifle.

The posse slows the van and Hammond shouts out to the man. They offer assistance, but he is not quick to trust them. Hammy points to the black widow mounted on the roof of the van, and notes that if they wanted to kill him he would already be dead. He still rejects the help. Nigel begins to pull away and, seeing this, the man lowers his guard and yelps out for their assistance. They are introduced. The man goes by the name Steve

They are able to patch of the vehicle, but it’s only sturdy enough to make it to Newtello for the additional repairs. Ben makes an observation about Steve’s arm, which is unusually large. Steve reveals himself as a Cyborg. He then agrees to help show them the rest of the way to Newtello in exchange for the car repairs.

As the two vehicles edge closer to Newtello, Hammy spies several odd looking holes in the road. They slow down accordingly. Ben notices that a suspicious number of bushes lining the raod near the holes. He uses the black widow’s zoom lens to scan the area and sees many people crouched in the bushes. Nigel radio’s Steve and begins to notify him of the ambush. Hammy quickly stops him, pointing out that Steve could easily be in cahoots with the ambush team.

They begin to back up the van, but the ambush squad catches on to their tactic. Three men emerge from the bush with rocket-propelled grenades. Hammy fires on one of the attackers pegging him in the leg. Ben sets a large portion of the bush ablaze, engulfing several of the ambush squad members.

A rocket launches into the side of the van, damaging the vehicle and Nigel. Another attacker fires at Nigel’s head, narrowly missing him. One of the grenades thumps against the van, and bounces out in front of them. It’s explosion is loud and bright; a flash-bang which stuns nearly everyone in the vehicles.

Hammy shakes off the stun. Another grenade hits the passenger side of the van and blows out two of the tires. Marilyn takes down one of the RPG guys with her hunting rifle. Steve steps out of his car and opens fire- as it turns out his cyber-arm doubles as a machine gun.

Hammy misses a shot. Soria shakes off the stun. Ben lights the remaining guys on fire, taking them all out. Steve identifies the ambush squad as a group of Mountain Irregulars.

The posse changes the tires on the van and continues on the road to Newtello. In the distance they can see the town. It’s more of a lean-to/tent city than an actual town. There is a lake just beyond the town.

JunkYard – Hilton

Hammond and Ben discuss going after the remaining Jaeger followers. Twitch heads off on his own. Jonathan Douglas stops by to congratulate them and leaves to conduct some other business in town. The two posse members decided they will go to the JunkYard Militia and assist with clearing out Jaeger’s mercs.

While all of this discussion is going on, Soria and Marilyn are playing checkers. Hammy asks Marilyn what she remembers from the night she was attacked. From what she can recall, Sylvia was reading to her from the large tome. The words she read were in some kind of gibberish, then Marilyn fell asleep. That’s all she can remember. Ben, Hammy, and Soria think it would be best to take the book to the JY Library to see if it can be translated. They notice on the way that there is a bookmark in place and Marilyn confirms that this is the page Sylvia was reading.

With a little negotiation they are able to convince one of the Librarians to translate it. The book itself is a few hundred years old, but the language is much, much older. As such, the translation is not clear, but close enough to compose a broken passage from the page that was marked:

Due to small number of children I figure I will take you away into having to of the magic. Come small number of children, the time has come to theater in my garden of shadows. Comy my little child, I will show you way through poignancy and sorrow. Cry not child life on this way murdering beauty and passion. Hush now the rage be this way too tired of life deceptions, rest and know my baby away in too early. We’ll settle down and quiet to come. A small number of children, I’ll drive us away having to enthusiasm of enchantment come a small number of child I’ll

Ben asks for the book’s title. “Johtua Armus Lapsi” or “Come Sweet Children”

The Librarian asks if they can keep the book. Ben and Hammond agree that it would be safer, and more useful, for the posse to keep it. They do have a donation however. “The Mysts of Avalon”. In exchange they get a free “FishBiscuit” book data slug.

The group heads out to find the JM so they can inquire about joining the fight. They have to jump through a few hoops and present their papers multiple times in order to get access to meet with General George Douglas (no relation to J. Douglas)

Upon meeting the General, they inform him about their involvement with Jaeger’s capture. He verifies their story, then begins filling them in on the operations. Jeager had assembled a decent size force. Now, many of the mercs are joining up and trying to make off with the supplies and weapons originally intended for the coup.

The posse is allowed to assist. They are to prepare for a medium size raid on a warehouse, not far from the Salem Apartment Towers. Apparently Jaeger had been using several of the warehouses in the district.

The group agrees to help and is joined by a JM squad. They run the assault on the building. Both squads go in guns blazing. The posse charges in, using a distraction from the B team to start taking out the ground forces. Hammy and Marilyn both take some damage. Each of the posse members takes out several mercs.

Suddenly a fortified truck barrels through from the back of the warehouse. Multiple mounted guns fire in on the posse, though they all manage to get to cover. Looks like the intel was wrong, there are many more mercs than anticipated.

Ben tosses a grenade under the back end of the truck. Hammy shoots the driver. The rig coasts to a stop and the sides open up, revealing several mercs with gas grenades. The smoke billows out as the small orbs are tossed in all directions. Hammy gets caught in a cloud and has a coughing fit.

Bullets pierce through the haze, striking everyone in the posse. No one is severely injured, and they return fire taking out the final men in the truck. As this happens, they notice several mercs are trying to escape via a catwalk. Gunfire rains down on the crew as they take cover behind some boxes. Hammy’s vest blocks a bullet to the chest.

Soria has had enough and uses her blasts to melt the supports of the catwalk, killing all of the mercenaries. The JM thanks them for their assistance.

The posse hangs around to pick through the rubble for supplies. Most of what they find is munitions and basics which they then sell. Among the list of items kept are Dr. Pepper and some TNT sticks.

JunkYard

Ben and Hammy hit the town to stock up on supplies and sell off the unneeded junk. With a little help from their newspaper story, they are able to sway trading in their favor and sell off all of their stuff at a decent price.

The fact that many in JunkYard know of them also helps them locate and purchase all of the supplies that they want.

The ammunition dealer they find is a rather odd Rastafarian fellow. He’s able to hook them up with some gyrojet ammo and 40mm grenades. For the rest of the weaponry, he directs them to a large man he thinks may have been in the military (Sarge).

The next order of business the posse has is to procure all of the necessary food and fuel. While hunting down these supplies they also pick up a map of Idaho. One of the bounties they need to collect is in New-tello- which is somewhat en-route to Boise.

Food and fuel acquired, they head back towards the JY Hilton. Twitch is paid for his babysitting services. As a token of thanks for the pay, Twitch builds the posse a G-Ray converter to take with them.

Seeing the G-ray converted, Ben is reminded of his small store of Ghost Rock. He and Hammy take it over to Winister to do some bartering. They negotiate having a remote control build for the Black Widow device.

The two finally complete all of their trading and head back to the hotel for rest.

the following is unknown to the posse
Across the street a man watches them with a keen eye. He folds his paper and makes his way through a small tent city. He meets with a dark figure.

The man reports “They’re back, Alive.”

“We’ll just have to rectify that.” – the dark figure responds in a male/female voice. As the figure steps forwards, a crooked smile spans a the decayed and cracked visage of Sylvia Chambers.

July 6, 2011

Warehouse

The dust and debris billows out from the crash site. The large APC’s frame smashes some crates and sends others flying out into the warehouse. A small group of mercenaries emerge from the sewers and join in the chaos.

Ben takes advantage of the distraction and fires full auto on Vrai, landing several shots to the guts. The APC’s doors open and a JunkYard Militia squad pours out. The JM officers spot both Hammond and Soria and immediately order them to freeze.

At that moment, the mercenaries form the sewers enter into the main room and encounter the JM squad. Immediately bullets begin to fly between the two groups. Hammy hears Jaeger shouting orders, including telling one of the mercs to escort him out.

Deep inside his chest, Ben feels a sharp tug at his heart “Aztec Surprise!”. Fortunately Vrai isn’t successful and Ben escapes with his organs all in the right places.

Soria tries to make her way over to Jaeger. Hammy alerts the HM to Jaeger’s position, and his intent to escape via the sewer. He then leaps from the second story to some adjacent boxes and hops down just behind Soria.

Vrai shouts the command “Kill Him!” The mercenary standing near Ben turns and, with a blank stare, takes aim at the hero. Vrai then makes a dash for large Ghost Rock pile. Ben ignores merc and charges after Vrai. “Not in this lifetime!” Ben shouts as he unloads his rifle into Vrai.

The corpse of Sydney/Vrai falls to the ground. The small pieces of ghost rock that were connected fall and form a small brain-like structure. The ghost rock brain floats up for a moment and explodes, sending a small wave of psychic energy. Ben is hit by the wave, but is able to resist damage.

The battle between the JM and the mercs continues. One of the JM soldiers rounds a corner and stumbles upon Hammy and Soria. He raises his gun to them. Hammond diffuses the situation and mostly convinces the JM guy that they are not enemies, and that stopping Jaeger is the most important thing at this moment. The soldier agrees, but insist that Hammond and Soria take the lead.

Hammond gets caught up on one of the crates, unable to move until he can get free. Soria charges Jaeger’s group and lays into them with the combat shotgun. Jaeger replies with a blast of his Juicer (acid gun). He lands a hit, but splatters some onto himself as well.

Ben picks up Sydney’s body and moves towards the rest of the crew. Jaeger tries to climb down the ladder into the sewer. Soria runs up to the hole and fires down at Jaeger. Her shots land and knock Jaeger off of the ladder. He falls to the bottom shattering his legs as he lands, but manages to stay alive. Hammy finally frees himself and charges the remaining mercs. As he round the corner he makes a mighty sweep at them, splattering one merc against the wall. The remaining merc surrenders.

Ben, Hammy, and Soria are all handcuffed and taken in for questioning. Hammond give over the data slug recordings as evidence of what had happened. Hours pass as they are interrogated and all evidence is examined.

In a rather uncomfortable state, the crew once again stands before Judge Tolliver. The judge reminds them that he had not wanted to see them back in his courtroom, ever.

A man stands up from the crown and gives testimony for the posse. That man is Dimitri Karkos. He explains how the group was hired by him to assist in stopping Jaeger. Tolliver is frustrated but satisfied with the evidence and testimony presented. All charges are cleared.

Karkos presents the crew with payment for their wok in taking down Jaeger. Additionally, he notes that the posse will have property rights on anything that may be found at Salem Towers. He also supplies them with a copy of the data slug recordings.

As they exit the courthouse, a haze surrounds them. The spirit of Bo Knudson introduces himself (he is the mysterious man that was beaten by Jaeger’s crew). He explains what had happened.

Knudson was trying to alert the authorities to Jaeger’s activities. That is why they captured him. He also tells of how Vrai was spiritually in debt to the darkness. Vrai had frequently tapped into the dark powers to enhance his own abilities. When Vrai was unable to crack Knudson’s mind on his own, he tried to “overkill” again- but this time he had overdrawn. Knudson asks for the posse to pray for his soul. Ben and Hammy read a few prayers and bless him, sending his soul of into eternal rest.

Soria heads back to the Hilton to check on Marilyn. Hammy and Ben head to Salem Towers to check for the other members of the posse, and to grab any spoils that may be there. There is no sign of the other members, but quite a bit of loot. Among the various items is Law Dog badge.

After the visit to the Towers, Hammond and Ben head to the JLA to collect their bounties. They also present the badge to them. The badge seems to hold some importance. As a thank you, they are given back their membership fee- but now have free access to the JLA database. They also find out that 2 of the bounties need to be picked up elsewhere. (NewTello, Idaho –kind of en route to Boise- and Buckland, Nevada – near spring creek.)

From there they head to the reporter. Presented with the data slug, he naturally asks what happened. Ben and Hammond recount the whole adventure. The reporter is taken aback by their story and incorporates it into the news report. They are given a copy of the paper once it is printed.

Finally they head back to the hotel for rest. As they come to the entrance of the building a man in a black suit approaches them. He is a representative of Isaac Taylor. They are presented with a letter from Mr. Taylor. In the letter he thanks them for stopping Jaeger’s coup , and expresses interest in meeting them some day. On the back of the letter, Karkos has attached a message as well. The remaining posse members were found in the tower and have been taken to the hospital. Karkos will be seeing them soon.