At Your Door Session 4

Christian is back from Bordern and joined us this evening with Agent Norman Van Alden of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence. Amanda (Dr. Sarah Berenstain), Rick (Lord Stang),  Patrick (Joey Roberts),  and Dave (Leonard Tipple) were also able to make it out this evening….

I’ve been a little distracted by the arrival of Force on Force and so a bit too much of my hobby-reading time was taken up by that and thus I wasn’t as prepared for this evening as I might have liked. Fortunately Christian is a fantastic role-player and much of the evening was “bringing him up to speed” through his characters interview of the others when he arrived on the scene…

WARNING: SPOILERS CONTAINED WITHIN - If ever you think you might play the Cthulhu Now adventure At Your Door, read no further! 

Thursday Night – 19 July 2012

The investigators began the session in the town of Delilah, awaiting the arrival of the authorities. A 9-1-1 call had been placed to report the dead body they’d found on Peter Tait’s recently acquired farm.

Sheriff Carter Jones got an urgent call from his own deputy insisting that he return immediately as there was a situation in town that required his immediate presence (Curtis couldn't make it out tonight).

The local deputy arrived first and, after questioning the characters about the nature and location of the body and their involvement in it, suggested that they wait for the arrival of the State Police that were also on the way so they could show them the way to the farm.

When all had arrived (it was now well after midnight) they proceeded to Tait’s farm. The police refused to allow them to drive out into the field as it might upset any evidence. The player characters were unwilling to walk out into the field in the dark – covered as it was in the red plants. So the police proceeded on their own.

 The player characrers watched them walk – or rather their flashlights bob about – expecting them to be attacked at any moment. They heard oaths being issued (as well as some vomit) when they arrived at the “scarecrow” and the police beat a hasty retreat back to the cars on the road by the gate entrance to the farm.

It was decided that it would be best to call in the Feds on this one. One of the State Troopers was posted guard over the farm and the rest drove back into town to make calls and find a place to stay for the rest of the night.

Friday – 20 July 2012

It was about noon when a pair of FBI agents arrived from Samson. After a brief q&A they also proceeded out to the farm. Found a state trooper still on guard (a different one as the previous one had been relieved). The FBI agents took a brief look around, looked at each other and decided it was time to call “The OTHER Bureau”…

Around suppertime Agents Van Alden and Mackie of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense arrived in Delilah. Van Alden questioned the PCs extensively (bringing him up to speed on the investigation so far…). This was a lot of fun to play out… Agent Mackie was dispatched into Samson to recover the “sample” Peter Tait had provided and start looking into a few leads.

While they were talking however they heard sirens in the distance coming quickly toward Delilah. Apparently when the FBI Forensics team, which had arrived in the afternoon and proceeded to record the scene)=, had tried to cut the body down from the posts they were attacked. It wasn’t quite clear what they were attacked by. The body?  The plants!?

Everyone quickly made it out to the farm where they found a few of the FBI team and the State troopers in a panic – mostly hiding behind their cars witht their guns drawn – but not entirely sure who or what to shoot at. There was a member of the forensics team lying in the field looking like they were tangled in assorted plant material and darkness was quickly falling around them.

At this point Agent Van Alden started making plans to have the place razed by fire and called in a BPRD sampling and containment team. After those plans were made Agent Van Alden, Lord Stang, Leonard Tipple and Joey Roberts decided to drive out into the field to try and recover the FBI forensics team member. Hanging out the back of the rental Hummer, Agent Van Alden was liberally sloshing gasoline about from the cans they’d brought along and started lighting fires.

When they were able to approach the FBI forensics team member they could see that he was clearly dead and looked as though he’d been strangled to death. Agent Van Alden made the call that they would not try to recover the bodies but burned them right there.

The BPRD team arrived took samples and burned the rest of the place down after Agent Van Alden had a look around at the Greenhouse and farmyard. Though it seemed rather creepy in the dark – it seemed far less… active…?

 Saturday 21 July 2012

In the wee hours all drove back to Samson. During the drive back they learned of the Theatre shooting in Colorado...

Sarah realized she'd missed a number of anxious text messages from Jatik wanting an update and wondering why federal Agents had shown up at Zymotek, confiscating the "speciman".   She called him back to give an update and ask how to proceed.  Jatik said to continue the investigation into Tait's disappearance as he might still have useful information about what it was. 

Later in the morning they met at the Hotel for brunch and were contacted by Det. Sgt. Joe Macklin who requested that they attend the Samson Hall of Justice to answer a few more questions. Upon their arrival they were informed that when Det. SGt. Macklin contacted Dawn Biozyme he had been informed that there was no such “specimen” missing from their laboratory. Agent Van Alden assured the detective that, whether it had originated from Dawn Biozyme, a “specimen” of the description offered by the other characters was delivered to Zymotek on the afternoon in question and was now in the hands of the BPRD.

It was at this point Agent Van Alden found out that some of the attackers were in custody and requested that he be able to interview them…

At this point we had to call it a night.

Next week I am running a Savage Worlds: Wierd War Two game at ToonCon2012 - stay tuned for a report of that action. Hopefully the following week we’ll be able to get back to this adventure!