Saturday, June 14 (near midnight)
Danny finished up work as quickly as possible so that he could make it to the team meeting on time. The double shift had left him tired and wanting to go home but apparently there was new information regarding the ghoul infestation the team had been dealing with. As he was driving toward the meeting place, he suddenly felt something sharp, cold and metallic pressed up against his throat. Apparently Sensei John had been hiding in the back seat and wanted to have a word with him. Danny pulled over on a deserted street and let John talk. Danny learned that Susan had been mugged and was currently in the hospital. Since Danny had been hanging around the dojo and making a pest of himself toward Susan, Sensei John suspected Danny had something to do with it. John warned him that if it turned out that Danny did have something to do with the attack on Susan, there would be no warnings. Then, just as suddenly as the knife had appeared, Danny no longer felt it against his neck. Turning around, the back door was open and John was no where to be seen. Danny had not even heard the door open.
Danny called Lt. Giordano, his friend with VBPD Homicide, and woke him out of a sound sleep. As Susan hadn't been killed, the case was a little outside Lt. Giordano's jurisdiction but the police lieutenant agreed to make a couple calls to find out what happened. Danny was able to get the location of the mugging and the name of the hospital that Susan was staying at. The initial report was that it was a run of the mill mugging.
Danny went by the hospital and briefly considered breaking in but decided not to when he realized he had no way to find out which room Susan was in. Instead, he went to the scene of the mugging to find out if there was anything his senses could pick up that the cops missed. The chi surrounding the area had been heavily disturbed by something significant coming through from another world. The sense he got from the “ripple” was similar to what he'd felt from Zeke's summonings or with the manifestation of some Asian spirits but the “flavor” was different. After his investigation it was around 2 am and Danny noticed that someone on the team had called his cell phone while he had been talking with Lt. Giordano. Too late to get in on the action now, he called back to leave a message about what had happened and to let the team know he was all right.
Sunday, June 15 (morning)
Mike and Sonia were taking their turn watching Nigel when Mike learned that he may have not voluntarily become a vampire's thrall. He was not happy to learn that he was complicit in the kidnapping and detainment of a potentially innocent man. Nigel was also showing considerable wear and tear from spending the majority of the last two and a half days tied to a chair. Zeke started considering finding a more “humane” way to keep Nigel prisoner.
The rest of the team contacted Alejandro (the team's contact with the Trismegistus Council) for advice on what to do about Molly. Alejandro let them know about a local “medicine man” that he used to work with. He lived on an Creek Indian reservation about a half hour north east of Vibora Bay.
Sunday, June 15 (noon)
Julian, Kayla and Danny hopped into Julian's truck and drove up there, arriving a little after noon. Their initial impression of the town was “tourist trap.” As soon as Kayla got out of the truck, she dropped insensate with a vision of the town being deserted, except for the zombies shambling about. After Kayla's “episode” the group found the office of the medicine man and caught him in the middle of his lunch break. He greeted them personally as his receptionist was out of town. They talked to him for a bit, dropping Alejandro's name, and he told them that he'd have to see Molly personally before he could give them any useful information.
The rest of the group collected Molly and brought her over. They arrived a little after one, however Joe (the medicine man) had other clients. Molly was taken to an examination room (Joe is a licensed medical doctor) where she could wait a couple hours for a break in the schedule. About mid afternoon, Joe got some free time to examine Molly. He determined that the spirit was attacking her through her dreams. He didn't know how to drive it out directly as it wasn't Native American. However, he could arrange it so that the group could enter her dream and confront the spirit in person. In return he asked the group to investigate reports of strange people moving through the local swamp recently.
While waiting for evening (as Joe still had other clients) Julian, Sonia, Zeke & Mike start asking the locals around town about what's been happening in the swamps. Zeke doesn't have much luck but Julian runs across an eyewitness. The man couldn't make out much as it was night and in the swamp (he was on his way home after doing some fishing). Also, he didn't want to get too close as he was by himself. All he could really tell is that they were carrying some kind of crate and they may have had guns.
Sunday, June 15 (evening)
After Joe closes down his office he gets the ritual set up. Julian worries about things showing up on his drug test but Joe suggests he just claim it as a sacrament. After a lengthy ritual involving imbibing something thick & syrupy and a smoke-filled room, the group is transported into Molly's dream. They can see that they are standing at the edge of a bamboo forest at night during a full moon. They also find that they've all been changed in some way:
All their physical capabilities have become subordinate to the strength of their will. Some find they've become stronger or faster; some slower and weaker.
Danny's connection to his chi powers becomes stronger and more obvious to those around him. Kayla experiences a similar effect in relation to her psychic powers.
Sonia's vampiric nature becomes even more obvious as she grows actual claws and fangs and her eyes glow red.
Mike comes through in full angel mode, though he can't quite “reach” his sword.
Zeke struggles to not come across in full demon mode and just barely holds it back.
Julian is hardest hit by the transition as he is the most physically focused of the group.
Kayla can sense that her sister is somewhere within the forest.
The group heads into the forest and finds that the bamboo grows very thick. Movement off the path is restricted and they can't see more than a few meters deep into the forest. While they're on the path, though, movement is free and there's enough moonlight to see reasonably well. They also find that it's very difficult to measure time within a dream.
At some point after entering the forest, they are attacked by a group of ninja resembling the “smoke” ninja used by the Oni on their first encounter. During the battle, Mike is able to reach his sword. Zeke and Julian find that magic is both easier and quicker. They all make quick work of the ninja, however this time their foes do not dissolve into smoke and ash after being defeated. The corpses are looted and the group continues on.
“Shortly” after, Julian says something about snakes and begins slapping at himself though no one else can see what's wrong. The snake slithers its way up his leg and around his body until its head is next to his ear. It then whispers to him that he should not be afraid as it is not here to harm him. It agrees to take a form that he will find a little less disconcerting. It slides off him and transforms into a tall regal black woman wearing a blue dress, red moushwa (head scarf) and carrying a dagger in one hand. She might be beautiful if it were not for the scars on her face. Julian recognizes her as a Loa but can't quite recall which one. The Loa admonishes him for his lack of knowledge of his own faith and his lack of attention to spiritual matters in magic as it has left him practically “naked” in this realm. She states that normally should would not bother helping someone so foolish, but “they” still need him so she will help. However, she promises that there will be a cost. She then kisses him full on the mouth and disappears. The group simply see him complaining about a snake one instant and the next he is standing there staring bewilderedly at the dagger that just appeared in his hand. He also feels invigorated.
After Julian explains what happened to him, the group press on deeper into the woods. After a “time” they come to a clearing with a sinister-looking Japanese temple standing in its center. Kayla can sense that her sister is inside and rushes forward. However, the group manages to calm her down and convince to be wary of any possible traps. After noticing no traps or malicious magic, the group enters.
As soon as they enter, each finds him or her self alone in the entry chamber.
Kayla hears her father's voice admonishing her for being a bad girl. After several shouted commands for her to “come here and take your punishment”, he strides into the entry way, huge and angry.
Sonia is wracked with pain as she can actually feel her bones breaking. Her skin becomes leathery and her arms elongate oddly. She can also feel her jaw disfiguring and ears growing.
Mike walks into the entryway to see a large bat-person picking itself up off the floor and staring at him hungrily.
Danny hears the faint sound of circus music and insane giggling. A clown prances into the room, merrily waving about his bloody butcher knife and grinning his full pointy-toothed grin.
Julian hears a skittering sound just before an enormous spider squeezes through the opposite doorway.
Zeke sees a tall thin man in a top hat standing in the center of the room. With incredible swiftness, it lunges at him with a long wicked knife.
Everyone except Mike, Sonia and Danny manage to quickly free themselves off the illusions that attack them when they are able to pick out things that just aren't quite right. Kayla realizes that she's no longer twelve so her father would have to be 10 feet tall to tower over her like that. Julian is ensnared in a strand of webbing but realizes it has no weight. Zeke is slashed with the knife but feels no real pain; real pain being something he's very familiar with.
Unfortunately, Danny finds himself fighting for his life against the homicidal clown. It slashes at him several times, leaving him bleeding from multiple wounds.
Mike is attacked by the bat-thing but as it leaps, he recognizes that it's really Sonia. Unfortunately, she's in the throws of vampiric blood-lust and does not recognize Mike. Mike does his best to hold her off without harming her. Fortunately, his armor appears to be proof against her claws and fangs
The group attempts to snap the other three out of their illusions but are unsuccessful in doing so. Eventually, Sonia comes back to her senses and realizes that it is Mike that she was attacking. The hunger for blood is lessened by being snapped out of it but it's not completely gone. Danny continues to struggle and the group notices several cuts have appeared on him. Zeke tries to tap into the spell the Medicine Man had used to transport them all into the dream in an effort to get Danny out of his dilemma. Zeke manages to latch on to something and pulls. He meets considerable resistance and pulls harder. With a sudden wrench, he pulls the Evil Clown out of Danny's illusion and into their own dream reality. The group quickly puts the clown down and Danny's senses return.
The team takes a moment to recover before pushing onward. Moving swiftly through the temple, they come to a central courtyard. In the courtyard, the Oni-Sorcerer is standing over Molly, who is stretched out over an alter about to be sacrificed. Around the alter are three more dream-beasts, another Evil Clown, Thin Man and a new creature, a scarecrow wielding a scythe.
The team attacks and Zeke and Julian manage to quickly put down two of the apparitions. Julian then manages to slip by the third to attack the Oni directly. He notices that it appears afraid of the knife the Loa has loaned to him. Mike and Kayla are quickly put down by the Oni's attacks. Zeke manages to improvise a spell to weaken the Oni's defenses which have proved to be nearly impenetrable so far. However, Mike and Kayla are still quickly rendered unconscious by the Oni with Danny following soon after. With some encouragement from the group, Molly begins to fight back against the Oni's influence, sending the Thin Man to attack it. The Oni quickly obliterates the Thin Man while Sonia and Julian continue to do as much damage to the Oni as they can. The distraction is enough for Danny and Kayla to catch a second wind and rejoin the fray. The Oni, now fighting to control Molly as well as fend off the group, hurls Julian away when Julian attempts to shield Molly from the Oni. It then conjers up a cloud of choking smoke. Kayla and Danny, both already battered, quickly succumb to the smoke and Zeke is forced to stay out of the courtyard. Julian plunges back into the smoke from where he had been hurled and he and Sonia have a difficult time finding the Oni. However, they can hear the sound of fighting and faint circus music. Eventually, Sonia manages to locate a target and eviscerates it, hoping that it's not Julian. After a moment, the smoke clears, revealing the dying “body” of the Oni laying at Sonia's feet.
The group are then brought back out of the dream. Everyone is groggy and disoriented but Molly now appears to be sleeping normally. Danny and Kayla are slower than the others to revive but Mike does not regain consciousness at all. Joe, the Medicine Man, appears spent but helps Danny to treat the wounded. There are no physical wounds but the damage inflicted in the dream appears to have had lasting effects on the minds and spirits of the group. Danny's chi healing helps quite a bit but even that is not enough to bring Mike around.
3 points each for Mike, Kayla, Danny, Julian, Sonia and Zeke