Irina gestures at Curtis to lower his rifle.

"It's okay, Curtis," she tells him. "This is why I am here. There is nothing more that you can do. Your bullets won't hurt them. Make sure that the others are okay. I need to speak with these ladies. If I don't come back, tell Edith they're Norse magi, descendants of Vikings. And that their leaders seem to be women - possibly something more - or other - than human."

She takes a deep breath, and steps forward again.

"Those you killed did not represent us," she says. "If they stole from you, then perhaps your actions were justified. I seek to understand, not to judge. But you must also understand me... if you harm me, or those who have travelled with me, others will come. People who know what it is that you do. Your Protection spells will not keep you safe if we bend the full extent of our will upon you. I do not threaten, I only caution you."

She continues to walk forward. "I am happy to talk. But do not think me as ignorant as those of my kind you may have met before. I am a witch, and I have seen those from Beyond."

Jack tries to will himself invisible and silently puts the lid down on the poison. If he can step back into deeper shadows, he will. If discovered, he will comply with the new guard’s  orders. If they leave without him, he will put the crate lid back on quietly and then continue searching further rooms, or moving outside if there looks to be anything interesting out there.

Post 72: Meeting New Enemies pt 2

-----------------
Irina cautions Curtis, who gives her a sharp look.  "You got it," the hidden female in men's clothing said.  As Irina approached the three females, she hit upon the oddness; all three had large, dark eyes, even the sclera, and didn't blink.  It was like looking into shark's eyes.  "You may call me Urda," the eldest one tells Irina. "We do not have names as your kind does.  You are a witch; then perhaps you will understand better than most.  The sending of our Goddess is to be praised and worshipped.  It has done us great service."
This did not sit too well with the middle-aged woman, who was standing slightly behind the oldest one.  It was just a momentary twitch of a scowl, but it was enough to let Irina know there was something not right; and then she released her hold on the Protection spell, letting the mana frizzle into the atmosphere.  The youngest one slowly drew nearer to the others, tucking her hands into the sleeves of her robe and looking very curiously at Irina's clothes, and back at "Curtis", who was standing watch back at the campfire, eyes on Irina and the three strangers.   She seemed especially nervous too - when a branch snapped, somewhere along the treeline, she visibly jumped and looked around in terror.   The eldest one snapped something at her that could may well be Old Norse, but Irina could still see the young one trembling.  "Let us take our sister witch to our caves and offer her our hospitality," the middle-aged one said quickly.  "It is the Proper Way."
"Let it be so.  It is the Proper Way." the old one said.  "We must blindfold you for the journey, for no stranger is permitted to know our home.  Do you consent to this ?"
------------------------------------
------Jack and Spider----
------------
Spider obediently follows Milton out, under the watchful eye of the other guard, as they reach the front door.  All the corridors are dark now and it is getting harder to see, but Milton apparently knows the place by heart.   "You finish your rounds, Milton, and go home," Jamie the guard said as he went off towards the other wing.  Milton paused, sorting through keys, dropped the key ring, and then sorted through them again.  It looked like he was stalling.   Finally he opened the door, and held it for Spider to walk through, and stepped into the foyer with Spider, closing the door.  Milton for the first time spoke normally, whispering, "I'll get your friend out.  Wait in your car."   He went back into the building, locking the door, and quickly vanished from sight.
-----------
Jack, hidden in the room, waits for the sounds to diminish before resuming his search, now by the light of the moon, certain that he will attract unwelcome attention if he switches on any more lights.  The poison container is easy enough to seal and set back down, though the crate is now open.  The next room down the hall is another chemistry lab, this one belonging to Dr. Dowling.  It smells worse than a monkey house in August, so Jack moves along quickly.  He is looking into a room full of lab tables and more glassware when he hears a slight sound at the doorway.  Milton stands there, looking simple, but now it doesn't seem to reach his eyes.  "Not safe now," he says very softly. "I'll take you out the west door, close to the lot.  There's a testing ground out in the swamp, I don't know where, so you'll have to tail Gernhardt.  82 Westfield Avenue.  Do not blow my cover, Sterling."  Milton led Jack down a deserted stairwell and soon there was a door that opened out near the parking lot.
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GM:  Actions, etc, for the next few minutes of game time, please respond by Saturday, 11 July, next post Sunday. Glad to hear from you and hope you are all keeping healthy !
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This message was last edited by the GM at 19:50, Sat 11 July 2020.

Irina isn't quite sure what is going on between the three women, but notes the youngest's skittishness and curiosity and the apparent disagreement between the elder two, and makes sure to try and keep aware of any such ways in which they may not present a united front.

Of course, for the time being, she's not going to be able to see anything...

She really doesn't want to be led blindfolded into the woods by a bunch of Shub Niggurath cultists who can summon Dark Young, but she isn't sensing any active hostility from them. She wonders briefly if she should have encouraged 'Curtis' to come with her, but doesn't want to risk it. For now she simply acquiesces.

"Very well."

On the way, she will ask, "tell me more about this... Proper Way."

OC: Sorry I’m late, rough couple of weeks. And way to go, Keeper! I was completely fooled by Milton.

IC: Jack’s mouth drops open in surprise, and then he shuts it diplomatically.
“Lead on,“ he replies.
When they part ways, he will hand Milton the “lost“ key ring. “Thank you; call if you need us.” And then Jack rejoins Spider and fills him in. They will meet up with Cressida for dinner, I suppose, and plan to tail the doc into the swamp in the morning.

Post 73:  Meeting New Enemies pt 3

----------Irina, hanging out with Cultists in Pennsylvania----
------------------
Irina gets a length of fairly soft homespun cloth wound around her eyes, tied carefully by the middle-aged female.  The young one takes her right hand and the middle-aged one takes her left hand, to guide her.  "It is level for a way then we will be climbing up, we will help you," the middle-aged one says.  "Under the rule of hospitality we cannot harm you.    It the Proper Way to welcome guests.  You may call me Verdi and my daughter is Skuld.  We are the three Nornir."  The walk is long, involves a splash through the cold brook, and then some climbing up a rock stair, past trees and shrubs.  Her assistants are indeed careful and she does not slip, though she hears the old woman curse a few times and stumble, sending some gravel skittering along the ground.   Irina's ears seem sharper, and there is a notable lack of nighttime noises - nothing is moving around in the undergrowth, no owls are hooting, no foxes calling - it was much louder outside the Forestry cabin at night.  Another loud snap of a branch has the young one clutch Irina's hand tightly; not so far away something large is moving among the trees.  "Quickly now," whispered Verdi, and they hastened their pace, practically lifting Irina as she stumbled over a ridge in the path.  A rumble of stone moving on stone, the smell of woodsmoke and flax, and some kind of cooking aromas, and the rustling of people moving.  Irina's blindfold is removed as the old woman intones something in Old Norse; she sees a huge cave lit by fires, with about seventeen people standing around, most looking curiously at her.  She sees only three men, who have close-cropped white beards; the rest are female, from children about five years old up to a very aged woman crouched by a spinning wheel.  All are pale, in pale clothes, with pitch black eyes.  "Few of us speak English," Verdi whispered to Irina. "I will stay near you if you wish to speak to anyone.  First, we speak the words of welcome."
The Norn Urda raises her staff and intones in Old Norse. "We welcome a daughter of the Old Ways, from the strange land beyond ours, into our hospitality.  Let all welcome her as is the Proper Way." Verdi quietly translated to Irina, and Irina was fairly sure the translation was accurate. "She has come to ask about the Goddess and Her Protection.  Her name among the strangers is Irina.  Speak to her as you would to a stranger."  Verdi grimaces at that, but is careful to face away from Urda. Young Skuld is still much taken with Irina's clothes, and can't help but touch her sleeve.  "How do you get the dye for this ?" whispers the young girl.
"Skuld, fetch our guest a bowl of porridge, she must be hungry," Verdi says.  "It is barley, sweetened with wild berries.   We have mead to drink."   The young girl scurries off.  The rest of the odd tribe return to their tasks.  One of the men is scraping a deerskin hide, the very old woman is spinning flax into thread, and two of the other women are setting up an old-style loom - it looks like the tribe is mostly nocturnal.  Everyone seems to settle into some task or other, but there are quite a few glances towards Irina.  Urda seems satisfied and thumps her way over to Irina.
"Our home is yours, for the duration of Hospitality," Urda says to Irina, leaning on her staff.  The firelight picked up small metallic gleams in the wood.  "We have closed the cave entrance to keep wild animals out."  Irina can tell without any difficulty that those words were a bald-faced lie.  A very heavy boulder has been levered into a place that blocks the cave entrance.  It would take at least three people to move the thing using the thick poles next to it.  Skuld hustles back with a wooden bowl of lumpy porridge and a large clay flask of mead.  "Sit by the fire with us and tell us how a witch can be happy in the strange land."  Verdi pours out some mead into simple pottery beakers and sips hers, as if to show Irina that it is safe.  The porridge is warm and filling, but not particularly tasty, the mead is much better.  As Irina sits and her eyes adjust to the firelight, she can see that practically every surface of the cave wall is carved with pictograms and the Old Norse runes.
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------Jack and Spider, sneaking around Maryland----
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Jack hands off the 'lost' key ring.  "We all have our assignments," said Milton, and then the daft look was fully back in place; if the man went on the stage as a Vaudeville stooge, he'd make a good paycheck.  As it was, Jack was fairly certain that Milton was some sort of government agent.  Jack found Spider safely in their car and they made the drive back to their lodgings without incident.   Cressida and the twins seem to be recovered, and they even try to eat dinner with utensils, though both refuse anything vegetable.
---------
It is easy enough to find Dr. Gernhardt's address and determine that the neighbour's overgrown forsythia bushes make good cover for the car.   At a few minutes past six am, the doctor emerges from the house with a small grey terrier, walking the dog around the block; by six thirty the doctor has returned, gathered up his briefcase and drives directly to the Naval Ordinance labs in a black and burgundy Packard sedan.   It makes for a long, boring morning, waiting to see what happens next; in fact, nothing happens all day, until about four o'clock, when a strange-looking truck trundles up to the gates and is let inside.  The truck had a large tank on the back, with a complex spraying arrangement that Jack recalls from the papers in Gernhardt's lab; there are no markings on the truck and the license plate is obscured by mud, as is most of the truck.  Gernhardt does not leave with the bulk of the employees, who depart anywhere from five o'clock to six o'clock.
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After another hour or so of being very bored, irritable and hungry, Spider and Jack are rewarded by sighting the odd truck departing the compound, with Gernhardt's Packard sedan following it.  As far as Jack and Spider can tell, they are tailing the two vehicles and have not been noticed, at least as far as the paved road goes.  When the truck and car veer off on a dirt track heading west, they are less sure they won't be spotted following.   (Drive roll, whomever is driving please)
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GM: Actions, please, for the next half hour of game time, please respond by Saturday, 18 July, next post Sunday.  Glad to have fooled you, Mr. Sterling !  It's much more challenging these days.  Hope all of you are healthy and as happy as circumstances allow.
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Like Spider, Jack has only basic driving ability. I rolled a 47. It seems like Spider’s idea to pursue on foot is the best course available! Jack has a shoulder-slung shotgun and a .45 in his belt, both with silver ammo. He also has a flaregun and six flares. And a flashlight. And fifty feet of rope and a ten-foot pole. (Okay, not those last two...)

Irina is briefly non-plussed. In truth, she isn't sure. Something about half-remembered chemistry from school. Azo dyes? Not the sort of thing she ever expected to have to remember.

"I don't really know," she tells the girl. "We have alchemists who do all of that. And... weaving machines. I just wear the clothes they make." Sensing the girl's curiosity about the outside world, she adds: "we have all kinds of colours, like the rainbow. Any colour you can imagine."



Irina eats and drinks sparingly.

"It is not the land in which I was born," she admits. "I come from far to the East. I think that we may once have had ancestors in common. We called them Rus - Northmen who settled along the great rivers. Your ancestors must have come west instead, across the great ocean. But... in my home there was civil war, and my mother and I fled to this land. I have been made welcome here, but I have also discovered that I carry the Power within me, that I have a lineage. Sometimes, when I look in the mirror, I can see Grandmother. I am still learning how to control it. I am uncommon in our land, I admit, and I cannot show my power openly, except to close friends. But I have good friends there. Ours may seem a strange land to you, but your ways are strange to me. We each grow accustomed to what we are used to."

"Tell me, have you always worshipped the Goddess? And... forgive me if this is an indelicate question but - I see children, but no men. Where are they?"

"There is something out there you fear. What is it? It is not a wild animal, I think."
This message was lightly edited by the player at 20:22, Sun 19 July 2020.

Post 74: Trouble Brewing pt 1
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----Irina, in a cave full of Cultists---
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The young girl Skuld's black eyes widened even more, keenly interested in a world full of colourful fabrics.  "Really," she murmured.  She also picked all the berries out of her porridge mush and ate them.
"We only keep three males," Urda said, with a smack of satisfaction at her mead.  "Why bother with more ?"
Irina is offered some flatbread from Verdi's wooden plate; coarse-ground flour, but not without some merit.  "We have been with the Goddess for many seasons," Verdi said. "There is an accounting of our travel to this place, but I'm not sure how you measure time.  Midwinter has come and passed over nine hundred times."  Irina caught the sudden sharp rap on Verdi's leg from Urda's staff, but the woman made no sound.
"It is well that you speak to the Grandmother spirit," Urda said.  "Perhaps you can learn sense.  We fear nothing, Irina of the Strangers, who claims the Rus bloodline.  We are one with the forest and live in the protection of the Goddess.  And all who would trouble us will die.  As will your three friends at the runestone."  Urda laughed then, a mad and evil laugh, then spoke in the old Norse language, to all the people in the cave. Most looked up; one or two looked horrified; the very old woman paused in her spinning; Skuld dropped her porridge bowl, mouth hanging open, staring at Urda.
"The Sending will devour them." Verdi translated, in a faint voice.
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--Spider and Jack, Maryland------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Spider was indeed happy to see the family was in better health, and left the two offspring in their mother's care.
---------------------------------
Jack's driving is more suited to paved roads, and the Bureau's motor pool leaves much to be desired for stability, handling and off-road capabilities.  He plows into a thick patch of sedge that was doing a good job of hiding a mudhole, and the car is mired.  It will take a winch to get it out.  Spider and Jack bail out into the muddy ditch and slog along after the truck and the Packard.  The truck goes slowly, the Packard even more so, but it's clear both vehicles have taken this path before from the ruts in the roadway and the drivers' familiarity with the area.  With some cautious wading through the swamp, Jack and Spider eventually arrive at the edge of a flat dry area, near the extensive waterway; the two vehicles are parked.  Oddly, they also don't encounter much by way of wildlife.  Two men in worn work clothes are setting up some kind of fan and generator, while Dr. Gernhardt carefully unloads a wooden crate very much like the ones Jack saw earlier.  The doctor is wearing heavy rubber gloves and a face mask, the goggles definitely limiting his peripheral vision, and the two workmen seem preoccupied with their tasks; they are moments away from operating this strange device.

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GM:  Now that the PCs have plenty to worry about, please respond with actions, etc for the next few minutes of game time, by Saturday, 25 July, next post Sunday.  Hope you are all safe and healthy !
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Irina gives her a hard stare.
"Love? Companionship? You deny yourselves too much."



Irina stands up and throws her bowl of porridge to one side.

"Not while I am alive," she tells Urda. "You can't control it, can you? That's why you're so afraid of it. That's what you're hiding from. You pretend to have the Goddess's power, but actually you only know parts of it. You keep these people from the outside world because it would diminish your power over them. Well those are good people, who came to your land in good faith - one of them is a woman, even. They do not deserve death. I can stop the Dark Young. I can send it back. I have that power. And I intend to do so. And if you try to stop me, I will kill you. Who is with me?"

She will try to see how the rock at the cave mouth is fixed and how it might be removed, all the time grabbing for her pistol and keeping am eye on Urda.

Jack’s thoughts are the same as Spider’s for now: observe whatever occurs, make sure they are upwind, figure out what is downwind, and leave a mark so they can find a this spot again. They will also have to be careful not to be seen by the doctor and his henchmen when they leave and as they hoof it back to town. Hiring a discreet tow truck driver to pull their vehicle out may be difficult – that too is on his mind.

Post 75: Trouble Brewing pt 2
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-----OOC; having trouble posting to rpol yesterday
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----Irina, with Cultists in Pennsylvania-----
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Irina could tell at a glance the heavy rock that seals the cave will need at least three strong people to shift it.  Her sudden stance rivets all eyes to her; and she is still surprised that Verdi also stands and shouts in Norse, apparently translating for Irina.  Urda seizes her staff and shrieks bloody murder, the staff glowing with eldritch light - but Verdi steps in front of Irina, shielding her, hands already flicking in the Protection from Harm spell.
She says something in Old Norse to Skuld, who looks startled.  "I know the hidden way out," Skuld tells Irina.  The rest of the cultists scurry around, mostly out of line of fire for Urda's staff.  Verdi continues to shield Irina with her own body as Skuld tries to convince Irina to come with her.  One of the few men rushes to help the very old woman rise from her spinning wheel and flinches as an arc of eldritch lightning stabs at him from Urda's staff.  There is screaming, yelling, confusion, and over it all, the shrieks of rage from Urda, now interlaced with words of power.  Young Skuld all but pulls Irina from the cavern into a dark passageway.
"You must trust me," Skuld says to Irina, "We know Urda is mad, but she is also the most powerful of us.  Put your hands on my shoulders and I will lead you out.  Can you -really- make the Sending go away ?"  It becomes obvious to Irina that Skuld can see in the dark, for the passageway has no light at all.   Scraping by along rock walls, in utter darkness, while the echoes of madness and arcane magic crackle and blast behind them is like something out of a nightmare.  Then Irina can smell the rich scent of pine needles and fresh air.  "Up the ladder - there are handholds.  You cannot see them.  Two favn up, the holds are - the fot."  Skuld pulls Irina's hand to the stone wall, where crude steps have been carved into the walls, about a foot apart, to the left and right.  Her guide helps her up the blind ladder and soon the cold night air surrounds her, with the trunks of pine trees on top of the rock ridge.  The sounds of the cave are lost now, and the night is unnaturally silent.  Then she hears a loud thudding sound as of a giant hoof pawing into the earth.  In the faint light of the moon and stars, Irina can just about make out Skuld's face; the girl looks terrified.  There is the unmistakeable crack of a Winchester being fired.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
------Jack and Spider---Maryland---
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Jack and Spider quickly determine the direction of the wind - from the North West at about 7 miles per hour - and note besides that, there is also a bank of dark clouds heading in from the West.  This may limit the dispersion of the chemicals if the rain comes soon enough.  The two agents are half-hidden in a run of sea oats to the South of the machinery, and the fan is pointed due South - right along the waterway.  The prevailing winds would carry South and East, so they are unfortunately downwind.  Some ugly squelching in the muddy marsh can put them more towards the West.  Neither man has much hope their footwear will survive this experience intact.  Shortly after they are stuck in another bog to the North of the site, the two workmen start up the fan and the Doctor loads the machine with some fine purple dust.  Both workmen pause to tie scarves around their faces and step back from the machine, and Spider and Jack can hear them speaking to each other in German - something about who has to go check the animals, and neither one wants to do it.  Then Gernhardt releases the chemical, the fine dust mixing into a toxic fog, blowing it South.  He carefully closes up the cannister and puts everything away but his mask, points at one of the two men, and then returns to his car before taking off his gas mask.  So far no one has spotted Jack and Spider (08% on their hide roll).   Of the two workmen, the one that was pointed out is grumbling curses as the Doctor drives away.  The machine continues to make fog for another ten minutes, then the chemicals run out, the fan sputtering to a stop as the generator runs out of juice.  The workmen begin to take the machine apart, not looking too happy about it.
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GM: Actions for the next few minutes of gametime, please respond by Saturday, 1 August, next post Sunday. Hope you are all healthy and continue to be so !
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Jack agrees with Spider’s plan. He pulls out a bandanna and ties it around his face, bandito style.
“We’ll have to be sneaky in all this wet muck. And I don’t think we can leave them out here. They might get poisoned. We’ll have to bind their hands and blindfold then and toss them in the back of the truck, and make sure there’s nothing they can get a hold of back there. We can question them there, if you think that’s a good idea. And if there’s a rope or a chain, we could even pull our car out. Then we can take any evidence with us, and leave them in the truck on the side of the road.”

"Yes," replies Irina, more confidently than she feels. She knows that Urda could have killed her, could still kill them all, but she couldn't stand by and do nothing as the rangers were killed.



Irina tries to remember what Ben told her, what she read. Sand and salt on broken ground... the creature must be in the pentacle, and the bigger the pentacle the less powerful it will be. She takes a deep breath, feeling for the bag of sand and salt in her pocket.

"Stay with me," she tells Skuld, taking her hand and heading for the sound of the gunshots. She needs to try to see the Dark Young, so that she can start trying to circle around it, hopefully staying hidden or at least out of reach, laying the salt and sand in as small a pentacle as she dares. She can only hope that the Dark Young is preoccupied with other things as she does so.

"Can you run quickly?" she asks Skuld. "I need... someone... to distract it while I draw a magical circle of containment around it." She looks into the girl's eyes. "Please trust me. But be careful of the tentacles. They can stretch further than you think. Stay in the trees." Irina tries to assess if she is up to this. If not, she will have to rely on her own stealth and speed.

Post 76: Trouble Brewing pt 3
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March, 1925
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---Spider and Jack, Maryland, swamp----
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The two agents watch the German workmen take down the machine, apparently planning on driving towards wherever the test animals are kept.  Both are complaining in German to each other - the one who was tasked with the animals chore the loudest.  The other one has a coughing fit and has to sit down for a moment, allowing the agents time to move around towards the front of the truck.  They can easily steal it; the keys are in the ignition.  As Spider and Jack get closer to the truck they also note a distinctly skunky smell to the air, and a fine purple dust haze is around the truck.  Now both of the Germans are coughing, and thunder rumbles off to the West.    Then one of the Germans - the younger one - notices Spider and yells.  Jack is near the driver's side door, Spider a few steps closer to the back of the truck, where the two men are.
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---------Irina, Pennsylvania----hunting Dark Young----
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Irina heads towards the last known location of John Stuart and his two students, realizing she is up above them now, along the rock ridge.  It is dark, with only moonlight and starlight to see by.  The caverns are closer than she thought and she can just see a glimmer of the campfire, past the ledge of rock.  Skuld's hand is held tight in her own, and the girl easily moves in the darkness, stepping over or around stumps, brush and rocks that Irina struggles around.  "But, it IS the trees," Skuld said, in a small, scared voice, wrapping both arms around herself as if to hide, trying to come to a decision at Irina's request.  Another shot from the Winchester, this time with a roar of something otherworldly in answer.  There was no mistaking the direction, towards the campfire by the runestone. "We use the hlynr," Skuld said, hurrying to a skinny sapling with three-lobed leaves; she grabbed up as high as she could, bending it downward and then kicked off, using the bendy sapling's rebound to propel herself several yards downslope.  "Grab high, kick hard ! I will call the Sending to me !"  In seconds the girl is nearly to the edge of the rock ridge and scrambling down it, headed towards the runestone camp site of the forestry school.
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GM: Actions, etc., for the next few minutes of game time, please respond by Saturday 8 August, next post Sunday.  Glad to see you all !  Hope everyone is doing well !
________________________________

OC: Sorry for the delay.
IC: Jack takes note of the purplish cloud — was it here before, or did it drift back against the wind somehow, or what? In any case, he moves quickly but quietly into the driver’s seat and fires up the truck. He immediately starts it moving slowly back toward the road, and once he hears Spider jump in the back he will speed up to faster than the workers can run (but not much faster, since he doesn’t want to miss a turn or hit a log or something). When they get back to the road they can figure out their next step, such as pulling out their car.

Post 77: Running for Your Lives pt 1

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Spider and Jack, Maryland, some swamp
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Spider acted harmless and lost, which brought both the German workmen up short as they tried to decipher his accented English.  The one who was coughing was wiping his face with a stained rag, the one who had shouted at him was reaching for the spanner that was hanging from a loop on his leather belt. "This bad place, you leave now !"

Jack observes the purple cloud as probably the last exhaust of the machinery, and jumps into the cab of the truck.  It starts easily enough, surprising the two Germans, and Spider makes a leap for the tailgate as Jack starts it rolling.  The heavy apparatus that cast out the vapor also skids in its trailer, part of it falling over from being only partly disassembled by the Germans.   Spider scrambles into the back of the truck before the Germans can reach him, and Jack manages to keep the wheels on fairly dry land.    The two workmen struggle to reach after the truck, but cannot keep up, both of them soon falling by the wayside.  Whatever that chemical is, it's giving Jack and Spider a vicious headache and nausea.  They roll past the ditch where the company car is stuck.  Might be able to get it out before the Germans catch up, might not......
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Irina, atop a rock ledge in an area full of cultists, a Dark Young, etc.
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Irina quickly loses sight of young Skuld, who probably forgot Irina could not see in the dark.  But she can certainly hear; the thunder of hooves, crashing into the ground as something large began to move with purpose.
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GM: Please send in actions, etc, for the next few minutes of game time, please respond by Saturday, 15 August, next post is Sunday. Hope you are safe and well !
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Irina will try to copy Skuld's technique to get down to the forest floor. Once she does, she will try to circle around where she can hear the hooves, dropping the sand and salt to try and form a protective circle, and, where she dares, dart between them to form the five points of the pentagram.

Still worried that they will be identified by the car they left behind, Jack nevertheless agrees with Spider's logic and heads the stolen truck back toward headquarters. Once they have some distance, he will keep an eye open for somewhere they can pull over to clear their heads (or lose their lunches) if necessary.

Post 78: Running for Your Lives pt 2
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----Irina, with Dark Young in Pennsylvania, night----
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Irina grabbed a likely-looking sapling and found herself catapulted nearly twelve feet.  It was not a method of transport for the faint of heart.  From her new vantage point, she can see the firelight of the forestry campsite, with a lone figure standing at its edge, aiming a rifle at something moving in the trees down trail.  The thundering hoofbeats echo in the night air and a horrible roar accompanies them.  Irina grabs the next sapling and finds herself tossed onto a rough slope, slipping downward onto pine needles and scree.  There is no time to waste as she can see the silhouette of something unworldly galloping towards the campsite, though "Curtis" stands steadfast and ready to fire.  Someone screams in a high pitch, a long warbling sound that seems to hold a hidden meaning, and the hooves skid to a stop, the heavy legs bunching with muscle, the great long ropy tentacles reaching up and around, the drooling fanged mouths hanging open, not a hundred feet from the campsite.  Curtis fires, the shot enough to rock the Dark Young on its hooves. (Irina, san loss -2 for seeing a big Dark Young).   The Dark Young howls and stamps its hooves, and there is another long scream causing it to pause for a few seconds - probably Skuld but Irina cannot see her at the moment.  Curtis reloads the rifle.
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Irina scrambles to her feet and circles around the Dark Young, cautious of the swaying tentacles and finally sees Skuld, who is standing near a birch tree and gesturing as if casting a spell.  The girl looks terrified of the monster, but she isn't running away.  Irina begins laying the pentacle out, hoping she has enough materials and that the horrible thing won't run out of range.   It must be seventy feet tall and it is terrible to behold.
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Spider and Jack with a stolen truck in a swamp in Maryland-----
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Jack swings the truck along the roadway, and catches a glimpse of a man running close by the trailer - one of the Germans.  The man tried to grab onto the trailer and completely missed it, falling and rolling into what was no doubt a bog, for he vanished from sight in a mess of weeds.  Taking all this for good enough, the two agents drive on, until Jack's nausea overcomes him and Spider is forced to take the wheel.  Once they are a good distance away, with the windows cranked open all the way for fresh air, the muddy, weary agents of the government's most secret service are pondering what exactly they have gotten out of it.  The ill feeling is slowly fading away to a persistent headache.
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The truck is a beat-up Oldsmobile T Grain Box truck, with a trailer hitched to the back that looks handmade and still has most of the odd fog-making apparatus.  The fogger has some kind of fan system powered by a gasoline generator, and still has traces of purple dust on the mechanisms.  It has seen some heavy use and did not take well to the speedy getaway, so a mechanical repair will be needed to determine more about it.  A search of the truck shows some scribbled maps on cheap paper, with all the notations in German, though the name "Gernhardt" is written on one of them.  Jack finds a lunchbox with a flask of some kind of dark liquor and half a sausage sandwich, heavy on the mustard. Spider finds that the truck definitely needs some mechanical support itself, as the steering is rough, the brakes are sketchy and it lists to the left.  The fuel gauge does not work.  A mostly empty tool box is in the back of the truck, with only a screwdriver left in it.  The other tools are probably scattered by their hasty getaway.  The time is now late afternoon.  The weather is turning windy and wet, the storm coming in from the West has arrived.
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GM: Please respond with actions, etc for the next few minutes of game time by Saturday, 22 August, next post Sunday.  Hope you are all healthy and getting along with the New Normal.
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Post 79: Running for Your Lives pt 3
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-----------Irina, with Dark Young-------
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Irina begins laying out the pentacle, hoping she has enough raw materials to make a strong enough symbol, and that the creature does not stampede out of it in any direction.   She can feel the ground shake when it stamps a hoof, the tentacles swaying as Skuld continues her strange ululation.   Everything seems to be going well enough - at least it wasn't attacking yet.  There is an almighty grinding and rumbling sound, as a part of the rock ridge begins to slide somewhere along the plateau.  Arcs of green light snap and crackle along the rocks, blazing eldritch light along the ridge.  (The GM rolls.....)
So far Irina's spell seems to be proceeding well.  Perhaps the Old Norse gods are watching......

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-----Spider and Jack---Maryland------
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Spider rings up the Grey Building.  Ben answers on the second ring.   "Damn, I was hoping you were Edith calling," he said.  "I've already had two phone calls from Thorne asking me to expense all kinds of equipment.  I don't even know where the forms are let alone how to fill them out.  We have our janitor's niece doing the filing or I'd be knee deep in files.  So, you're in Maryland and require extraction ?  You do know that means me, driving down in Thorne's truck ?   Hold on,"  and then Spider heard Ben talking to someone else in the room.  "Gladys, can you keep the office running for a few hours ?  Take messages, that kind of thing ?  I need to drive to Maryland."
"Okay, Doctor Weintraub," came a light female voice.  "I'll ask my Uncle if I can stay late."
"Thank you.  I'll pay you overtime, Gladys.  Just leave a note on my desk.  Or pin it to the lamp." Then Ben was back to talk to Spider. "All right; give me your current address and I'll be there in a few hours."  Spider is able to put in a few gallons of gasoline and can get the ailing stolen truck to a decent rendevous point.  Sure enough, a few hours later the two agents see Thorne's Brush Company truck racing down the road, Ben at the wheel.
"It is as if the paranormal hurricane has come," he said, after greeting Jack and Spider. "The telephone does not stop ringing.  Most of it is probably nothing, but some of it is very disturbing.  So show me this thing."
After perusing the fogger machine, Ben agreed it needed to be taken into custody and that samples of the purple dust collected should be tested by someone who knew what they were doing.  They hooked the trailer up to the brush truck and left the stolen truck on the side of the road.
"So what else needs to be done down here ?" Ben asked.  "Did you find the wolfman ?"
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GM: Please respond with actions, etc, for the next few minutes of gametime, by Saturday, 29 August, next post Sunday.  I am sorry that rpol.net was not working for us this weekend.

Jack seconds Spider’s report, and adds, “I think we got a pretty good look at the lab, but nothing obviously pointed to the werewolf. They are experimenting with fungi and other plants that cause hallucinations and visions, so that could have influenced someone to act like a wolf. Miss Hamilton-Riesling detected a chemical odor at the scene of the attack that made her ill, which could be this stuff. We contacted a scientist who works there and was sympathetic to our investigation, as well as a federal agent of some kind who is undercover as a simple-minded security guard at the lab.”  Jack fills him in on their names and contact info. “One thing we intended to do, but didn’t yet, was to speak to the girls and their parents, since one father is a clergyman and the other works at the lab. Our research thus far has revealed nothing unusual about either man, though. Clearly we haven’t solved it. I’m not sure what our next move should be.”

Post 80: Stand and Deliver
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---Irina---Dispelling a Dark Young----
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The Dark Young roars through several of its drooling, grotesque mouths, a horrible counterpoint to the ululation from Skuld, who is walking towards it.  Its long tentacles sway and whip towards the night sky, and it paws the ground again with a huge hoof.  A dreadful stench from it rises up, making Irina's eyes water.
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------Spider and Jack---Dealing with Government Conspiracies--------
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It was often hard to read Ben's expression.  Over time the Raiders had learnt that when Ben was quiet a little too long before he responded, there was a lot going on in his head.  "So they're testing it on animals now," he said, voice level. "And this Gernhardt, he's being paid by the Department of Defense, the same one paying us.  And some other agency is also at the labs, looking for something.  And I thought a government job, easy work, regular paycheck, less headaches, pension...great idea...."  He trailed off in a faint sigh, glanced at the horizon.  "As much as I'm glad to get out of the office today, I will have to get back to DC tonight.  Take the Brush truck, drop me at the train station.  Interview the families, the girl herself if her parents will allow it.  If you think there's a chance of another attack, based on what seems to be going on, make the judgement call on closing the case or not.  We could use some help in DC."
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The agents drop Ben off at the rails to catch a train into DC, and they decide their next move.
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GM: Actions, etc, please, by Saturday, 5 September, next post on Sunday.
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In reply to The GM (msg # 91):

Irina is beginning to wonder if this was the best idea she has ever had, but the ritual of banishment is the only real ammunition she has. Even so, magic or no magic - she can't let Skuld walk to her death just to save her own life.

"That's enough, Skuld!" she shouts across the clearing, "I can finish it now. Get clear!"

On the other hand, Skuld does seem to be somehow controlling it with her screeching, which is strange... in the hope that she is, Irina dashes to and fro, sprinkling sand and salt, desperately trying to complete it and hoping that means the creature can't leave it while the banishment takes place.

OOC: not sure what order things need to be done in, or how far through Irina is, but I'm assuming it's: complete pentacle (which keeps it in one place), then chant, so for now I think it's still running around completing it. She will also look to see where 'Curtis' is.

After dropping Ben at the station, Jack heads the truck for the girls’ homes. “Maybe try the unharmed one first,” he suggests to Spider. “The other family might be more disposed to let their daughter speak with us if we can say we’ve already got most of the story from her friend and just need a few minutes with her.”