Warp and Weave : an episode in Young Children and Elder Gods : A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Role Playing Game Campaign

by Steven Saus

Prelude

Background sound while this voiceover happens:

It wasn't captured on television - that's how you know it isn't a memory, battered into your mind by inane repitition. The airliner plunges past the Beltway, the Washington Monument a phallic blur in the distance while your view shifts, whooshing from the rear of the plane, past the boxcutters ritually rending flesh into the cockpit, staring into the madman eyes of the piloting Saudi. Behind him, the co-pilot sits, reading from an ancient book, his speech rending the air with syllabic masses:

The words are old, nearly inpronounceable, the language of infinity, of the void lying cold between the stars.

His voice rends the flesh of his throat as it rises with the shrieking engines, repeating the phrases again and again, vibrating the plane with its power...

... and the ground rises to meet the doomed airliner, and the walls of the Pentagon shred in an explosion of fuel, metal, and brick, the clouds rising in black plumes of death, shaped by... something... that rises formless with them, laughing at its freedom...

And you wake up, your mother looking at you concernedly. "Erin, we're about to land in Providence. Your cousin Jacob will be waiting - wake up, honey."

Act One - Pins and Needles

Stephanie Cannon is Erin's Mom
Erin's Auntie and Uncle (Jacob's parents) are Michael and Michelle Tracy

Uncle has just returned from his fraternal order, The Fraternal Order of Scothonwy, has stupid hat, has just installed rug (a gift from Order for "Most Influential Member") in doorway

The rug is old, perhaps Persian in origin. It's an intricate repeated design in reds and bronzes - the color of fire. The center of the rug - and of the design - is what can only be described as an egg, shimmering in gold thread, from which the rest of the pattern eminates.

Mom gets pricked by "carpet pin"...while looking at EGG SHAPED MARK ON RUG

Stephanie gets ill shortly thereafter. Everyone goes to midnight mass but Stephanie, when they come back to find her pale and unconcious on the floor.

(My players played hookey from church, but hey...)

Stephanie in hospital. Definitely not tetanus. Kids go home before adults (urge urge urge)
Run into blood-golem leaving house... it is fleeing, does not actively attack. Leaves small marks of blood where it goes.
Encounter it in front foyer by carpet - around carpet is bloody - handprint, footprint, tracks to smashed window
Carpet's egg symbol is now cracked.

Act Two - Wandering the Halls

This section is location-driven; it really depends on how fast the PC's figure things out. They'll get to the end, regardless (hell, they could nearly go straight to the Tower), but it will have a LOT to do with how much they figure out in the meantime. As usual, my players didn't do things quite as expected - for example, the bit with Uncle happened at the hospital, not the house, and they never found out about the Fraternal Order until after the conclusion, when Jacob's dad burst out with "And son, I'm gay." Then again, it was worth it to see the player's eyes bug out like that...

---The Fraternal Order of Scothonwy ---

The Fraternal Order is somewhat of a red herring, although they *are* the ones that gave the carpet (generously donated by a private contributor) - investigators should see Auntie being thanked if they visit order for "her organization's contribution". (like at the front door) Auntie blackmailed the Order into presenting the rug to her husband by threatening to "out" them...

William Swisher is the FOS contact they'll meet.

The Fraternal Order is, literally, stupid. And literally, gay. Uncle's been on the down-low for a while now...

If need a hook, about the time they realize it's not the Fraternal Order, the blood golem attacks. Hopefully, they will quickly realize that fleeing is the right thing to do - it can rend William if need be.

--- At the House ---

Christmas is lackluster.

Uncle acts strangely - sinister, even. Aloof, distracted. Realistically, he's upset about his sister being hurt... and somehow intuits it's his fault... that maybe Auntie found out... Not to mention the whole deal with The Fraternal Order of Scothonwy; he's not above seeing his sister's hurt being a punishment to him for his wickeness.

Auntie's car has a small bloodstain on it.

Auntie has been seen writing in a diary. It is locked, tells how she summoned the blood golem, how to dispel it in a vague sense. The diary has the symbol of the Order of Gescitia on it. The information on how to dispel it is fairly vague, simply saying that it requires a "sacrifice of blood". The dispelling spell also requires a chant for (effectively) four combat rounds.

--- Hospital ---

The blood golem will continue to draw off of affected pt (giving time stress) "we keep giving her transfusions, but we can't isolate the area of blood loss". The Order of Gescitia is monitoring this, which is why Stephanie is constantly having blood samples taken. This blood loss should provide a time stress for the PC's.

Stephanie has some kind of mumbeled dream/speak:

"uuunh....tower.....the tower.... it points to the sky pointstothesky .... it's in the tower...

[switches to singsong voice]

hidden behind bushes
behind rockses and stones
Gescitia lies waiting
watching all alone

she dances with devils
makes love with the dead
you'd better be careful
or it's off with your head!

Her lover has woken
her bridegroom to be
he's meddles with mirrors
and he's meddled with me!"

Stephanie collapses, giggling uncontrollably. A lab tech comes, and Stephanie complains that they're drawing blood *AGAIN* - they just did just before the kids came in... and she'll slip into v-tach. Nurses and MD's rush in, push kids out... she recovers okay, but it's a close thing, and she's worsening. The kids are advised to go home.

Act Three - The Order of Gescitia

Auntie's car is parked around back (if a necessary clue at this point).

Erin notes that the Order of Gescitia symbol is also on some of Geneva's stuff.
"Mr. Hotek" was just in T. tower (or finishing phone call with) when PC's show up
The tower has a guardian of a weak vampire (this adventure is scaled for only two White Hats).

Weak Vamp Guardian (bribed)
Muscle 16 Combat 12 Brains 9
Life Points 47
Bite 12 Dam 17 (grapple first)
Dodge 12
Grapple 14 (resisted by dodge)
Kick 11 dam 14 bash
Punch 12 dam 12 bash

The blood golem is inside (the picture to the right coming from the Wizards of the Coast website). The blood golem is practically indestructable by physical means - but a cut upon the successful completion of the spell will make the blood golem flow into the body of the closest cut person... which is WAAAAY too much fluid volume... and grossness ensues.

Auntie will try attacking as well - and will WAIL into her son for "Not being good enough. I knew I shouldn't have let that slut train you. You'll never be worthy to understand our secrets".

There are lots of weapons and stuff on the wall Just in case your Scoobies are stupid.

Before Auntie dies, she pushes a button on her desk. Nothing apparently happens. Apparently a short.

Postlogue

No other Order of Gescitia types are around - nor can they find them. They've effectively disappeared.
A lab journal and Mom's bloodwork is located in the tower - this was obviously done with everyone's knoweldge.
Find note "Mr Hotek called"...

There's the basement door, with the legend "Library". The lights are off, it's impenetrably dark. The switch doesn't work first flip, just sputters for a second. A repeated toggle will get the lights working, but also:

"Self destruct sequence activated. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven..." et al.

Mom will make a full recovery.

Warp and Weave

by Steven Saus

Adapted from The Tale of Terror "The Carpet" by Steve Hatherley

THE CAST

Jacob Tracy - Played by Chris

Erin Cannon - Played by Aubrey

THE QUOTES:

"Hey Dad, could you get the Oxyclean?" "That's my line." Jacob/Erin
"Selective memory. It happens to the best of us." Erin
"If I have to go [to church], you're going." Jacob
"So you're here why?" "My mother's paying me." "How much?" "Not enough" - Jacob/Erin
"Parents. They're like puppies." Jacob
"You wanna stay in here?" "No." "How about this - you stay in here." "No." - Jacob/Erin
"Just think black, adjust your eyes, then you'll find stuff." Jacob
"You're more trouble than it's worth." "Lots of people say that. Few mean it." Jacob/Erin
"I don't have enough Oxyclean with me to get all of this." - Erin
"Remind me to burn you as a witch later." "Promise?" - Jacob/Erin
"You can have sex with your brother or you can hunt demons. One of the two." Erin (followed by Jacob scooting away)
"Erin, luv, whatcha doin?" "I'm going to go murder your mother now." Erin/Jacob
"My stabby thing!" - Jacob
"This is where I point out that you didn't leave her a number to call you back at." - Erin
"Always with my mom, it has to be my mom. [Resigned] I know, it's my mom." - Jacob
"Why do you call it Mr. Pointy?" "The whole love and affection thing, you know." - Jacob/Erin
"Oh, *I* have to stab my mom now... as interesting as that sounds." - Jacob
"You know, using logic isn't fair." "Why, 'cause I'm a girl?" "Right." - Jacob/Erin
"Clues. Have you NOT watched Scooby-Doo? I didn't just say that." - Jacob
"We're off to kill your mother, tra la la tra la la" "We're NOT going to kill my mother!" - Erin/Jacob
"By the way, when we find this thing, I'll need you hold him off of me for about five minutes..." Erin
"Perhaps Operation Squee is in order!" - Jacob
"You're supposed to aim for the heart!" - Jacob
"Hold on - gotta get the ammunition." - Erin
"This is where you check for traps in a Dungeons & Dragons game." - Erin
"What are you doing?" "Hurting you." - Jacob's Mom/Jacob
"I just made my mom explode. Dad's gonna be pissed. I wonder if I get her car." - Jacob
"Where can we get some Oxyclean?" - Jacob
"I thought we *weren't* going to burn it down." - Jacob

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