Episode 28

# 03.28:

Cynthia had a few conversations, Frank started looking into exorcisms, Milo found a ghost, and Tom committed to his association with 114.

## Characters

The PCs:

* Cynthia
* Frank Smith
* Milo McCrery
* Tom di Pasqua

NPCs:

* Beanie
* Huxley Beaumont
* Garth Budde
* Quest Oyer
* Selene Hight
* Abbot Graff
* Camden Oyer
* Beth Lawrence
* Jo Brennan
* Death 114
* Jack Elleby
* Madoc Jones
* Lorna Crawford
* Christmas Shreely
* Auden Cooke
* Cyrus
* Additional Courthouse Man

## Summary/Notes

##### **01/14/2015: Wednesday**

* Milo is rescued after the avalanche
	+ A person, clad in snow gear, and a dog, wearing a harness and collar, work together to free Milo from a snow drift.
	+ The pair guide Milo to the remnants of a campsite; the person doesn't speak, but the dog does show Milo where to find an old emergency radio, which he uses to call for help.
	+ Upon recovering the radio, Milo finds that both the dog and the person have vanished, leaving him exhausted and alone in the wilderness.
	+ Thanks to his signalling, local park rangers are able to find Milo and bring him back to a nearby ranger station.
	+ Garth Budde, a superstitious park ranger, is left overseeing Milo.
		- According to Budde, distress calls from mysteriously vanishing radios aren't unheard of at the station, beginning in the 90s.
		- There's a "legend" among rangers featuring a ghostly samaritan, whom he goes on to identify as Huxley Beaumont, a hiker who was stranded in winter weather and died in 1993.
		- Young folk who risk suffering a similar fate recount being led to the very campsite Ms. Beaumont could never reach, and making the radio call she wasn't able to.
		- The dog present is a new detail, however. Budde and Milo identify her as Beanie, a rescue dog lost on the mountain in 2014.
		- Garth also takes the opportunity to scold Milo, both for trespassing, and flouting hiking safety measures. He notes the risk of recent illegal hunting in the area, as evident by shots being fired out in the woods.
	+ Milo seizes the chance to ask about other strange occurrences he knows of in the Gore.
		- An unusually large moose is not on Garth Budde's radar.
		- He acknowledges the disappearances, but notes that they are few and far between thanks to him and his coworkers.
		- The description of Willa's attacker Milo musters is insufficient for Budde to identify him.
	+ Ranger Budde drops Milo back off at the Koval Bed and Breakfast, and warns him not to violate park rules again. He also requests any evidence of ghosts Milo may happen upon in the future; the guys at the station give him a hard time about all the superstition.
* At Quest's request, Tom turns up at the trading post.
	+ Quest meets him at the door; Selene Hight and Abbot are waiting at the Oyer kitchen table.
	+ Tom is asked to explain what he was doing outside Abbot's cabin in the middle of the night. He tries to outline how he's helping 114, a vital part of the town's ecosystem, recover.
	+ Quest, whose only exposure to 114 has been when they've threatened people he cares about, does not take Tom's initiative to help them out well. Upon being confronted with the fact that Tom, a man who is in his home, more than likely aided an attack on Abbot's life, Quest breaks down.
	+ Selene tells Tom to leave, and he's more than willing to oblige.
* Tom also stops by the BnB looking for Madoc Jones, but only succeeds in unnerving Beth Lawrence when Madoc isn't awake to receive guests.
* Cynthia visits Jo Brennan.
	+ He's at his clearing as per usual, although this time 114 is also present, lying on a tarp at the train platform.
	+ Brennan articulates to Cynthia that he is privy to the information leading to his "accusations" because he was paid to make it his business.
	+ He also points out that groundwater has begun seeping out of the earth around Cynthia's feet, and scolds her for bringing the influence of her boss into his space.
	+ When Cynthia tries to prod about 114, Brennan shuts her down. He charges for information like that.
	+ With the both of them thoroughly frustrated with each other, Cynthia takes her leave.
* Frank calls Cynthia to ask for a dinner invite. They negotiate, and eventually come to the agreement that Cynthia and Lorna have their dinner in private, but if nothing comes of it, Frank is entitled to more drastic measures.
* Frank then pays a visit to the local morgue.
	+ Jack gets the door, and explains to Frank that Dominic is asleep.
	+ The two have been barricaded in Jack's house for a while, although they haven't seen 114 in about a week.
	+ Frank discusses his involvement in the rehabilitation of the local deaths.
	+ Jack is tired and wants the issue resolved; he doesn't seem to consider Nick worth the trouble he's caused.
* Tom finally gets to chat with Madoc.
	+ Beth is unwilling to leave Tom unsupervised, so he makes the best overtures he can without crossing any lines
	+ He asks Madoc (and by extension 26) to help him manage 114, who's been causing problems for the locals.
	+ Madoc assures Tom he and 26 can deal with that particular issue, even though 114 won't be their problem for much longer.
	+ Madoc, for his part, is unconvinced that 114 can recover at all.
* Cynthia and Lorna have a lovely evening.
	+ After pleasantries and most of the meal, Cynthia starts in on Lorna for her role in current events.
		- Lorna would be more than happy to un-hex Sal, but she can''t. Her power has been on the wane for a while now, and her poltergeist problems haven't been helping that.
		- The ward Sal triggered was set ages ago, and it wasn't supposed to have such a severe effect. With her magicks on the fritz, there's not much Lorna can do to fix things.
	+ Lorna also notes that Cynthia's power has been faltering as well.
		- This concerns Lorna given the nature of the powers the two of them are facing down.
		- Cynthia's struggle to find the ghost was to be expected, but at this point Lorna is sure there's nothing Cynthia could do to deal with him even if she could find him.
		- On the other hand, Lorna won't be able to help Sal while the spook is still giving her trouble.
	+ Lorna's solution to their problem is for Cynthia to play nice with her boss, at least until the issue's been dealt with.
		- She reassures Cynthia by way of offering to look into the nature of her boss; she just needs a way to get into contact.
		- Cynthia hands off her book to Lorna for this purpose.
	+ The two part on solid terms, although without the resolution Cynthia was hoping for.
* Cynthia checks in with Frank after her dinner.
	+ Along with her summary, she mentions to him that 114 was present in Brennan's clearing.
	+ Frank agrees to pass a missive on from Cynthia to Brennan.
	+ Frank resolves to ask around in hopes of finding someone capable of destroying a ghost. He texted Madoc that evening, but 26 doesn't deal in ghosts.

##### **01/15/2015: Thursday**

* Frank sticks his head in on Christmas. They're hanging in there.
* Cynthia writes her letter to Brennan. She offers a trade: he provides information on her boss in exchange for her protection from it.
* Tom runs some social errands
	+ He stops by the courthouse to make sure Cynthia's not been badgering Auden and co. too badly. He tells Auden to let him know if Cynthia comes around bothering him again.
	+ Tom then pops over to Cynthia's to ask her not to pester the guys at the courthouse. She lets him in on her suspicions, and mentions 114's presence at Brennan's clearing.
	+ Upon learning that he'll have to brave the Mire to track down his charge, Tom calls Milo. The two of them plan to go looking once the weather clears up somewhat.
* Frank reads Cynthia's letter, and calls her to pass along that Brennan doesn't have the information she's asking for.

**01/16/2015: Friday**

* Tom gets back to work, but ensures he'll have afternoons off for the foreseeable future for "recovery" reasons.
* Frank calls Tom with concerns about 114's potential victims
	+ Tom fills Frank in on the folks he knows 114 has been after. He also takes the chance to ask about Jo Brennan's whereabouts, but Frank's not inclined to answer.
	+ The call is interrupted when Frank gets another incoming call. Jack wants to thank Frank for taking care of the situation.
	+ Frank returns to his call with Tom, and clarifies that his original reason for calling is now a moot point. 26 has dealt with things already as it turns out.
* Cynthia visits the courthouse again.
	+ Auden gets the door, and is bombarded with information. He's either harboring the end of Granton incarnate, or is in grave danger from Cynthia's boss.
	+ Cynthia attempts to circumvent Auden, whom she doesn't feel is taking her seriously, by teleporting into his home. She is immediately paralyzed by a foreign power.
	+ Her intrusion attracts the attention of the other two courthouse denizens.
	+ Cyrus gives Cynthia a severe dressing down. He scoffs at the implication anyone present would be a threat to the place they live in, lords his alleged seniority over Cynthia, and suggests she leave them all alone.
* Tom gets a call from Auden in light of Cynthia's little stunt
	+ He informs Tom of Cynthia's supernatural nature, in case he wasn't already aware.
	+ Cyrus is evidently on the warpath, and he and his friend have a short fuse when it comes to spirits.
	+ Auden is clearly a bit stressed by the whole situation, but he does give Tom permission to swing by if he wants.
* Tom calls Cynthia in light of his call from Auden in light of Cynthia's little stunt. They have a quick reflection on the ordeal.
* Milo dreams of avalanches.
	+ That dream turns to drowning.
	+ He catches a glimpse of a light in the distance, just as he jolts awake in the middle of the night on the lawn of the BnB.

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