Episode 23

# 02.23: General Gore Activities

Cynthia received new orders, Frank played host to the local youth, Milo wandered around assorted woods, and Tom had flies to spare.

## Characters

The PCs:

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

NPCs:

* Christmas Shreely
* Quest Oyer
* Beth Lawrence
* Cyrus
* Camille
* Marshall Evins
* Jo Brennan
* Lorna Crawford
* Frank's employees
* Willa Holt

## Summary

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

Frank checked on Christmas. They were still around.

Cynthia had her morning coffee at the diner. She learned Tom works there, and that the courthouse got struck by lightning recently, as well as its reputation for lightning strikes.

Tom dropped by the trading post, and learned they're doing alright.

Milo and Beth spent some time getting his ceiling sorted, and dealing with the water damage.

Frank called Milo, and told him about what he had seen a few days ago while looking for Camille. He invited Milo to visit the clearing, but they didn't see much beyond fallen trees, and the inclement weather meant they couldn't stay out long. Milo mentioned wanting to check out Habbit Brook, based on an email he had received, as well as the basics of his emails. Frank was skeptical of the source, but agreed to go along to make sure Milo didn't do anything stupid.

Tom called Milo, and volunteered to go on any future Gore expeditions.

Cynthia went for a walk to the courthouse, despite the blizzard conditions and the lightning. She saw the courthouse roof get struck by lightning several times, and a large figure hovering above the building was illuminated in the flashes. The courthouse roof appeared particularly sturdy, as it did not catch fire when hit with lightning (despite the several lightning rods). She knocked on the door, and was reluctantly let in by Cyrus. They had an awkward conversation as Cynthia ostensibly waited out the storm.

##### **01/02/2015: Friday**

Tom called Frank, who didn't want to talk about what he had figured out from the note in Christmas's basement, but did imply Christmas was back in possession of their book.

Cynthia found her house waterlogged, and her books conveyed her employer was dissatisfied. She received an additional instruction: DESTROY THE MAN, accompanied by a messy drawing of Jo Brennan. She called Frank, who wasn't inclined to listen to her employer-based conundrum beyond suggesting she didn't do any more murders.

Frank and Milo went to wander along Habbit Brook. They found Camille, once again out looking for the ghost. Milo and Frank asked her a few questions about it, and she eventually ended up back at the ice cream shop. Frank called Marshall, who was displeased to learn she was skipping school again, and soon arrived to pick her up. Marshall told Camille off, though she didn't listen, and took her off Frank's hands.

##### **01/03/2015: Saturday**

Frank had an early-morning conversation with Jo Brennan, and made another deal. Brennan was rather under the weather, having been shot recently, but assured Frank he was doing fine.

Cynthia got a call from Lorna: her pest problem has gotten worse. She arrived at Lorna's to learn the situation has escalated to throwing china, a piece of which clipped Lorna's face, which Cynthia helped patch up. Cynthia didn't learn much new from the visit, though she did find out it bore no similarities to the figure she saw at the courthouse.

All of Frank's employees were present at Frank's Franks this week. Sal reported on his investigation of Lorna's house, and while Frank was apprehensive he knew he couldn't stop them.

##### **01/05/2015: Monday**

Tom had the day off work, so he and Milo went out to investigate the Gore. They found a set of footprints that led vaguely perpendicular to the access road, roughly southeast. After several hours of walking, they found a patch where the footprints stopped, only to pick up again on the other side of what looked like a clearing. Milo got to learn the hard way it was actually snowfall covering a thin crust of ice on Sutton Brook, by falling into the stream.

Milo was dragged by the current into the depths of the cloudy water under the stream, to a layer of mud. A bloated corpse hauled its way out of the muck, using Milo as leverage. Desperate for air, Milo started struggling his way for the surface, taking the body with him.

Meanwhile, on the surface, Tom got to find out the flies he acquired from Camden had stuck around. With their help, he got a vague impression of Milo, deep in the stream. He called Frank, but after that couldn't do much more than watch as the impression of Milo slowly rose to the surface.

After some time, Milo was hauled out of the stream by a young woman. She vomited up a disconcerting amount of dark water before helping Tom carry Milo out of the woods, where they found Frank a few minutes down the path. Frank took the two waterlogged youth back to his house, with Tom following behind.

Milo was awoken on Frank's couch by the stream woman, who introduced herself as Willa Holt.

## Notes

Cynthia's conversation with Cyrus:

* Auden is out to get supplies (left before the weather set in), so he can get away with letting her in, despite what he's been told to do
* "Auden isn't here so we don't have to worry about the lightning", or something to that effect
* Him and Auden being friends is a strong word, they're "fellows in circumstance"--ones he shouldn't explain, but (part of it is that?) he's visiting family that's been in Granton a while, inc. Auden, a cousin
* They've worked hard to make sure the roof is lightning-proof
* Lightning strikes are fairly common, for just about as long as he's been in town (a few months now)

Ghost by Habbit Brook:

* Has been in Camille/her neighbors' yards, though it doesn't leave footprints so it's hard to tell unless you see it
* Carmen, who doesn't like the idea of ghosts, insists it's nothing
* Covered in gore and a bit torn up, carries a big branch described as "the top of a pine tree"
* Camille's hypothesis is he got impaled by a tree
* Has been around for a month or so
* General sad/angry demeanor (I refuse to have this bullet point just be "sangry")

Camille:

* Didn't feel like going to school, so she decided to wander around looking for the ghost
* Insists she's fine wandering around in the woods in winter in Vermont in a hoodie

Frank's deal & chat with Brennan:

* Brennan got himself shot by "another pawn", for his rehab work with the reaper(s), but he'll survive
* Frank offered Cynthia's most recent order (destroy Brennan) in exchange for some information on her boss
	+ Against Brennan: a meddler, an outsider, someone who Frank thought to ask for information
	+ Best way to catch its ire is to learn about it
* Advised Frank to take care of himself, and to keep an eye on Cynthia--there might be hope for her yet

Sal on the guy at Lorna's house, and Lorna in general

* Lorna does some kind of circle around her house every night (my guess would be salt, but I'd give that like 60-40 odds)
* There's been a guy wandering around her yard, carrying a stick described as half a pine tree
* Said guy has been known to vanish
* Lorna was wanted for murder in 1982, but seduced the police chief about it (according to some newspapers Sal's uncle kept)
* Rumors of a witch cult and a sacrifice

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