2025-03-29-session

Opening

The session opens in the hard-rock cafe after the rockshawsa has left and three magic-hungry hounds have appeared.

Moki opens the fight, taking a swing with her 40-hands, smiting the hound in front of her with one of the bottles, but completely missing the other, hitting the ground. Both bottles shatter as she kills the hound, but she is cut by the shards of glass. She screams a blood-curdling scream as the shards cut into her hands. Moki questions if one can even lay-on-hands with her hands messed up.

Jimmy grabs some of the salt and pepper shakers from the tables and throws it at one of the hounds. He manages to hit it and the pepper shaker shatters on it. It tries to cough, but lacks the lungs and organs to do so.

Kate follows up by swinging at the hound, and sebasios careens into it, killing it.

The last hound attempts to strike Kate but Yokai Moki intercepts it, taking both strikes and losing a spell-slot in the process, as the hound consumes it. She picks up her sword and attempts to strike the hound with a guiding bolt but misses.

Jimmy throws a plastic ninja star at the hound, annoying it.

Kate and Sebasios poison the hound as they nearly kill it together.

The hound attacks Kate, but as it bites down on her hand she hears a familiar voice and sees a familiar hand grasp her arm. She also hears a voice asking her what she thinks she's doing, and why she thinks she can wield that sword.

She sees her sword split in two and the visage of her dad take half of the sword and leave the hard rock cafe. Kate tries to follow but is held back by the hound.

Moki, seeing the panic in Kate as she tries to turn away from the hound and to the door, punches the dog with a divine smite, killing it. Moki asks what Kate saw. Kate mentions she saw her dad and that she didn't see hounds, until Moki asked what she broke the bottles on her hands. Kate remembers the dog but also notes that her magic in her sword is gone.

The group heads out and sees Green, who is beat up. The mall-goers are in a panic and there is a distant banging coming from the front entrance of the mall. A few moments later they see Dr. Hyde's body fly through the entrance and into the fountain. He is near death and regenerating injuries. Moki can tell this is Katrina's work -- his jaw is dislocated, nose was put back into place, elbow isn't set right.

Jimmy asks Green what happened. He replies he saw someone come out of the hard rock cafe after the group went in and that he tried to catch up to them, but it didn't end well. Green then notices that Kate is cursed and tries to give her a vape to clear it, but finds it's empty from Jimmy.

The group looks at Dr. Hyde and notices that his skin is starting to melt, like wax.

Katrina shuffles in from the entrance, an eye is gouged out, an arm missing, and her leg twisted. As she walks in, her leg twists back to normal with a sickening crack. She observes the melting Dr. Hyde and notes that it's a simulacrum

Green mentions that the group would have to go Northside to deal with Kate's curse. Northside is a rich, posh, inter-city place with a lot of high quality drug trades. They can head there to get some more cloud nine for Kate's curse.

The group prepares to head out, Moki asks about the mall since it's currently in a state of bad damage, not to mention the retail reaper. Katrina reassures her that the mess is hers, and that the reaper has been shown that the group isn't going to take it lying down.

Green mentions they should stop for some munchies on the way as they'll be useful for the trade later. The group heads into a nearby auntie-anne's. Another raccoon is running the counter, Kate orders a full shelf full of pretzels from her, knowing how much Green eats. Jimmy stands outside, hiding from behind a potted plant as he looks for a way to steal his pretzels, though he feels an attraction to the female raccoon on the other end of the counter. Jimmy runs in and grabs a fistful of pretzels and tries to make it out, but trips in full view of everyone. Green sighs and buys Jimmy's pretzels too.

As the group leaves the auntie-anne's, they hear an announcement over the mall's intercom. The voice isn't one they have heard before. It greets them and intends to share information. It mentions something about the blue kobold withholding information from the mall-goers, and then informs the mall-goers that the mall exists over a leyline and that has been responsible for a lot of the issues. The speaker seems to be acting high and mighty. Claiming he's being upstanding by telling everyone about the situation.

The group remarks this isn't good, but also note they don't have time to worry about it for now. They head out and to Green's car, which is a shock to everyone. Spray-painted on the side of the van, in red, green, yellow, and blue is "Party Bus"

Kate tells Moki some additional detail about what she saw when the hound bit down on her arm. She mentions what she saw her dad do, and how she saw her sword split. The two discuss similarities to what the Mokis experienced with Red Moki and noting her on the Route.

During the conversation, Jimmy made his way to the back of the van and makes some food on a toaster oven. He shares with the group and lets them rest.

They eventually pull into Northside and note that it looks almost Utopian and that it is a little colder. They pull into a 7-11 and grab some stuff they need.

Inside, they meet someone with slicked back platinum hair and a shotgun. He intends to hold the place in a robbery. Kate convinces him that the store is closed so he remarks he's going to take some things. As he goes inside, he sees Green and realizes the store is not closed, but the two catch up.

Green asks for cloud nine. The man indicates that that stuff is weak, and he knows some better stuff. He has Green drive the group to a church. Unlike a normal church however, it has a bouncer -- an eladrin with a fishnet top and black leather pants. She asks if the group is there for service.

The man replies yes, and they're let in. They continue moving deeper in.