Route 66 - Act 4: The Scales of Morality
Opening
The session opens on the morning after Kate and Moki had checked into the forest motel for the night. They wake up after sharing another dream. This time seeing the same woman from before trying to get some food, but she had no money.
She had to resort to stealing, and was caught. She was threatened to be reported to the guards, but someone stepped in and said he'd pay for her. He had the voice of a younger Skab.
Kate and Moki wake up and ask if they shared a dream again, confirming they did. They then get up to go check on the rest of the place.
As they exit their room, they find the oddities exhibit destroyed. Someone has written the text "No Redemption" in blood on the camera exhibit. They also see Edmond's dead body.
The camera Edmond had is missing, but the monocle was placed in his lapel, intact, as if he was hiding it from the visitors, but keeping it known for Kate and Moki.
Moki takes the monocle and looks at him, learning his cause of death was blunt force trauma. She then turns to the rest of the surviving exhibit to see what information she could gather.
Revisiting the Exhibit
Drive By
Moki looks at a scene which depicts a drive-by shooting. The victim is listed with two names, a stage name and a real name. Her stage name is listed as Alecia. Her real name is listed as [ REDACTED ]. Her time of death was in the year 1924, the cause being a mafia related shooting.
Boxing
Moki looks at the incident in a boxing ring, which depicts a man who was punched out in a boxing ring. According to the monocle, the time of death was 2 years ago. Cause of death was Blunt force trauma to the cerebral cortex. The killer was someone named Red Jackie
Paladin
Moki looks at Edmond's latest work, a man in white armor --a paladin-- with tan skin, shaved white hair, early 20s. A flaming shot cuts through him, severing his arm. He is in the middle of the air, launched backward. His severed arm is above him with a white light. His other hand is open, dropping his sword. This sword looks the same as the one used to kill Edmond. The man wears a white cape with a red lapel -- a signifier of The New Monarchy. The severed arm holds a scroll of revivify at level 3. Moki can make out that it's being cast on Skab. The monocle also informs her that this event happened on the 31st of December. She cannot seem to make out the location this happened, but she can tell that it is not at the mall.
Moki also notes that despite being a paladin, this man doesn't seem to have any divinity, and the sword he held was losing its divinity.
The cause of death for the paladin is listed as [ NULL ], as is the time of death, implying that he's still alive, though likely rolling death saving throws.
Woman being torn apart by eldritch beasts
This exhibit shows a woman being torn apart by three eldritch beasts. She's long dead, and the beasts are tearing the meat off her bones.
Skab's Axe
Moki also takes a moment to look at Skab's axe, seeing its +3 status as inscribed on the handle...oddly, the axe isn't attuned to him, but of someone named Katrina, and the attuned status was bestowed on December 31st, the day Skab was killed, and they were all pulled onto the route.
The Visitors
It appears like two different people came here. One with a giant club, as evidenced by a large impact crater in the floor.
Kate and Moki head back inside their room. Moki finds it odd they weren't woken up by the noise of the destruction. She opts to check the room to see if it was silenced and learns that it was.
While looking out of the room, Rex notices the lamp out front is now off and the maintenance van that was parked out front was broken into. He makes it clear that they need to leave and that it is no longer safe in the motel as the place has started to become Fallen.
The group hears sounds from the trees beyond the motel lot, it seems to sound like humming, suggesting that they're no longer alone. The sound of animals also seems to come from close to the humming, but seems to get quieter over time. Eventually an unknown woman appears from the foliage. She calls tries to draw attention to the trio and get them outside. They stay inside until she threatens to burn the place to the ground.
Reluctantly, the group leaves and exits out front to meet the figure.
The figure never gives Kate and Moki a name, but she does challenge Kate to a fight, to see if she's what the rumors around the hells were saying she was. The duo fight with Moki joining in. Rex sits off to the side to recover his strength.
Partway through the fight, Moki notices that Rex is not doing well. He's shaking and his mouth begins frothing. Kate finishes the woman off, and turns to join Moki with Rex. Kate and Moki try to help him, but it's clear there's nothing that can be done. Rex begins to transform into a giant goat like creature with 4 red, glowing eyes and large horns and a skull head with many teeth. It's clear the two will have to fight what took over Rex.
The two fight the monster, and Kate gets grabbed by it. Kate struggles to escape as it pulls her closer and closer to its maw, intending to eat her. Moki fires a psychic lance at the monster, killing it before it could eat her.
The two decide it's best to leave, get in their truck and drive off. As they leave, Kate realizes that the person they fought was supposed to be her new familiar. Given she never got her name, she opts to call her 'Scales'.
Not long after they leave, a cat-like woman with a leather jacket and round glasses rides in on a bike, examining the lance that remained after destroying what was left of Rex. She places it back on the ground and follows in the direction Kate and Moki left off.