Monster of the Week: The Fiasco and the Finale
{I must have sent a dozen emails to the group with videos, write ups, and explanations of what character agency is and tips on how they could get into the mindset of their characters more, so that they would feel less lost when faced with the dreaded WDYD? After all that work I did to try and bring the game out of the players, we ended up calling Monster of the Week a wash without finishing the mystery. I did the write up I would have done had we played. I also used all of the character moves that they had, or at least illustrated what the characters could actually do if they remembered what character moves they had chosen for themselves. This isn't an actual play for the finale. It's the what it could have been version. Even despite the issues with the last mystery in the campaign, I still think it was an overall good campaign. I think it was one of those learning experiences that everyone hates during and only learns from afterwards.}
Jack and Martin stood outside of St Mary's Orphanage for Wayward Children. Dark storm clouds were swirling in a vortex above the orphanage. Jack had strapped as much of the cold forged metal given to them by the records clerk when he saw what they were doing. Martin had used his telepathy to scan the clerk's mind for ill intent and found only hope in their cause, so he knew the clerk was there to help.
Jack tightened all the rigging for his makeshift armor and readied his chain blade. Martin was speed reading his way through Tobin's Journal and cramming as much info from his library as he could into his head before they left. Using his lab and workshop, Martin created a modified crossbow that launch some of the smaller pieces of metal.
"We doing this?" Jack said as he finished assembling his scrap metal warrior armor.
"Seems we don't really have much choice do we?" Martin Moon was straightening his three piece suit and double checking his pocket watch, "Let's go"
The pair approached the orphanage and noticed a sheriff department car parked half on the stairs going up to the orphanage with the engine still running. The drivers side door was ripped off and there was no one inside. Martin examined it and found traces of Fae blood on the torn metal.
Inside the lobby, there were countless victims that showed the same symptoms as the children from the previous murders had shown, children and adults alike lay strewn about the lobby.
"Well I was wonderin when you'd show up," a voice from the far end of the hall called out to them, "I can't let you continue boys."
The sheriff's deputy stood blocking the hallway, most of his face had warped into a grotesque and diseased flesh. One arm had large rocks piercing the skin and growing from within him. The same arm was 10 times larger than the other.
"What makes you think you can stop us?" Jack said spinning his chain blade.
The deputy laughed, "They don't think we can stop them sheriff," as the deputy spoke he took an arm from behind his back to hold up the bloodied head of the sheriff, the expression he held when his head was removed was one of abject terror on his face, "What do you think Sheriff?" in a mocking high pitched voice the deputy responded "I think we should smash them. They don't understand how much greater we've become through helping the Fae. You see the Fae really deserve to-"
"Enough of this monologue bullshit. FUCK YOU!" Jack said as he hurled the chain blade at the deputy, the blade sunk into the non-deformed side. The deputy laughed and reached to take pull it out with his mutated arm, but screamed in pain as the cold forged metal burned his Fae flesh.
The deputy used the still human hand to pull Jack towards him by the chain. Jack couldn't keep his balance and went flying into the reception desk. The deputy began tearing off the human flesh to reveal a monstrous form beneath. It smashed its way over to the splintered wood that had been the reception desk.
"It's a rock troll. Aim for the belly or the eyes. Those are the least protected," Martin called out as he flung a few fist sized pieces of metal at the troll, burning it and causing it to cry out in anger.
Jack seized the distraction and managed to jump onto it's back and pull his chain blade free. The troll quickly reach back and pulled Jack off his back, slamming him into the floor beneath it. It held him down and raised a hand to smash Jack's face, but Martin managed to launch a handful of cold forged spikes at the troll. The spikes pierced it's skin and caused it to stumble just enough for Jack to fly up and drive his blade right into the heart of the beast.
When the death screams of the trolls had subsided the corpse of the deputy was left behind, only all of the veins and arteries were spiraled around the surface of his skin.
"According to the blueprints, Tobin was interested in the second floor dormitory. That seems like the first place we should look.Quickly, there is no time to lose," Martin tossed the blueprints aside rather than putting them away and the pair took off up the stairs.
In the dormitory, there was a small trap door on the floor that was open with a strange glow emanating from it. On either side stood tall figures that looked like the ones that had injured Jack on his first trip to Tobin Manor. Surrounding them were smaller pale white skinned creatures with red eyes, no hair, and fingers that ended in razor sharp points.
The moment the pair burst into the room all hell broke loose. The smaller creatures all screeched and started charging the pair. Martin threw glass bottled filled with mercury at the creatures. The cold metal splashed onto them melting the flesh it touched. The creatures wouldn't try to cross the spilled mercury.
Jack didn't hesitate for a moment, he rushed the smaller creatures, vaulted off a bed while spinning his chain blade above his head, decapitating some of the pale creatures. He lands in a tumble and immediately leaps to his feet to use his chain to block the incoming attack from one of the Fae warriors. Jack used the blade in one hand to engage with one of them, while using the other end of the chain as a whip to keep the other Fae warrior at bay.
Meanwhile Martin was unloading his shotgun full of metal bird-shot into the remaining pale creatures and keeping any of them from getting out of the room. After they had been dealt with, he attached his magic blade to the end of his gun like a bayonet and charged toward the fray Jack was tangled in.
Martin drove the bayonet into it's back. The Fae warrior let out a deafening unworldly scream before turning around and stabbing Martin in the chest with his blade. Martin winced in pain, but grit his teeth and fired the remaining bullets from the gun into the Fae warrior, completely splitting cutting the body in two. Martin stumbled back and slumped to the ground. He looked up and saw Jack get his weapon knocked from his hand and the Fae warrior threw jack into some of the beds in the dorm smashing them to pieces. The warrior approached the bleeding body of Jack Wesson, raised it's blade to strike it's death blow, but Jack had been waiting for that moment.
In a flash, Jack had driven a broken piece of the metal bed frame up into the Fae warrior's head through it's neck. A gurgle of blood dribbled out of the creatures mouth before it collapsed dead. Jack slumped to his knees exhausted.
"No time to rest Jacky boy," Martin said clutching his wounded chest, "You still need to close the portal. It needs to be sealed or this was all a waste of time. You must bind the doorway to prevent anything from passing through the doorway."
Jack picked up his chain blade and looked at the glowing portal. All the voices that had haunted him as a child returned at once. Whispering hate at him. Telling him he'd never be good enough. He was a failure and he would never be able to stop the Fae from invading. He would lose his powers if he sealed the gateway.
"Fuck 'em then," Jack said as he drove his blade into the ground on one side of the gateway, then proceeded to wrap the chain back and forth over the gateway creating a lattice work covering. When he'd completed the binding ritual the entire building began to shake and crumble around them. Jack helped Martin up and the two narrowly escaped as the building came down upon itself.
Outside the townsfolk had gathered. They thanked the pair, healed their wounds, and let them leave without ever needing to be the ones to stick around to explain what had happened.
Martin's wound would bother him from time to time during his retirement. He'd finally been able to use the Winnebago for what he'd always dreamed he'd use it for: a cross country trip to visit every one of the world's largest objects that were trapping tourists all over the US.
Jack's powers left him. He no longer suffers the nightmarish visions of his childhood. He no longer feels compelled to hunt down monsters, but old habits are hard to break and he still keeps in touch with Martin and the connections he'd made to help solve the mysteries.
The End....or is it?
No seriously that's it.
Jack and Martin stood outside of St Mary's Orphanage for Wayward Children. Dark storm clouds were swirling in a vortex above the orphanage. Jack had strapped as much of the cold forged metal given to them by the records clerk when he saw what they were doing. Martin had used his telepathy to scan the clerk's mind for ill intent and found only hope in their cause, so he knew the clerk was there to help.
Jack tightened all the rigging for his makeshift armor and readied his chain blade. Martin was speed reading his way through Tobin's Journal and cramming as much info from his library as he could into his head before they left. Using his lab and workshop, Martin created a modified crossbow that launch some of the smaller pieces of metal.
"We doing this?" Jack said as he finished assembling his scrap metal warrior armor.
"Seems we don't really have much choice do we?" Martin Moon was straightening his three piece suit and double checking his pocket watch, "Let's go"
The pair approached the orphanage and noticed a sheriff department car parked half on the stairs going up to the orphanage with the engine still running. The drivers side door was ripped off and there was no one inside. Martin examined it and found traces of Fae blood on the torn metal.
Inside the lobby, there were countless victims that showed the same symptoms as the children from the previous murders had shown, children and adults alike lay strewn about the lobby.
"Well I was wonderin when you'd show up," a voice from the far end of the hall called out to them, "I can't let you continue boys."
The sheriff's deputy stood blocking the hallway, most of his face had warped into a grotesque and diseased flesh. One arm had large rocks piercing the skin and growing from within him. The same arm was 10 times larger than the other.
"What makes you think you can stop us?" Jack said spinning his chain blade.
The deputy laughed, "They don't think we can stop them sheriff," as the deputy spoke he took an arm from behind his back to hold up the bloodied head of the sheriff, the expression he held when his head was removed was one of abject terror on his face, "What do you think Sheriff?" in a mocking high pitched voice the deputy responded "I think we should smash them. They don't understand how much greater we've become through helping the Fae. You see the Fae really deserve to-"
"Enough of this monologue bullshit. FUCK YOU!" Jack said as he hurled the chain blade at the deputy, the blade sunk into the non-deformed side. The deputy laughed and reached to take pull it out with his mutated arm, but screamed in pain as the cold forged metal burned his Fae flesh.
The deputy used the still human hand to pull Jack towards him by the chain. Jack couldn't keep his balance and went flying into the reception desk. The deputy began tearing off the human flesh to reveal a monstrous form beneath. It smashed its way over to the splintered wood that had been the reception desk.
"It's a rock troll. Aim for the belly or the eyes. Those are the least protected," Martin called out as he flung a few fist sized pieces of metal at the troll, burning it and causing it to cry out in anger.
Jack seized the distraction and managed to jump onto it's back and pull his chain blade free. The troll quickly reach back and pulled Jack off his back, slamming him into the floor beneath it. It held him down and raised a hand to smash Jack's face, but Martin managed to launch a handful of cold forged spikes at the troll. The spikes pierced it's skin and caused it to stumble just enough for Jack to fly up and drive his blade right into the heart of the beast.
When the death screams of the trolls had subsided the corpse of the deputy was left behind, only all of the veins and arteries were spiraled around the surface of his skin.
"According to the blueprints, Tobin was interested in the second floor dormitory. That seems like the first place we should look.Quickly, there is no time to lose," Martin tossed the blueprints aside rather than putting them away and the pair took off up the stairs.
In the dormitory, there was a small trap door on the floor that was open with a strange glow emanating from it. On either side stood tall figures that looked like the ones that had injured Jack on his first trip to Tobin Manor. Surrounding them were smaller pale white skinned creatures with red eyes, no hair, and fingers that ended in razor sharp points.
The moment the pair burst into the room all hell broke loose. The smaller creatures all screeched and started charging the pair. Martin threw glass bottled filled with mercury at the creatures. The cold metal splashed onto them melting the flesh it touched. The creatures wouldn't try to cross the spilled mercury.
Jack didn't hesitate for a moment, he rushed the smaller creatures, vaulted off a bed while spinning his chain blade above his head, decapitating some of the pale creatures. He lands in a tumble and immediately leaps to his feet to use his chain to block the incoming attack from one of the Fae warriors. Jack used the blade in one hand to engage with one of them, while using the other end of the chain as a whip to keep the other Fae warrior at bay.
Meanwhile Martin was unloading his shotgun full of metal bird-shot into the remaining pale creatures and keeping any of them from getting out of the room. After they had been dealt with, he attached his magic blade to the end of his gun like a bayonet and charged toward the fray Jack was tangled in.
Martin drove the bayonet into it's back. The Fae warrior let out a deafening unworldly scream before turning around and stabbing Martin in the chest with his blade. Martin winced in pain, but grit his teeth and fired the remaining bullets from the gun into the Fae warrior, completely splitting cutting the body in two. Martin stumbled back and slumped to the ground. He looked up and saw Jack get his weapon knocked from his hand and the Fae warrior threw jack into some of the beds in the dorm smashing them to pieces. The warrior approached the bleeding body of Jack Wesson, raised it's blade to strike it's death blow, but Jack had been waiting for that moment.
In a flash, Jack had driven a broken piece of the metal bed frame up into the Fae warrior's head through it's neck. A gurgle of blood dribbled out of the creatures mouth before it collapsed dead. Jack slumped to his knees exhausted.
"No time to rest Jacky boy," Martin said clutching his wounded chest, "You still need to close the portal. It needs to be sealed or this was all a waste of time. You must bind the doorway to prevent anything from passing through the doorway."
Jack picked up his chain blade and looked at the glowing portal. All the voices that had haunted him as a child returned at once. Whispering hate at him. Telling him he'd never be good enough. He was a failure and he would never be able to stop the Fae from invading. He would lose his powers if he sealed the gateway.
"Fuck 'em then," Jack said as he drove his blade into the ground on one side of the gateway, then proceeded to wrap the chain back and forth over the gateway creating a lattice work covering. When he'd completed the binding ritual the entire building began to shake and crumble around them. Jack helped Martin up and the two narrowly escaped as the building came down upon itself.
Outside the townsfolk had gathered. They thanked the pair, healed their wounds, and let them leave without ever needing to be the ones to stick around to explain what had happened.
Martin's wound would bother him from time to time during his retirement. He'd finally been able to use the Winnebago for what he'd always dreamed he'd use it for: a cross country trip to visit every one of the world's largest objects that were trapping tourists all over the US.
Jack's powers left him. He no longer suffers the nightmarish visions of his childhood. He no longer feels compelled to hunt down monsters, but old habits are hard to break and he still keeps in touch with Martin and the connections he'd made to help solve the mysteries.
The End....or is it?
No seriously that's it.
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