Keeper: Adrienne Mueller
Hunters: Eric Fattig, Karen Twelves, Sean Nittner
System: Monster of the Week
Supplement: Tome of Mysteries
Campaign Overview
Overview of the entire campaign here: Agents of Cisra
Adventure Log
The team is milling about in their cubicles. It’s a slow day, when Director McCloud approaches. She’s got a lead, albeit a weak one. A missing person report was filed, but rescinded shortly thereafter; supposedly, the missing person turned into a flock of black birds and flew away.
Malik starts digging and finds that the report was rescinded from the same location as it was submitted—a national park in Virginia.
The team sets out in their van. As they’re driving through the woods, Stasia awakens from her nap with a shout, alarmed by a nightmarish vision of the woods. The team is on edge as they enter the heavily wooded Mt. Tima National Park. Since it’s winter, there are relatively few visitors. The team—adopting the pseudonyms of Ash, Raimi, and Campbell, agents of the US Fish and Wildlife Service internal affairs division—meets Jose Gongora, a young stocky ranger, and he relays what happened that morning:
A park visitor, Amber, had reported that she and her friend had been camping illegally when an old man came and offered them a golden pine cone. Her friend Lindsey reached out to accept when both her and the man turned into a flock of birds and flew away. Amber ran to the nearest ranger—Jose—in a panic. She was clearly intoxicated, but they didn’t find any
Malik presses Jose about why the initial report was rescinded. Jose seems surprised and calls in to the park headquarters to ask about it. Jenny, his colleague says that the Station Chief, Rodney Womack, had ordered the report rescinded. Malik, recalling his research, remembers that that Rodney has been station chief for a very, very long time by ranger standards, and outside of a small clique, all the other rangers rotate through very quickly.
The team splits up with Malik and Mordecai going out to look for Amber and Lindsey, and Stasia breaking off to investigate Womack. Malik and Mordecai come across Amber. She has marvelous hair and she’s talking to a ponytailed man; both are wearing well-worn outdoor gear, although the man’s is very baggy. Malik talks Amber into joining them on their search so she won’t be left alone with this amorous stranger.
Mordecai begins to investigate and finds a particular tree that’s heavily ionized, suggesting some sort of spacial anomaly; a flap of skin in a rodent burrow. Based on prevailing winds, he deduces the birds must have gone towards the river. They also notice that Amber’s companion is struggling to hide a growing frustration in the delay—suggesting a deeper involvement than mere romantic interest in Amber.
Meanwhile, Stasia and Jose head down separately to where the campers who have heard of Amber’s disappearance are gathering. Jose has a brief, out-of-earshot conversation with Womack, who is on the scene, before getting in his car and heading back. Womack is insistent on dispersing the crowd, and Stasia eludes his attention by feigning getting ready to go. When he thinks he’s alone, Womack heads east into the woods, with Stasia in stealthy pursuit. She notices birds are starting to land nearby and caw, seemingly indicating her position, but a serendipitous cold wind carries their caws away so they can’t be heard.
Womack approaches an old tree, draws a strange symbol on it with his finger, then cuts his palm and spills blood at the foot of the tree, then turns back. Stasia hunkers down so she isn’t seen as Womack passes back.
Amber and Taylor start heading back—It’s dark after all, and they should head back into town. Malik knows this guy is bad news though, so she coordinates with Stasia to ensure that his car won’t work. Stasia sticks around to “fortunately” be able to give them a ride. Malik prevents Taylor from leading Amber off into the forest, further frustrating him. When he finds his tires have been slashed, he starts to lose his cool, and Malik deliberately pushes him over the edge. He snaps, ranting at everyone before storming off into the dark woods. Amber is startled, and accepts a ride into town where Stasia sets her up safe and sound at a cheap motel in town.
Mordecai keeps going deeper into the woods. The woods are getting thicker, and thicker—supernaturally so. He pauses to consider his situation. At that moment his phone goes off, alerting Mordecai to a nearby seismic event. It’s minor, but it’s the last puzzle piece Mordecai needs to realize that they may be dealing with the Mole King. An ancient legend with many names, he is rumored to live under a mountain with a name similar to Mt. Tima, the national park they’re at.
Malik knows a much better way to get past trees: a helicopter. He pulls some strings at headquarters—without upsetting any higher-ups, for once—and a helicopter, complete with searchlights and rappel ropes, picks up Malik and Stasia and heads to the coordinates Mordecai radioed in.
Mordecai, not wanting to wait, sits to meditate. He focuses his mind, and using newfound understanding of other dimensions, shifts his aura to match that of one who can pass this barrier. Passing through, Mordecai encounters a wizened man with a Russian accent who seems delighted by his presence. He invites Mordecai to his “home”, creepily, and offers his hand. Mordecai doesn’t take his hand, but follows him to his home, where he asks after the old man’s other “guest”. The wizened old man brings him to Lindsey—partially, but hopefully not irreversibly transformed into a tree. Recognizing that the jig is up, the others turn on the spotlight in the helicopter and order the tree wizard to stand down.
Things quickly escalate; the wizard seizes Mordecai with uncanny speed. Stasia takes a shot from the helicopter, and Malik throws down a rope to try to rescue Mordecai. They manage to wrest Mordecai free, but the party is still considering how to proceed. Malik is cursed by the wizard—who Stasia recognizes from folklore as, Yudishkin, the tutelary deity of a Siberian forest. Malik is gifted with the power of seeing through the eyes of nearby crows, but pays a terrible price as the curse drains his energy from him. They deduce that Yudishkin is making sacrifices to the Mole King. Sensing that discretion is the better part of valor, the party withdraws.
Back at the hotel, the team puts the puzzle pieces together. Yudishkin is clearly subservient to the mole king, but what does the mole king want? If the team can provide it, can they convince the mole king to dismiss his servant? Malik hits the net, and combined with his access to CISRA’s intelligence databases, realizes that Yudishkin is a recent arrival, and may not have come willingly. They realize that the Mole King’s only real need is for new brides. Yudishkin must be supplying him with brides so that the Mole King will release him. Womack’s arrival at the park lines up neatly with when Yudishkin’s trees started showing up. The team deduces Womack must have brought Yudishkin here on behalf of the Mole King. They hatch a plot to free Yudishkin from his grasp…
