GM (Evil Mike): Cruel, Silver Tongued Devil
Samuel Smythe (Steve): Occult Branch, Polish National, the Healer & the Shooter
Balthazar Magnusson (Owen): Operations Branch, Swedish, The Lindquist/Forger & our Team Leader
Cyrus Lowenstein (Ben): Operations Branch, American, The Ladies Man & Tech Op
Nick Harmon (Mike): Occult Branch, American, (a real live) Combat Psychic & Thief
This week we had our final Agents of Oblivion game for this campaign. A lot happened and, as you’ll see, we may have opened the wrong box…twice.
This week’s story begins somewhere on the outskirts of Chernobyl as we wait for our extraction. We obtained the large box for our untrusted ally, Alexi, who leads the Polish Vampire cartel. Strangely this was one of our few operations that we actually told our Oblivion superiors about. That is why we get a timely extraction instead of figuring out our own way out of Russia.
A large twin-blade helicopter lands and we load everything on board. The copter is being piloted by our own Mr. Mister. He’s actually proud (and surprised) we pulled this off. Although we have strict instructions from Alexi to not open the box, he said nothing about not x-raying it. As we discussed our various options, the copter is hit by an air-to-air missile. We began dropping like a rock. Agent Smythe is flung out of the gaping hole in the copter’s fuselage. Only Agent Harmon’s psychic powers saved him for certain death. Agent Smythe swore never to make lite of Harmon’s powers ever again.
We quickly put on parachutes and secured the box with one also. Mr. Mister was going to draw off our pursuit. This most certainly meant certain death for him, certainly. We jumped from the helicopter. Soon after, it exploded into the side of the mountain. We landed safely, along with the big box, although we did lose some gear.
Our trek through the mountains brought us to a rope bridge crossing a deep gorge with a cabin on the far side. The cabin appeared to be one used by trappers or hunters. Once across the gorge, we discovered several unusual items in and around the cabin. First, was an ancient shield displaying Chinese characters on it. The characters were arcane in nature and apparently enhanced the shields bearer’s abilities. Second, was a Chinese puzzle box. Agent Magnusson discovered it and spent much of his time that evening trying to unravel its secrets.
We awoke in the night to find Agent Magnusson gone. Agent’s Harmon and Smythe headed out into the night to look for him. Agent Lowenstein stayed behind to watch the big box. That’s when the proverbial dog dodo hit the fan.
In a strange moment of preparedness, Agent Lowenstein loaded his shotgun with acid rounds. It wasn’t soon after this that he saw men moving across the old bridge. He fired his acid rounds at the old bridge’s lines that secured it to the ground. At least one of the men was thrown into the gorge. The rest open fired on Lowenstein, who was using the big box as cover. Bullets battered the box (and Lowenstein). Several holes appeared in the box and long-contained dust and air was released. Lowenstein applied his baking powder and vinegar to the holes in an attempt to seal them, but it was too late. The box’s seal was broken.
Meanwhile, Agent Smythe trailed Agent Magnusson further into the woods. He could tell that Magnusson was speaking to the box and it sound like the box was replying, soothingly telling Magnusson to press on through the woods. It was obvious that their destination was an ancient tree. Shots from the cabin turned Smythe’s attention away from Magnusson for just a moment–long enough for a giant tentacle flailing brain to attack him. Smythe screamed like a girl and was entangled in the brain’s worm-like appendages. Once again Agent Harmon came to his rescue. Armed with arcane bullets, he opened fire on the brain. This allowed Smythe to wrestle free and continue his race to save Magnusson from whatever fate awaited him at the tree.
Smythe caught Magnusson just as he was entering the opening in the tree. Smythe fired at the box, but failed to damage it. Again he fire, this time calling on the powers-that-be (an adventure card) to help him. He succeeded. His bullets smashed into the box—destroying it. In its stead grew a steadily larger creature—a demon. Just as the demon was about to lunge for Magnusson, a temporal vortex of some kind opened up and sucked the demon into it. Magnusson would have been lost too had it not been for his cat-like reflexes that enabled him to hold on to the tree’s opening for dear life.
With the demon gone, the giant brain vanished in a haze of smoke and ash. Agent Harmon had been fighting it valiantly, but was glad to see it go.
Meanwhile, back in the cabin…
The lid of the big box burst open and out climbed an ancient vampire. It lunged for Lowenstein in an effort to quench its centuries old thirst for blood. Lowenstein waited to die; but it was not to be. This just awakened fiend was not quite at 100% and critically failed his attack on Lowenstein. The ancient vampire stumbled out of the cabin and into the gorge…and was gone.
It was then we all hear Alexi’s voice in our minds. “This is bad.â€
Agent Smythe