Most people stopped believing in monsters under the bed long ago. Most people see fantasy as just that: make believe. But then, you're not most people.
There's a secret world of monsters and magic hiding just below the surface. For your average citizen, that secret world never comes to light. But for some, it becomes their whole life. Gangs of monsters engaging in turf wars, lone creatures wreaking havoc on cities, and guilds of hunters all struggling for control. When things go bump in the night, you bump back.
The year: 2018. The place: Los Angeles, CA. You've known for a long time that monsters and magic are real, and you've taken it upon yourself to shoulder the mantle of protecting the world from mystical threats. It's thankless work, what with the fact that the vast majority of the population doesn't even know they were in danger, nevermind the fact that you’ve saved them.
You’ve been framed.
That's the only thought you could think of as Bureau of Extra-Normal (BEN) agents broke down your door last night, threw handcuffs and a hood over you, and snatched you away in seconds. You have no idea how far you've gone (they could have driven you in circles for two hours, for all you know), but after what felt like an eternity you were thrown into a windowless cell. It feels like you're in the basement of a concrete bunker, arcane sigils carved into almost every inch of the concrete. The bars are iron, certainly reinforced with magic. Each cell is relatively barren, with a single bed and a solitary toilet. Four cells face each other from the corners of the room. On one wall sits a door, while on the wall opposite are a set of large lockers. Sterile white lights flood the room, which, when combined with your anxiety, prevent you from getting any sleep.
You're also not alone.
The cell to the left of the door houses two men that look almost as if they could be related; both wearing glasses. The one with the shorter hair's glasses appear to be cracked, as he likely was handled just as roughly as everyone else. The cells have not been built for two people, yet BEN has crammed them past occupancy regardless. The cell next to them houses a woman with dark, curly hair. On the other side of the room, a muscular man and another dark-haired woman in floral print each have a cell to themselves.
Ryder takes a deep breath, running his hands through his long brown hair, getting it out of his face as he takes in his surroundings. "Well that was quite unpleasant..." Noting the remarkably similar man next to him "You alright?"
Reed takes out his pocket watch, "I've been better." He looks at the door, "I've been worse too." He looks at the man next to him, "Are you alright?"
"Quite alright given our current predicament. They seemed a bit gentler with me than you" Ryder stands up and moves to the bars "Any idea why the hell they black-bagged us?"
Reed shakes his head.
A young Hispanic woman wearing yellow and pink floral sweatpants and a t-shirt with a heart-and-skull logo on it looks around the cell for a second. "Me either." She puts her nose close to the wall and squints at the sigils on the wall, to see if she can decipher them. "I'm going to guess there aren't just for looking pretty."
Reed traces one with his index finger, "Probably some warding glyph."
Tia squints harder at the glyphs on the wall. "Yeah... That and surveillance, I'm thinking. Hey! Cabrones!" Tia directly addresses the wall. "I'm going to need an extra blanket. You dragged me out of bed before I could even get my socks on."
Tenna crosses to the entrance to the cell. She raises an eyebrow. "Warding and surveillance? What the..." She scowls. "I have somewhere to be, you-" She trails off into muttered curses.
"We all do." Reed looks at his watch, he looks at the door.
"So what, you all got dragged here unexpectedly too?" Lacking a convenient BEN official, Tenna levels a glare at the nearest sigil on the wall. Reed nods.
"Well, apparently we're stuck here until BEN decides to give us A FREAKING CLUE WHY THEY DRAGGED US HERE!" Tenna addresses the last several words to the wall. "So, I'm Tenna. Who're you guys?"
Tia gives up on the wall and wanders over to the bars. She taps a bar experimentally with one fingertip but doesn't bother to study it more closely. Instead, she shrugs to herself and then smiles across the way toward Tenna. "Tia Cabrera. Nice to meet you, all things considered." Tia then leans against the bars and peers expectantly toward the other corner of the room.
“Reed,” he says as he checks his watch.
"Tia, you seem like you know something about these sigils, how serious are they? What kind of magic do they block, 'cause if someone doesn't show up soon, I'm gonna give busting out a try." Tenna directs a look at her wall. "So you people might want to send someone down stat, 'cause my patience is waning here!"
Ryder slowly makes his way around the cell, inspecting the glyphs, absentmindedly muttering to himself. He sighs and speaks up "Yup, definitely surveillance... and the wards... hmmm...." he ponders a moment "yes, these are basic anti-translocation wards, so at least we don't warrant the heavy duty stuff." he shakes himself out of his musings "Name's Ryder by the way"
In response to Tenna, Tia nods her head toward the cell with the two men. "What he said." Then she once again frowns toward the sigils on the wall. "We don't warrant the heavy duty stuff because we didn't do anything wrong! Come on, people. At least tell us why we're here?" Leaning again against the bars, she sighs and looks toward Reed. "What time is it, anyhow?"
Reed opens the sliver lid of his pocket watch, "4:40," he closes it with a click, "AM."
"Ugh." Tia makes a face and runs a hand through her rumpled hair, which does nothing to improve its appearance. Then she looks thoughtfully across the way at Tenna. "I want to try something. I promise it won't hurt." Tia glances around at the sigils and shrugs. "Well, won't hurt you. We'll see."
"Ummm...okay." Tenna shrugs. "Works for me. I'm getting really sick of waiting around. Should I step back or anything?"
"No. OK. Here goes probably nothing. If it works, you might feel a little tingle." Tia sort of squares her shoulders and shakes out her hands. Then she makes a little flourish with her right hand which ends with her palm pointed toward Tenna. "El sol."
After a second, Tia's eyes widen. She lowers her hand. "Huh. I wasn't exactly expecting that. So apparently, they haven't completely blocked out the ability to use magic."
"That was a little tingly. What was it?" Tenna asks.
Tia tugs absent-mindedly at the hem of her shirt. "Just a little cantrip that lets me see someone's defenses. Makes it easier for me to... Not that I would use it against you. I just wanted to see if they'd blocked out magic altogether." "I thought it would be better than frosting you. Or poisoning you." Tia grins a little sheepishly.
"Yeah, that's preferred" Tenna grins for a moment, then chews absentmindedly on her lip. "I wonder what I could use. If there's an animal around, I could try to bond with or talk to it and at least figure out where we are..." Tenna immediately begins scanning for an animal within speaking distance.
“I doubt there’s any animals in here,” Reed says as he looks at his watch. “B.E.N. is typically very cautious and very knowledgeable.”
"Yeah, you're right." Tenna's scowl returns. "Looks like we're stuck here until B.E.N. decides to honor us with their presence."
Tia shoots A Look toward Reed. "It was worth a try. What about you? Any tricks up your sleeve? That watch have some special ability? You keep looking at it."
Reed shakes his head, “Nothing special, just a nervous habit.” He looks at the man in the other cell, “How are you holding up?”
"Ugh... Hmm?" The figure replies. As he stands up it is clear that he is well built and handsome, slightly hairy. He appears to be in his mid 20s and has brown hair. "Where are we? What am I doing here?"
"Hi. You're in a B.E.N. cell block, and none of us have any clue what we're doing here, because no one's come down since we got dragged here in the middle of the night." Tenna directs another glare at the wall.
"Ugh, those guys are like the cops of the magic world right? Why am I here? It's not like I've done anything bad..." Hanz says.
Tia blinks and leans against the bars again, craning her head to look toward the cell that she hadn't realized was occupied.
Reed looks at the man and takes his glasses off and inspects the crack in them, “Technically only the United States’ magic police, but yes.”
"None of us have. Like I said, we got dragged here randomly in the middle of the night. I was about to head out camping." Tenna says.
Hanz begin to look around his cell to see what he can find out about his cell.
While they're talking, Tia checks out the door across the way from her, between the cells with the two Rs and Tenna. As she does, she addresses Tenna. "What's on this wall over here? It's kinda hard to see with these BARS IN THE WAY."
"Looks like some lockers. I'm willing to bet that if our stuff's anywhere near here, it's in there." Tenna comments.
Tia glances toward Tenna and makes a face. "I'm torn between hoping so and being pissed that they went through my stuff. Although my go bag was beside the door, so..."
"Same. Like I said, I was about to leave for the San Gabriels, so I had all my stuff in my backpack. Still, I am going to be even more ticked off if they went through that-I had some seriously personal stuff in there." Tenna remarks
At the mention of stuff being taken Hanz reaches up and feels around his neck. "Damn! They took my pendant! What the hell do they want with us!? I want my stuff back now, it's really valuable!"
"Clearly big brother felt like we all stuck our noses where they didn't belong for one reason or another. And while and understandable reaction, screaming and panicking will do nothing to remedy the situation." Ryder looks around at the rest of the group
"Well what do you guys do? I've done nothing but help and protect people." Hanz says.
"Yeah. That, in a nutshell." Tia frowns thoughtfully but keeps studying the door on the other side of the room.
"Keep an eye on the forests directly outside of LA, and usually the people who go in them. Plus, you know, visit my friends who live out there." Tenna cranes her head, trying to see the door around the bars of her cell. "What's on this side of the room?"
“I would suspect it’s the door out,” Reed says.
"Yeah, but is there anything on it? A window, or markings? I can barely see the knob around these bars."
Reed shrugs, “The main point of this room appears to be imprisonment. No wards against charm effects, only teleportation.” He looks to Ryder for confirmation.
Ryder nods, "Seems like they want us to sit tight"
Reed nods, “But not for much longer. Who ever built this wasn’t worried about us charming a guard. A guard would have to arrive eventually to feed us if this was anything more than a holding cell.”
"You guys can charm people? Are you witches or wizards?" Hanz asks.
"Ummm...neither? I'm a druid. I also can't actually charm people at the moment, because I didn't prepare that spell yesterday morning. You know, 'cause I wasn't expecting to get DRAGGED HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!!" Tenna directs the last several words at the wall.
"Oh, were you trained by the fey?" Asks Hanz
"Errrr, sort of. My mom started training me, then a dryad finished after she died."
Reed nods sympathetically, "I'm sorry for your loss."
"I've had to hunt fey before, sometime they like to cause a bunch of trouble. When that happens I get called in." Hanz brags, "I've never had to kill any, I've only had to teach them a lesson and tell them to never do it again. They're much easier to deal with than real monsters..."
Reed looks at his watch, "Such as..."
"Werewolves, demons, hell hounds, ghosts, witches and a lot of others..." Hanz trails off.
"Mmmm." Reed looks at the door. "What was your name again?" Reed asks, closing the lid to his pocket watch.
"Oh sorry, I'm Hanz. What about you?"
"Reed. This is Ryder next to me, that's Tia and Tenna." Reed says, gesturing with his free hand.
"Nice to meet you guys. So it sounds like we were all put here for no reason..."
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
"Maybe I can try something. I've been experimenting with werewolf blood recently and picked up some pretty neat powers."Hanz says as he walks up to the bars, "Watch this."
Reed shakes his head, "If you want a reason for B.E.N. to hate you then by all means continue."
Tenna nods, "Gotta say, I kinda agree with Reed over there. These cells have surveillance glyphs on the inside, so anything you do, B.E.N. will be able to see. I'd suggest holding any special abilities in reserve in case this situation gets worse than it already is." Hanz stops whatever he was about to do.
With obvious reluctance, Tia gives up trying to examine the door from across the room and retreats to her cot, where she tucks her bare feet beneath her and sighs heavily. Tipping her head back against the wall, she speaks just loudly enough to continue making conversation. "San Gabriels, huh?" she says to Tenna. "I went on a youth retreat up there once. Pretty. Way too, like, woodsy and quiet. But pretty."
Tenna grins. "I like it woodsy and quiet. Easy to concentrate and really, really pretty once you connect with it." Her grin fades. "It's really amazing if you can get the fey to show you around..."
Tia listens with a genuine smile. "OK, yeah. That might be pretty cool." She tips her head and looks in the direction of the other side of the room, which is silly since none of them can probably see her. "So what about the rest of you? What do you do when you're not lounging in BEN facilities?"
"I'm a professor." Reed says.
Tenna raises an eyebrow. "A professor, huh? Of what? Where?"
"Archaeology, specifically the Maya. I'm tenured at UCLA."
Ryder turns to Reed "You don't say! Apparently we both fit a particular... mold" He chuckles to himself
"Hmm" Reed looks at his watch, "What's your field of study?"
"Archeology, specializing in Greece. Though I spend my time out in the field." Ryder says.
"Are you involved in the magical community?" Reed asks.
"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't have drawn the ire of BEN. Or been quite so familiar with our lovely decor," Ryder gestures to the wards.
Reed shrugs slightly, "Some people stumble upon it in the most unusual of ways."
Ryder chuckles again, "Oh don't I know it. I have a story for you."
"Perhaps another time," Reed taps on a sigil.
Ryder nods and leans against the wall.
"I just work a regular job and not much else..." Hanz says, purposefully leaving something out.
Tia listens to the exchange between the archaeologists with a mildly amused smile. To Hanz, she says, "'A regular job.' Like what? Retail? Food service? Accountant? You're not a lawyer, are you? That might actually be handy. Under the circumstances."
"I'm a couple years out of college. I work a desk job for a marketing business. It's nothing interesting but it pays the bills." Hanz says with a shrug.
“A desk jockey that kills monsters for fun?” Reed muses.
"Huh. Wow, it's been years since I had a job as normal as that." Tenna shakes her head. "Heck, it's been years since I had bills to pay. So what's your connection to the magical world? Or is that too personal?"
"When I was 7 a demon had captured me for a couple witches to use me as a sacrifice with some other children. Luckily I was rescued by a team of heroes and returned back home. Since then I've studied the other world, how to get to it, and also how to make myself stronger."
Tenna blinks. "Fun. You might have me beat tragedy-wise."
Reed leans against the wall, “Well, if you enjoy it.”
"I have, after I learned more about the world and such I was able to go to some cool places and meet some good friends. I ended up helping a few people and earning some favors by taking care of small pests like imps and I've worked my way up since then. That's why I really want my gear back, I've got some valuable stuff in there."
"Trust me, we all want our stuff back." Tenna fires yet another glare at the wall. "But apparently that's not happening until B.E.N. gets down here and explains WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON."
"You said you're a druid right?" Hanz asks, "If you're a shape-changing druid you could turn into something small, climb through the bars, and escape. I've checked these glyphs, they're only for surveilance and can only stop conjuration magic. If you can get us our gear and get us out, we could probably get out of here. For whatever reason why they're holding us it can't be good, we need to get out of here."
“B.E.N. doesn’t take kindly to those who break rules” Reed says as he checks his watch.
"Great idea, but B.E.N. is skilled enough to find us and I really don't want to tick them off again. If they could find where I was before, they could find us later. I'd suggest we wait to find out what's going on, but if it turns bad, I am definitely Wild Shaping and getting our stuff." Tenna scowls angrily at the glyphs. "Of course, best case scenario would be for someone to come down here and explain what's going on."
"I guess that sounds like a plan, worse case scenario we can both break out. I can fight off the guards while you help the others break free." Hanz suggests
Tenna nods. "Sounds good. We've got a worst case and a best case scenario." She shoots another glare at the wall and sits on her bed, shaking her head. "I was supposed to be ten miles into the San Gabriels by now, out where all you can see is stars. Instead I'm stuck in a cell, with absolutely no nature around, worried sick about my friend."
"Excellent. It's not like the walls have ears or anything..." Ryder sighs and paces in front of the bars.
"Well is there a better way to communicate? I've got nothing, I only speak english and the magical common language..."
Tenna scowls at Ryder. "I'm pretty sure B.E.N. knows what we'd do if they attacked. As for communication, I speak Druidic, but I'm pretty sure none of your guys do." She shrugs and goes back to glaring at the wall.
Tia listens quietly to the exchanges, frowning thoughtfully. Eventually, she says, "I could probably add a few angles to an escape plan. But if I'm here, then they probably know my angles. And I'd really rather not spend the rest of my life running from BEN, if it can be helped. Or have them go after my family. So, yeah. Much as I hate it, I vote for sitting tight until they give us some clue why we're here." Tia deliberately avoids looking at the wall. "Assuming they intend to tell us anything at all, I guess. But the professor is right. This feels like a holding cell situation."
Hanz, feeling extremely board decides to pipe up again, "Hey Doc, what time is it now?"
"4:47 am. It's a waxing gibbous moon." Reed puts the pocket watch away and studies the wall, "I wonder how they got the funding for this." He muses to himself.
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
An hour passes. And then another. Some of the detainees start to doze. Others deal with the waiting by fidgeting. Each seems resigned to the waiting, though. Finally, at around 8 a.m. the door opens and two men dressed in black suits walk in. The suits are immaculate and very reminiscent of the movie Men in Black. Hell, these guys are even wearing sunglasses. Indoors. They don't say anything as they enter and don't even acknowledge any of the frustrated people in the cells. One of them pulls a small device out of his pocket and holds it against a spot on the wall near the lockers. The energy in the room changes subtly, but perceptibly. The runes and sigils disappear from the walls. The second man mutters a series of nonsense syllables and all four cell doors pop open.
He speaks into the room without really looking at anyone, "You all are free to go. However, we are still actively investigating the Anaheim incident, so don't leave town. We may need to question you later. Your belongings are in these lockers. When you've collected yourselves, exit the door and follow the hall to the right. The guard at the end will let you out and arrange transport for you." He nods to the other man and leaves without so much as a backward glance. His partner follows him out the door.
"How long should the investigation take?" Reed asks.
The second man pauses at the door, looks back, and says, "As long as it takes. When we've solved it, if you are no longer persons of interest, we will let you know."
"Look, in a week and a half, I'm off to Mexico for a month. I can't miss the dig, I'm leading it!" Reed says desperately,"I don't know what happened in Anaheim, I haven't been there since... March."
Ryder steps out of the cell, speaking a mile a minute "Wait, that's it? You black bag us, hold us for hours, and expect us to just be ok with this? What Anaheim incident?"
Tenna leaves her cell and glares at the men. "What he said." She jerks her thumb at Ryder. "And in case you didn't notice when you were kidnapping me, I was about to head to the San Gabriels! I have a friend there who might need my help-I can't just sit around while you finish some investigation into some incident I don't even know about!"
The man looks at Reed and says, "You may want to find a backup. Maybe this is solved in a week and maybe not. Leaving town, even for something with that kind of advanced planning would look suspicious."
As the onslaught of questions continues, he smiles and shakes his head. "You all got 'the talk' when you first learned about the life. You know how we operate. We don't owe you anything. Our job is to keep the normals safe and ignorant and we are authorized to do whatever we have to in order to ensure that." He pauses. "Maybe you know about the incident and maybe you don't. You're being released because we are leaning toward the latter at the moment. Don't give us a reason to change our minds."
Tenna goes over to the lockers and starts getting her stuff, still glaring at the B.E.N. agents.
"Do you have a phone I may use?" Reed asks, "My wife is probably worried sick."
"Collect your things and talk to the guard. He can handle requests like that," the BEN agent says back in an almost offhand way.
"Excuse me," Reed says, holding a metallic breastplate and a glowing rapier, "Did you raid my house?"
Ryder steps towards the agents, staring at them intently, inspecting them like an artifact. His tone shifts from angry to curious and inquisitive, his head tilting to the side "Good lord, what did happen?"
The agent just looks at Reed, but does not answer.
Reed frowns, shuffles his stuff into his backpack and walks to the guard.
"Can I call my wife?" Reed asks.
“You will be escorted to a teleportation circle that will deposit you to your location of choice,” one BEN agent finally acknowledged Reed. “You can speak to her in person in an hour.”
"Please," Reed says.
Tia frowns as she joins the others in retrieving their belongings. Donning black combat boots and a pin-covered denim jacket over her Alkaline Trio t-shirt and flowered sweats, she waits for a lull in the conversation to ask, “You’re seriously not going to tell us what happened in Anaheim?”
Still glaring at the agents, Tenna reaches into the locker and pulls out a long dark green coat covered with oddly shaped patches and shrugs it on, then pulls out a brown backpack and starts going through it. You can hear glass clinking against metal inside the bag.
Hanz immediately heads for his gear as soon as the doors open, checking to see all his belongings are safe and accounted for. Those not busy talking with the guards might notice him pull out an ornate pendant made of fine cut ruby with a magical sheen to it. As much as Hanz had been talking before, he seems oddly quite now... "I'm ready to leave, could you drop me off at the nearest Plastered Dragon please?" Hanz says this accepting what the agents have said and not wishing to provoke anymore unwanted attention.
Slinging her backpack over her back, Tenna reaches into the locker one last time and pulls out what looks like an intricately carved walking stick, which she slips into a set of loops that run along the side of her backpack, so that it hangs parallel to her body. Between the backpack and the staff, she looks like an ordinary hiker that you might meet out on the mountain trails, even if her long coat's a little strange. Turning, she faces the B.E.N. agents with her arms crossed. "So I can leave, right? As long as I don't leave LA? Which means I can't go into the mountains?"
“Are the mountains in the city?” the agent asks, snidely.
“When you say ‘town’ are you talking about the city of LA, the county of LA, Southern California..?” Reed asks.
Tenna gives the agent a flat, irritated look. "Hilarious. Glad you find my life so amusing." She turns to leave, waving goodbye to Tia and the rest of the group (and deliberately ignoring the agents) as she heads for the door.
"Now now, we should be happy they showed humor. I didn't realize this model of jackboot came with emotions." Ryder turns from the agents and grabs a messenger bag from the lockers. He flips open the top, pulls out jacket which he slips on, followed a set of keys and various tools he slips into an assortment of pockets. He plucks out a variety of scrolls and notes, replacing them as he goes, muttering to himself "better not have mussed up my notes...." before slinging the bag over his shoulder.
Ryder glares at the agents in turn around the room. "You better not have screwed up my notes.... and everything better be there."
"The county and any neighboring one will be fine," the agent allows. "Just make sure you don't go outside of civilization."
"You mean your definition of it," Tenna snaps.
"You could try to go with your definition," the agent suggests, "but you might not like the consequences. At any rate, we know where to find you."
Having said his piece, the agent turns on his heel and heads out the door.
"Hold on I want to go to the Plastered Dragon!" Hanz says as he chases after them.
Tenna also leaves, waiting a moment after the agent leaves the room.
Tenna catches up to Hanz. "Hey, so you want to exchange contact info? I mean, you said sometimes you work with fey, and I usually know about that kind of thing, could be useful for us to be able to contact each other."
Ryder digs in his bag for a notepad and scrawls down his info on a blank page before he rips the page out. "Hey professor, we should collaborate soon" he folds the paper and holds it out.
"Different parts of the world, friend." Reed says before writing his email and phone number down, "But if you're at UCLA anytime soon, come by."
Ryder nods. "I think I can make my way by."
Hanz turns to face Tenna, "Oh sorry! Yeah that's a good idea. I better go back and exchange numbers with the others. I plan on going to the Plastered Dragon to see if I can gather some information about the Anaheim incident. If I find anything out I'll keep you updated."
"Great, thanks!" Tenna turns and heads back to the room as she pulls out a notebook and tears off a piece. "Anyone what want to exchange contact info?"
Reed shrugs, "I regularly check my university email. I think it's online..."
Ryder jots down his info on a couple more free corners of paper and hands them over.
Hanz follows after Tenna and offers to exchange information with the rest of the group also.
Tia's go bag is denim embroidered with bright-colored abstract designs. She gives it an absent-minded shake and seems satisfied that it contains all it should. Still frowning, she says, "Yeah, I think it's not a bad idea to have a way to get in touch. This whole situation stinks of... something." She exchanges info with the others as well.
"In the meantime,” Tia adds, “I'm going to change into some real clothes and make sure my family's all right." Tia starts to add something else, looks pointedly at the walls, and shrugs. "And then maybe check around with some sources, see what I can find out about Anaheim. I mean, if I'm going to be accused of something, I'd like to know what."
"I'll definitely ask my fey sources-the ones I can contact from the city, anyway." Tenna copies an email and an address onto four pieces of paper. "I check my email about once a day when I'm in the city, but if it's urgent, go to this address and tell Kerrin you have a message for Tenna. Kerrin's the black haired woman at the front desk, she'll send an animal messenger. That way I'll get it even if I'm in the mountains."
Tia gets an odd look on her face, as if she'd like to blurt out how very cool the whole fey and animal messengers deal is, if this wasn't a bad time for things like that. Instead, she hesitates a second, says, "Thanks. Hey, I hope your friend is OK," and gradually moseys toward the door.
"Thanks. Me too. Maybe I'll see you soon." Tenna tucks the notebook back into her backpack and heads for the door.
"Hey Tia," Hanz says quickly before she leaves the room, "I plan on gathering some information, I'm going to the Plastered Dragon since I thought that'd be a good place to start. Would you like to join me?"
Tenna glances over. "Mind if I tag along too? Since I can't leave the city, it seems like a decent place to try to pick up some news on my friend."
"Fine by me." Hanz replies.
Tia glances down at her sleepwear, which is at least now accompanied by a jacket and boots, thinks for a second, and shrugs. "Sure," she replies to Hanz. "I can check in with Mima Rosa and Father Garcia from there as easily as from my apartment."
"Sounds good, let's head out." Hanz responds. He's eager to see what information he can find on the Anaheim project and excited to do so with his 2 new allies.
Ryder checks the last few things before lowering his voice and addressing the others. "I need to settle a few things at home, just got back into town last night. I'll meet up with you all soon."
Eventually, everyone makes their way out of the holding area and departs for his/her destination of choice: Hanz, Tenna, and Tia head for the Plastered Dragon, while Reed and Ryder each make their ways home to collect themselves before possibly joining the others at the Plastered Dragon.
Being early morning, the Plastered Dragon is practically empty. Only Derek, a broad shouldered, bald man who always seems to be behind the bar, is present. But like every other Plastered Dragon in the multi-verse, this one is open 24 hours a day, every day of the week. He serves everyone up their drinks and pub food of choice with an efficiency you’ve come to expect from The PD.
”Anaheim Incident?” He responds, when prodded for information. The bartenders at the PD always seem to have their ears to the ground. “I haven’t heard anything specific quite yet, but I can keep my ear to the ground. Although, between you and me, South Orange County has been getting some crazy weather lately. After the drought, I don’t think anybody has wanted to question it. But, seems to me tracking the storms might not be a bad place to start.”
Reed appears at his front door. The door is locked and the house seems quiet. Reed finds keys in his backpack, B.E.N. really did take everything. Inside, he finds Adriana and Merete still asleep. He takes a shower and brews a pot of coffee. He nudges Adriana, she does not wake. He pokes her again.
“Hmmm?” Adriana murmurs, slow to wake. “G’morning,” she yawns. “What time is it?”
Reed hands her a cup of coffee and checks his watch, "8:47"
“I was going to go for a run this morning,” she sighs, taking the coffee.
Reed sits down on the bed, "Yeah, I was hoping to get to Trader Joe's before it got busy." He sighs, "We need to talk about the trip."
“Is this a talk that should wait until I finish this cup?”
Reed gestures for her to finish her cup as he also take a sip of his coffee. Adriana drains the mug of coffee.
"Do you remember last night when someone knocked on the door?" Reed asks.
“The ummm,” her brow furrows, and she pauses to think for a minute. “The pizza guy got the wrong house. I swear, living so close to the university... You know, when Merete gets older, we should move.”
"That was last night..." Reed muses, "No, at about 1 or 2 in the morning."
Adriana puts her mug down, "Reed, what are you talking about?”
Reed frowns, "B.E.N. came in the middle of the night, kidnapped me, and raided the house for my magic items. They didn't appear to take any of yours. They then held me for... six hours? And they erased your memory of the event, Men in Black style."
“Damnit,” Adriana slammed her coffee mug down, tearing into the next room to check on Merete. “You checked, everything is still here?”
Reed nods, "They only took my stuff. How they knew..."
“What are you working on?” Adriana asked. “What did you do to piss BEN off?”
Reed shrugs, "I tell you everything I do! They suspected that I had something to do with the 'Anaheim Incident'."
“We haven’t been there since... well, since Merete’s fourth birthday,” Adriana shook her head. “Why do they think you were in Anaheim?”
"I don't know. The agents were tight-lipped." Reed says, "The most important thing is they don't want me to leave LA and Orange County until they finish the investigation."
“So the trip...”
"I won't be able to go. But Oliver is a capable researcher, the trip can still continue, you can still go. If they finish up the investigation, I’ll get down there.” Reed promises.
“I don’t want to go without you, certainly not if you’re in trouble.” Adriana says.
“I doubt I’m in trouble; someone else did it and their magic will leave a mark” Reed reassures Adriana, “I don’t think the others did it either...” He trails off.
“What if someone is purposefully framing you?” Adriana worries, twisting her hair nervously. “Seriously, Reed, this isn’t normal.”
“I know.” Reed says, “Framing seems weird, there were other suspects –they didn’t do it; we were all in the same situation– and I can’t imagine someone framed us all. They probably had a faulty divination.”
“A faulty divination? Magic doesn’t tend to lie like that.”
“The gods are cryptic to say the least, I wouldn’t be surprised if they misinterpreted the divination, that would explain why they also had a very similar looking archaeologist.”
“Shit,” Reed tries, “You know I’m worried! But I don’t know what to do! And last time something like this happened, there was someone who did.”
“I don’t know what to do either, love.” Adriana pulls Reed into an embrace. Reed hugs back.
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Thank you Derek that would be very nice. Hanz says this quite pleased with the outcome of their visit to the Plastered Dragon.
Say do you know where specifically in Orange County this storm was causing trouble? If it was something suspicious, like you're describing, there must've been a central location for it to start or be at its strongest.
After listening to what the bartender has to say he'll thank him and toss him 2 gold pieces and order some food to eat as he turns to his other friends waiting to see if they're ready to do some more investigation work, this time in Orange County.
As she, Hanz, and Tenna arrive at the PD, Tia aims a smile and wave at Derek but doesn't stop to place an order. Instead, she heads for a quiet corner—which is, in the middle of the morning, all of them—and pulls out an old-model, faded yellow flip-phone. She doesn’t leave it on at all times—when your job involves a lot of magic, that’s just asking for trouble. So while the phone is powering up, Tia takes the opportunity for a few calming breaths and a quick mental inventory.
I’m safe. I’m free. I’m… in my pajamas in the middle of a public place.
Thus far, however, Tia’s new acquaintances hadn’t commented on her appearance. Turned half away from them, she self-consciously tugs at the hem of her t-shirt to be sure no fat rolls peek over the top of her sweats. Normally, she doesn't worry too much—she's been what Mima Rosa calls "pleasantly plump" her entire life. But she's also used to choosing what clothing people see her in.
Thank God I wore a bra to bed.
The jacket makes her feel better, too. Not only does it cover more than the t-shirt, but it’s peppered with pins by all her favorite bands. Which is a considerable number of pins, and also a considerable confidence boost.
As Tia is using her free hand in an attempt to tame the worst of her bedhead, the phone’s indicator light flares. With one more calming breath, Tia dials the first number. With the bar mostly-empty, there’s no real point in trying to hide what she’s saying, so she doesn’t bother.
Tia’s first call is to her grandmother. “Sí, Mima. I know, I know.” Tia makes placating gestures with her free hand as she speaks, mostly in Spanish. “I’m fine. It’s just work. I’m sorry I missed our breakfast. I’m sorry I didn’t call. Lo siento. Yes, I really am fine.” The conversation winds up for another few minutes, as Tia carefully guides her grandmother into the territory of general gossip and then even more carefully toward the topic of Anaheim, without revealing anything that happened to Tia last night or directly asking if Mima Rosa has heard of anything happening in Anaheim. Eventually, with several more placating gestures and words, Tia wraps up that call.
Tia’s second call is more succinct. “Father Garcia, por favor,” she says when the receptionist at Santa Lucia answers. A few seconds later, Tia quickly gets Father Garcia up to speed on what’s happened and where she is. Unlike her mostly-Spanish conversation with Mima Rosa, this conversation is mostly English with only a smattering of Spanish words. “…Anaheim incident. Do you have any idea what they mean?”
For a dishearteningly short time, Tia listens. Her face falls.
“Yeah. I will. Gracias, Father.” Tia frowns as she disconnects from the call. She hauls her brightly-colored go bag over to the bar and plops it onto an empty seat beside Hanz. The side pocket is open, revealing a few battered books of crossword and Sudoku puzzles. She carefully powers down her phone, snaps it shut, and drops it into the pocket with the puzzle books.
“Storms?” Tia says, catching just the tail end of the conversation. “Mima Rosa says storms are a bad omen.” Tia shrugs. "Unfortunately, that's the only information I can add. My contact at the Church had nothing."
I don't have any contacts in the real world. Most work I do pertains to stuff in the magical world and so my friends are here.
Derek here was telling me about how he's heard of some strange weather recently in Orange County and we may want to do some investigating there. Says Hanz, filling in Tia (and Tenna if she's listening) on what he's found out.
Have you guys got your breakfast yet? I'm ready to go.
Hanz will turn towards Derek: Thank you Derek, it's been a pleasure and you've been a great help to me and my friends.
Tia glances between Hanz and Derek a couple of times, obviously torn. But Tenna doesn’t seem ready to depart yet, either, and Tia’s stomach rumbles.
“I… haven’t eaten anything since dinner last night.” She shrugs awkwardly. “And it was a long night. And maybe we should let the archaeology twins know what we found out and where we’re going before we leave?”
Tia parks herself on a barstool and orders cheese fries and a diet cola. While she’s waiting/eating, she asks Derek a few more questions.
“Strange storms, huh? I guess I missed that on the news. What exactly is so strange about them?” To Hanz and Tenna, Tia adds, "Either of you have a smart phone or anything we can use to research where these storms seem to be originating? I think that was a good instinct on your part, Hanz. But I don't carry too much technology into the field, unfortunately."
He'll pull out his smartphone and begin looking up the recent weather in Orange County as well as seeing if any news stories have appeared from Anaheim yet.
Tenna frowns "Do you know the area the storms have been hitting? Just metropolitan areas, or have they stretched as far as the parks and reservations?"
Tia munches on her cheese fries and nods in agreement with the questions Tenna has added. Tia also nudges the plate of fries toward Tenna and Hanz and murmurs, "Have some if you want."
“I’m no weatherman, but it’s seemed to me that the thunderstorms have gone all the way to the parks,” Derek replied to Tenna.
"Thanks," Says Hanz, grateful for Tia's offer of fries. "If they've gone all the way to the parks we may want to look there first. It'll be a lot easier to search the park than the city and Tenna already knows the area very well." "Tenna, does this sound like something a fey would do?" Hanz asks curiously. "I am exceptionally good with tracking down some creatures but I can only focus on one at a time.
Tia tips her head when Hanz speaks of tracking, obviously restraining her curiosity. "You're probably right about heading to the parks first." She shrugs and smiles sheepishly. "I started off in research and investigation, it's still my first instinct. Boots on the ground is still new to me. But it may be easier to figure things out if we're actually there."
Tenna orders a milkshake and shrugs. "It'd have to be a pretty powerful fey, if the storms stretch from Anaheim to the forests. For that matter, it'd have to be a pretty powerful anything. But nothing about that particularly screams fey to me-it's a little too vague for me to be sure of anything."
"Alright, then I'd suggest you do the investigating” Hanz says. “I'll be more than happy to help you."
"Umm...OK, I'm absolutely happy to help out in the parks, but if we wind up in the city I'm afraid I won't be much use. Just warning you-I'm kind of bad with...buildings. And streets. And humans " Tenna takes a sip of her milkshake as it arrives and shrugs uncomfortably. "They don't really make much sense to me."
As Tenna informs Hanz on her environmental difficulties, he'll lay down sideways in the booth to get more comfortable. "That's fine, when we get into the city we'll just have to work together. We'd at least be able to tell the others nothing’s going on out in the parks, it'd be in the city."
Tia shoots Tenna a plainly puzzled look. "I don't know, you seem to do OK with humans." Tia glances between Tenna and Hanz and gives the tiniest of sighs. "I'm not much good with anyplace but the city. But if you'll help me out in the wilds, I'll return the favor if we need to come back to the city. I really do want to know what's going on." Polishing off her last fry, Tia leans back in her seat. "I guess we need to figure out how to get from here to... Where do you think we should we go first, exactly? Which park?"
Hanz looks to Tenna, he's not quite sure which park would be their best option but thinks Tenna would probably know.
Tenna chews her lip thoughtfully. "Chino Hills would be the closest...Of course, there's a huge unnamed one pretty close too. Has Santiago Peak and stretches nearly 60 miles end to end. Nah, we should probably start with Chino Hills." Tenna smiles wryly. "And trust me Tia, most humans I am terrible with. They just...complain a lot. About silly stuff in nature. Like bugs. Why would you complain about bugs? They're a vital part of the ecosystem!" Tenna stops her tirade abruptly, looking embarassed. "Umm, anyway, I appreciate the offer, Tia. I'm happy to help in the forests if you'll help me out in the city."
Tia makes an empathetic face as Tenna talks and nods in agreement, but she also squirms a bit during the bugs talk, like she's making a mental note not to complain about bugs in front of Tenna. "Chino Hills it is, then." Tia glances toward Hanz to get his agreement. Then she looks around the Plastered Dragon and out the window in an attempt to decide where exactly they are. "Public transportation, I guess?"
"Yeah that's fine," Hanz says. "I'd offer to give everyone a ride in my car but my car is at my apartment on the other side of town."
"Okay." Tenna nods. "Public transportation works for me." She glances at Hanz. "Do you need breakfast? I mean, I do, but I can get something portable if we want to head out right away."
Hanz looks at Tenna and chuckles. "I already ate, you guys decided to stay and eat after I finished."
"Oh." Tenna smiles embarassedly. "Umm, anyway, I just want to find someone to send a quick sending to my friend to make sure he's okay, and then I'm good to head for the parks."
Tia turns a little pink as well and shrugs defensively at Hanz. "I had calls to make first. Granted, they didn't do us much good. But still." To Tenna, Tia says, "Sure thing. Hanz and I can see about calling a cab or seeing if there's a bus stop close by while you're doing that."
"I'm fine with that." Hanz gets up, prepared to head out with Tia.
"I'll only be about fifteen minutes," Tenna says. "Meet you guys back here?" Unless either of them talk to her, she then heads out the door.
Meanwhile...
When Ryder returns to his humble abode, he shuts the door behind him and closes his eyes, taking slow deep breaths. He opens his eyes, taking in the total havoc and mayhem that was wrought upon his things. He sighs and begins cleaning up, cataloging his notes and returning his apartment to the organized chaos it usually is. (Though some may not see much difference). Once things are back in place he gives it all a thorough once over, ensuring those damned jackboots didn't decide to add any of their glyphs to his decor. Once satisfied his place is free of their meddling, Ryder cleans up, changing his clothes and tossing some snacks in his bag before heading back out.
Ryder strolls into the Plastered Dragon as the others seem to be ready to leave. He waves. "Well at least I caught you."
While Tenna is sending her message, Tia attempts to arrange public transporation to the entrance of Chino Hills State Park.
Tenna arrives back at the Plastered Dragon flustered and worried. As she arrives, she notices Ryder and gives him a distracted nod and muttered greeting before turning to all three of them. "Something's definitely going on with the fey. We need to get to Anaheim and figure out what's going on as soon as possible. How are we getting there? Oh, and is that other professor guy coming or not?"
Tia takes in Tenna's change in demeanor and frowns with concern. "I guess we should let him know where we're going, at the least," she says. As their ride arrives, Tia calls and leaves a message for Reed, outlining the little they've discovered and letting him know where they're headed.
Whether by bus or car, the assembled crew makes their way to Chino Hills. It takes about an hour for everyone to get there, but you arrive at the rolling green hills outside of the city limits and assemble. Los Angeles is usually a combination of smog and sun, but today thunderclouds have assembled overhead. They appear to be originating west of your current position, but the skies above look like they could open up at any second.
Most people stopped believing in monsters under the bed long ago. Most people see fantasy as just that: make believe. But then, you're not most people.
There's a secret world of monsters and magic hiding just below the surface. For your average citizen, that secret world never comes to light. But for some, it becomes their whole life. Gangs of monsters engaging in turf wars, lone creatures wreaking havoc on cities, and guilds of hunters all struggling for control. When things go bump in the night, you bump back.
The year: 2018. The place: Los Angeles, CA. You've known for a long time that monsters and magic are real, and you've taken it upon yourself to shoulder the mantle of protecting the world from mystical threats. It's thankless work, what with the fact that the vast majority of the population doesn't even know they were in danger, nevermind the fact that you’ve saved them.
You’ve been framed.
That's the only thought you could think of as Bureau of Extra-Normal (BEN) agents broke down your door last night, threw handcuffs and a hood over you, and snatched you away in seconds. You have no idea how far you've gone (they could have driven you in circles for two hours, for all you know), but after what felt like an eternity you were thrown into a windowless cell. It feels like you're in the basement of a concrete bunker, arcane sigils carved into almost every inch of the concrete. The bars are iron, certainly reinforced with magic. Each cell is relatively barren, with a single bed and a solitary toilet. Four cells face each other from the corners of the room. On one wall sits a door, while on the wall opposite are a set of large lockers. Sterile white lights flood the room, which, when combined with your anxiety, prevent you from getting any sleep.
You're also not alone.
The cell to the left of the door houses two men that look almost as if they could be related; both wearing glasses. The one with the shorter hair's glasses appear to be cracked, as he likely was handled just as roughly as everyone else. The cells have not been built for two people, yet BEN has crammed them past occupancy regardless. The cell next to them houses a woman with dark, curly hair. On the other side of the room, a muscular man and another dark-haired woman in floral print each have a cell to themselves.
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
Ryder takes a deep breath, running his hands through his long brown hair, getting it out of his face as he takes in his surroundings. "Well that was quite unpleasant..." Noting the remarkably similar man next to him "You alright?"
Reed takes out his pocket watch, "I've been better." He looks at the door, "I've been worse too." He looks at the man next to him, "Are you alright?"
"Quite alright given our current predicament. They seemed a bit gentler with me than you" Ryder stands up and moves to the bars "Any idea why the hell they black-bagged us?"
Reed shakes his head.
A young Hispanic woman wearing yellow and pink floral sweatpants and a t-shirt with a heart-and-skull logo on it looks around the cell for a second. "Me either." She puts her nose close to the wall and squints at the sigils on the wall, to see if she can decipher them. "I'm going to guess there aren't just for looking pretty."
Reed traces one with his index finger, "Probably some warding glyph."
Tia squints harder at the glyphs on the wall. "Yeah... That and surveillance, I'm thinking. Hey! Cabrones!" Tia directly addresses the wall. "I'm going to need an extra blanket. You dragged me out of bed before I could even get my socks on."
Tenna crosses to the entrance to the cell. She raises an eyebrow. "Warding and surveillance? What the..." She scowls. "I have somewhere to be, you-" She trails off into muttered curses.
"We all do." Reed looks at his watch, he looks at the door.
"So what, you all got dragged here unexpectedly too?" Lacking a convenient BEN official, Tenna levels a glare at the nearest sigil on the wall. Reed nods.
"Well, apparently we're stuck here until BEN decides to give us A FREAKING CLUE WHY THEY DRAGGED US HERE!" Tenna addresses the last several words to the wall. "So, I'm Tenna. Who're you guys?"
Tia gives up on the wall and wanders over to the bars. She taps a bar experimentally with one fingertip but doesn't bother to study it more closely. Instead, she shrugs to herself and then smiles across the way toward Tenna. "Tia Cabrera. Nice to meet you, all things considered."
Tia then leans against the bars and peers expectantly toward the other corner of the room.
“Reed,” he says as he checks his watch.
"Tia, you seem like you know something about these sigils, how serious are they? What kind of magic do they block, 'cause if someone doesn't show up soon, I'm gonna give busting out a try." Tenna directs a look at her wall. "So you people might want to send someone down stat, 'cause my patience is waning here!"
Ryder slowly makes his way around the cell, inspecting the glyphs, absentmindedly muttering to himself. He sighs and speaks up "Yup, definitely surveillance... and the wards... hmmm...." he ponders a moment "yes, these are basic anti-translocation wards, so at least we don't warrant the heavy duty stuff." he shakes himself out of his musings "Name's Ryder by the way"
In response to Tenna, Tia nods her head toward the cell with the two men. "What he said." Then she once again frowns toward the sigils on the wall. "We don't warrant the heavy duty stuff because we didn't do anything wrong! Come on, people. At least tell us why we're here?" Leaning again against the bars, she sighs and looks toward Reed. "What time is it, anyhow?"
Reed opens the sliver lid of his pocket watch, "4:40," he closes it with a click, "AM."
"Ugh." Tia makes a face and runs a hand through her rumpled hair, which does nothing to improve its appearance. Then she looks thoughtfully across the way at Tenna. "I want to try something. I promise it won't hurt." Tia glances around at the sigils and shrugs. "Well, won't hurt you. We'll see."
"Ummm...okay." Tenna shrugs. "Works for me. I'm getting really sick of waiting around. Should I step back or anything?"
"No. OK. Here goes probably nothing. If it works, you might feel a little tingle." Tia sort of squares her shoulders and shakes out her hands. Then she makes a little flourish with her right hand which ends with her palm pointed toward Tenna. "El sol."
After a second, Tia's eyes widen. She lowers her hand. "Huh. I wasn't exactly expecting that. So apparently, they haven't completely blocked out the ability to use magic."
"That was a little tingly. What was it?" Tenna asks.
Tia tugs absent-mindedly at the hem of her shirt. "Just a little cantrip that lets me see someone's defenses. Makes it easier for me to... Not that I would use it against you. I just wanted to see if they'd blocked out magic altogether."
"I thought it would be better than frosting you. Or poisoning you." Tia grins a little sheepishly.
"Yeah, that's preferred" Tenna grins for a moment, then chews absentmindedly on her lip. "I wonder what I could use. If there's an animal around, I could try to bond with or talk to it and at least figure out where we are..." Tenna immediately begins scanning for an animal within speaking distance.
“I doubt there’s any animals in here,” Reed says as he looks at his watch. “B.E.N. is typically very cautious and very knowledgeable.”
"Yeah, you're right." Tenna's scowl returns. "Looks like we're stuck here until B.E.N. decides to honor us with their presence."
Tia shoots A Look toward Reed. "It was worth a try. What about you? Any tricks up your sleeve? That watch have some special ability? You keep looking at it."
Reed shakes his head, “Nothing special, just a nervous habit.” He looks at the man in the other cell, “How are you holding up?”
"Ugh... Hmm?" The figure replies. As he stands up it is clear that he is well built and handsome, slightly hairy. He appears to be in his mid 20s and has brown hair. "Where are we? What am I doing here?"
"Hi. You're in a B.E.N. cell block, and none of us have any clue what we're doing here, because no one's come down since we got dragged here in the middle of the night." Tenna directs another glare at the wall.
"Ugh, those guys are like the cops of the magic world right? Why am I here? It's not like I've done anything bad..." Hanz says.
Tia blinks and leans against the bars again, craning her head to look toward the cell that she hadn't realized was occupied.
Reed looks at the man and takes his glasses off and inspects the crack in them, “Technically only the United States’ magic police, but yes.”
"None of us have. Like I said, we got dragged here randomly in the middle of the night. I was about to head out camping." Tenna says.
Hanz begin to look around his cell to see what he can find out about his cell.
While they're talking, Tia checks out the door across the way from her, between the cells with the two Rs and Tenna. As she does, she addresses Tenna. "What's on this wall over here? It's kinda hard to see with these BARS IN THE WAY."
"Looks like some lockers. I'm willing to bet that if our stuff's anywhere near here, it's in there." Tenna comments.
Tia glances toward Tenna and makes a face. "I'm torn between hoping so and being pissed that they went through my stuff. Although my go bag was beside the door, so..."
"Same. Like I said, I was about to leave for the San Gabriels, so I had all my stuff in my backpack. Still, I am going to be even more ticked off if they went through that-I had some seriously personal stuff in there." Tenna remarks
At the mention of stuff being taken Hanz reaches up and feels around his neck. "Damn! They took my pendant! What the hell do they want with us!? I want my stuff back now, it's really valuable!"
"Clearly big brother felt like we all stuck our noses where they didn't belong for one reason or another. And while and understandable reaction, screaming and panicking will do nothing to remedy the situation." Ryder looks around at the rest of the group
"Well what do you guys do? I've done nothing but help and protect people." Hanz says.
"Yeah. That, in a nutshell." Tia frowns thoughtfully but keeps studying the door on the other side of the room.
"Keep an eye on the forests directly outside of LA, and usually the people who go in them. Plus, you know, visit my friends who live out there." Tenna cranes her head, trying to see the door around the bars of her cell. "What's on this side of the room?"
“I would suspect it’s the door out,” Reed says.
"Yeah, but is there anything on it? A window, or markings? I can barely see the knob around these bars."
Reed shrugs, “The main point of this room appears to be imprisonment. No wards against charm effects, only teleportation.” He looks to Ryder for confirmation.
Ryder nods, "Seems like they want us to sit tight"
Reed nods, “But not for much longer. Who ever built this wasn’t worried about us charming a guard. A guard would have to arrive eventually to feed us if this was anything more than a holding cell.”
"You guys can charm people? Are you witches or wizards?" Hanz asks.
"Ummm...neither? I'm a druid. I also can't actually charm people at the moment, because I didn't prepare that spell yesterday morning. You know, 'cause I wasn't expecting to get DRAGGED HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!!" Tenna directs the last several words at the wall.
"Oh, were you trained by the fey?" Asks Hanz
"Errrr, sort of. My mom started training me, then a dryad finished after she died."
Reed nods sympathetically, "I'm sorry for your loss."
"I've had to hunt fey before, sometime they like to cause a bunch of trouble. When that happens I get called in." Hanz brags, "I've never had to kill any, I've only had to teach them a lesson and tell them to never do it again. They're much easier to deal with than real monsters..."
Reed looks at his watch, "Such as..."
"Werewolves, demons, hell hounds, ghosts, witches and a lot of others..." Hanz trails off.
"Mmmm." Reed looks at the door. "What was your name again?" Reed asks, closing the lid to his pocket watch.
"Oh sorry, I'm Hanz. What about you?"
"Reed. This is Ryder next to me, that's Tia and Tenna." Reed says, gesturing with his free hand.
"Nice to meet you guys. So it sounds like we were all put here for no reason..."
Tooltips | Snippet Code | How to Homebrew on D&D Beyond | Subclass Guide | Feature Roadmap
Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
"Maybe I can try something. I've been experimenting with werewolf blood recently and picked up some pretty neat powers."Hanz says as he walks up to the bars, "Watch this."
Reed shakes his head, "If you want a reason for B.E.N. to hate you then by all means continue."
Tenna nods, "Gotta say, I kinda agree with Reed over there. These cells have surveillance glyphs on the inside, so anything you do, B.E.N. will be able to see. I'd suggest holding any special abilities in reserve in case this situation gets worse than it already is." Hanz stops whatever he was about to do.
With obvious reluctance, Tia gives up trying to examine the door from across the room and retreats to her cot, where she tucks her bare feet beneath her and sighs heavily. Tipping her head back against the wall, she speaks just loudly enough to continue making conversation. "San Gabriels, huh?" she says to Tenna. "I went on a youth retreat up there once. Pretty. Way too, like, woodsy and quiet. But pretty."
Tenna grins. "I like it woodsy and quiet. Easy to concentrate and really, really pretty once you connect with it." Her grin fades. "It's really amazing if you can get the fey to show you around..."
Tia listens with a genuine smile. "OK, yeah. That might be pretty cool." She tips her head and looks in the direction of the other side of the room, which is silly since none of them can probably see her. "So what about the rest of you? What do you do when you're not lounging in BEN facilities?"
"I'm a professor." Reed says.
Tenna raises an eyebrow. "A professor, huh? Of what? Where?"
"Archaeology, specifically the Maya. I'm tenured at UCLA."
Ryder turns to Reed "You don't say! Apparently we both fit a particular... mold" He chuckles to himself
"Hmm" Reed looks at his watch, "What's your field of study?"
"Archeology, specializing in Greece. Though I spend my time out in the field." Ryder says.
"Are you involved in the magical community?" Reed asks.
"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't have drawn the ire of BEN. Or been quite so familiar with our lovely decor," Ryder gestures to the wards.
Reed shrugs slightly, "Some people stumble upon it in the most unusual of ways."
Ryder chuckles again, "Oh don't I know it. I have a story for you."
"Perhaps another time," Reed taps on a sigil.
Ryder nods and leans against the wall.
"I just work a regular job and not much else..." Hanz says, purposefully leaving something out.
Tia listens to the exchange between the archaeologists with a mildly amused smile. To Hanz, she says, "'A regular job.' Like what? Retail? Food service? Accountant? You're not a lawyer, are you? That might actually be handy. Under the circumstances."
"I'm a couple years out of college. I work a desk job for a marketing business. It's nothing interesting but it pays the bills." Hanz says with a shrug.
“A desk jockey that kills monsters for fun?” Reed muses.
"Huh. Wow, it's been years since I had a job as normal as that." Tenna shakes her head. "Heck, it's been years since I had bills to pay. So what's your connection to the magical world? Or is that too personal?"
"When I was 7 a demon had captured me for a couple witches to use me as a sacrifice with some other children. Luckily I was rescued by a team of heroes and returned back home. Since then I've studied the other world, how to get to it, and also how to make myself stronger."
Tenna blinks. "Fun. You might have me beat tragedy-wise."
Reed leans against the wall, “Well, if you enjoy it.”
"I have, after I learned more about the world and such I was able to go to some cool places and meet some good friends. I ended up helping a few people and earning some favors by taking care of small pests like imps and I've worked my way up since then. That's why I really want my gear back, I've got some valuable stuff in there."
"Trust me, we all want our stuff back." Tenna fires yet another glare at the wall. "But apparently that's not happening until B.E.N. gets down here and explains WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON."
"You said you're a druid right?" Hanz asks, "If you're a shape-changing druid you could turn into something small, climb through the bars, and escape. I've checked these glyphs, they're only for surveilance and can only stop conjuration magic. If you can get us our gear and get us out, we could probably get out of here. For whatever reason why they're holding us it can't be good, we need to get out of here."
“B.E.N. doesn’t take kindly to those who break rules” Reed says as he checks his watch.
"Great idea, but B.E.N. is skilled enough to find us and I really don't want to tick them off again. If they could find where I was before, they could find us later. I'd suggest we wait to find out what's going on, but if it turns bad, I am definitely Wild Shaping and getting our stuff." Tenna scowls angrily at the glyphs. "Of course, best case scenario would be for someone to come down here and explain what's going on."
"I guess that sounds like a plan, worse case scenario we can both break out. I can fight off the guards while you help the others break free." Hanz suggests
Tenna nods. "Sounds good. We've got a worst case and a best case scenario." She shoots another glare at the wall and sits on her bed, shaking her head. "I was supposed to be ten miles into the San Gabriels by now, out where all you can see is stars. Instead I'm stuck in a cell, with absolutely no nature around, worried sick about my friend."
"Excellent. It's not like the walls have ears or anything..." Ryder sighs and paces in front of the bars.
"Well is there a better way to communicate? I've got nothing, I only speak english and the magical common language..."
Tenna scowls at Ryder. "I'm pretty sure B.E.N. knows what we'd do if they attacked. As for communication, I speak Druidic, but I'm pretty sure none of your guys do." She shrugs and goes back to glaring at the wall.
Tia listens quietly to the exchanges, frowning thoughtfully. Eventually, she says, "I could probably add a few angles to an escape plan. But if I'm here, then they probably know my angles. And I'd really rather not spend the rest of my life running from BEN, if it can be helped. Or have them go after my family. So, yeah. Much as I hate it, I vote for sitting tight until they give us some clue why we're here." Tia deliberately avoids looking at the wall. "Assuming they intend to tell us anything at all, I guess. But the professor is right. This feels like a holding cell situation."
Hanz, feeling extremely board decides to pipe up again, "Hey Doc, what time is it now?"
"4:47 am. It's a waxing gibbous moon." Reed puts the pocket watch away and studies the wall, "I wonder how they got the funding for this." He muses to himself.
Tooltips | Snippet Code | How to Homebrew on D&D Beyond | Subclass Guide | Feature Roadmap
Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
An hour passes. And then another. Some of the detainees start to doze. Others deal with the waiting by fidgeting. Each seems resigned to the waiting, though. Finally, at around 8 a.m. the door opens and two men dressed in black suits walk in. The suits are immaculate and very reminiscent of the movie Men in Black. Hell, these guys are even wearing sunglasses. Indoors. They don't say anything as they enter and don't even acknowledge any of the frustrated people in the cells. One of them pulls a small device out of his pocket and holds it against a spot on the wall near the lockers. The energy in the room changes subtly, but perceptibly. The runes and sigils disappear from the walls. The second man mutters a series of nonsense syllables and all four cell doors pop open.
He speaks into the room without really looking at anyone, "You all are free to go. However, we are still actively investigating the Anaheim incident, so don't leave town. We may need to question you later. Your belongings are in these lockers. When you've collected yourselves, exit the door and follow the hall to the right. The guard at the end will let you out and arrange transport for you." He nods to the other man and leaves without so much as a backward glance. His partner follows him out the door.
"How long should the investigation take?" Reed asks.
The second man pauses at the door, looks back, and says, "As long as it takes. When we've solved it, if you are no longer persons of interest, we will let you know."
"Look, in a week and a half, I'm off to Mexico for a month. I can't miss the dig, I'm leading it!" Reed says desperately,"I don't know what happened in Anaheim, I haven't been there since... March."
Ryder steps out of the cell, speaking a mile a minute "Wait, that's it? You black bag us, hold us for hours, and expect us to just be ok with this? What Anaheim incident?"
Tenna leaves her cell and glares at the men. "What he said." She jerks her thumb at Ryder. "And in case you didn't notice when you were kidnapping me, I was about to head to the San Gabriels! I have a friend there who might need my help-I can't just sit around while you finish some investigation into some incident I don't even know about!"
The man looks at Reed and says, "You may want to find a backup. Maybe this is solved in a week and maybe not. Leaving town, even for something with that kind of advanced planning would look suspicious."
As the onslaught of questions continues, he smiles and shakes his head. "You all got 'the talk' when you first learned about the life. You know how we operate. We don't owe you anything. Our job is to keep the normals safe and ignorant and we are authorized to do whatever we have to in order to ensure that." He pauses. "Maybe you know about the incident and maybe you don't. You're being released because we are leaning toward the latter at the moment. Don't give us a reason to change our minds."
Tenna goes over to the lockers and starts getting her stuff, still glaring at the B.E.N. agents.
"Do you have a phone I may use?" Reed asks, "My wife is probably worried sick."
"Collect your things and talk to the guard. He can handle requests like that," the BEN agent says back in an almost offhand way.
"Excuse me," Reed says, holding a metallic breastplate and a glowing rapier, "Did you raid my house?"
Ryder steps towards the agents, staring at them intently, inspecting them like an artifact. His tone shifts from angry to curious and inquisitive, his head tilting to the side "Good lord, what did happen?"
The agent just looks at Reed, but does not answer.
Reed frowns, shuffles his stuff into his backpack and walks to the guard.
"Can I call my wife?" Reed asks.
“You will be escorted to a teleportation circle that will deposit you to your location of choice,” one BEN agent finally acknowledged Reed. “You can speak to her in person in an hour.”
"Please," Reed says.
Tia frowns as she joins the others in retrieving their belongings. Donning black combat boots and a pin-covered denim jacket over her Alkaline Trio t-shirt and flowered sweats, she waits for a lull in the conversation to ask, “You’re seriously not going to tell us what happened in Anaheim?”
Still glaring at the agents, Tenna reaches into the locker and pulls out a long dark green coat covered with oddly shaped patches and shrugs it on, then pulls out a brown backpack and starts going through it. You can hear glass clinking against metal inside the bag.
Hanz immediately heads for his gear as soon as the doors open, checking to see all his belongings are safe and accounted for. Those not busy talking with the guards might notice him pull out an ornate pendant made of fine cut ruby with a magical sheen to it. As much as Hanz had been talking before, he seems oddly quite now... "I'm ready to leave, could you drop me off at the nearest Plastered Dragon please?" Hanz says this accepting what the agents have said and not wishing to provoke anymore unwanted attention.
Slinging her backpack over her back, Tenna reaches into the locker one last time and pulls out what looks like an intricately carved walking stick, which she slips into a set of loops that run along the side of her backpack, so that it hangs parallel to her body. Between the backpack and the staff, she looks like an ordinary hiker that you might meet out on the mountain trails, even if her long coat's a little strange. Turning, she faces the B.E.N. agents with her arms crossed. "So I can leave, right? As long as I don't leave LA? Which means I can't go into the mountains?"
“Are the mountains in the city?” the agent asks, snidely.
“When you say ‘town’ are you talking about the city of LA, the county of LA, Southern California..?” Reed asks.
Tenna gives the agent a flat, irritated look. "Hilarious. Glad you find my life so amusing." She turns to leave, waving goodbye to Tia and the rest of the group (and deliberately ignoring the agents) as she heads for the door.
"Now now, we should be happy they showed humor. I didn't realize this model of jackboot came with emotions." Ryder turns from the agents and grabs a messenger bag from the lockers. He flips open the top, pulls out jacket which he slips on, followed a set of keys and various tools he slips into an assortment of pockets. He plucks out a variety of scrolls and notes, replacing them as he goes, muttering to himself "better not have mussed up my notes...." before slinging the bag over his shoulder.
Ryder glares at the agents in turn around the room. "You better not have screwed up my notes.... and everything better be there."
"The county and any neighboring one will be fine," the agent allows. "Just make sure you don't go outside of civilization."
"You mean your definition of it," Tenna snaps.
"You could try to go with your definition," the agent suggests, "but you might not like the consequences. At any rate, we know where to find you."
Having said his piece, the agent turns on his heel and heads out the door.
"Hold on I want to go to the Plastered Dragon!" Hanz says as he chases after them.
Tenna also leaves, waiting a moment after the agent leaves the room.
Tenna catches up to Hanz. "Hey, so you want to exchange contact info? I mean, you said sometimes you work with fey, and I usually know about that kind of thing, could be useful for us to be able to contact each other."
Ryder digs in his bag for a notepad and scrawls down his info on a blank page before he rips the page out. "Hey professor, we should collaborate soon" he folds the paper and holds it out.
"Different parts of the world, friend." Reed says before writing his email and phone number down, "But if you're at UCLA anytime soon, come by."
Ryder nods. "I think I can make my way by."
Hanz turns to face Tenna, "Oh sorry! Yeah that's a good idea. I better go back and exchange numbers with the others. I plan on going to the Plastered Dragon to see if I can gather some information about the Anaheim incident. If I find anything out I'll keep you updated."
"Great, thanks!" Tenna turns and heads back to the room as she pulls out a notebook and tears off a piece. "Anyone what want to exchange contact info?"
Reed shrugs, "I regularly check my university email. I think it's online..."
Ryder jots down his info on a couple more free corners of paper and hands them over.
Hanz follows after Tenna and offers to exchange information with the rest of the group also.
Tia's go bag is denim embroidered with bright-colored abstract designs. She gives it an absent-minded shake and seems satisfied that it contains all it should. Still frowning, she says, "Yeah, I think it's not a bad idea to have a way to get in touch. This whole situation stinks of... something." She exchanges info with the others as well.
"In the meantime,” Tia adds, “I'm going to change into some real clothes and make sure my family's all right." Tia starts to add something else, looks pointedly at the walls, and shrugs. "And then maybe check around with some sources, see what I can find out about Anaheim. I mean, if I'm going to be accused of something, I'd like to know what."
"I'll definitely ask my fey sources-the ones I can contact from the city, anyway." Tenna copies an email and an address onto four pieces of paper. "I check my email about once a day when I'm in the city, but if it's urgent, go to this address and tell Kerrin you have a message for Tenna. Kerrin's the black haired woman at the front desk, she'll send an animal messenger. That way I'll get it even if I'm in the mountains."
Tia gets an odd look on her face, as if she'd like to blurt out how very cool the whole fey and animal messengers deal is, if this wasn't a bad time for things like that. Instead, she hesitates a second, says, "Thanks. Hey, I hope your friend is OK," and gradually moseys toward the door.
"Thanks. Me too. Maybe I'll see you soon." Tenna tucks the notebook back into her backpack and heads for the door.
"Hey Tia," Hanz says quickly before she leaves the room, "I plan on gathering some information, I'm going to the Plastered Dragon since I thought that'd be a good place to start. Would you like to join me?"
Tenna glances over. "Mind if I tag along too? Since I can't leave the city, it seems like a decent place to try to pick up some news on my friend."
"Fine by me." Hanz replies.
Tia glances down at her sleepwear, which is at least now accompanied by a jacket and boots, thinks for a second, and shrugs. "Sure," she replies to Hanz. "I can check in with Mima Rosa and Father Garcia from there as easily as from my apartment."
"Sounds good, let's head out." Hanz responds. He's eager to see what information he can find on the Anaheim project and excited to do so with his 2 new allies.
Ryder checks the last few things before lowering his voice and addressing the others. "I need to settle a few things at home, just got back into town last night. I'll meet up with you all soon."
Eventually, everyone makes their way out of the holding area and departs for his/her destination of choice: Hanz, Tenna, and Tia head for the Plastered Dragon, while Reed and Ryder each make their ways home to collect themselves before possibly joining the others at the Plastered Dragon.
(EDITED to add a few additional lines.)
Breenie Wrynn (Half-Elf Rogue/Arcane Trickster), Dragons of Despair
Runa Barnatsdottir (Human Fighter/Eldritch Knight), A Journey Across the Planes
Tia Cabrera (Human Sorcerer/Wild Magic), Kingdoms of Magic: Tinseltown
Lenore (Dwarf Cleric/Forge Domain), Threnody of Neverwinter
Being early morning, the Plastered Dragon is practically empty. Only Derek, a broad shouldered, bald man who always seems to be behind the bar, is present. But like every other Plastered Dragon in the multi-verse, this one is open 24 hours a day, every day of the week. He serves everyone up their drinks and pub food of choice with an efficiency you’ve come to expect from The PD.
”Anaheim Incident?” He responds, when prodded for information. The bartenders at the PD always seem to have their ears to the ground. “I haven’t heard anything specific quite yet, but I can keep my ear to the ground. Although, between you and me, South Orange County has been getting some crazy weather lately. After the drought, I don’t think anybody has wanted to question it. But, seems to me tracking the storms might not be a bad place to start.”
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
Reed appears at his front door. The door is locked and the house seems quiet. Reed finds keys in his backpack, B.E.N. really did take everything. Inside, he finds Adriana and Merete still asleep. He takes a shower and brews a pot of coffee. He nudges Adriana, she does not wake. He pokes her again.
“Hmmm?” Adriana murmurs, slow to wake. “G’morning,” she yawns. “What time is it?”
Reed hands her a cup of coffee and checks his watch, "8:47"
“I was going to go for a run this morning,” she sighs, taking the coffee.
Reed sits down on the bed, "Yeah, I was hoping to get to Trader Joe's before it got busy." He sighs, "We need to talk about the trip."
“Is this a talk that should wait until I finish this cup?”
Reed gestures for her to finish her cup as he also take a sip of his coffee. Adriana drains the mug of coffee.
"Do you remember last night when someone knocked on the door?" Reed asks.
“The ummm,” her brow furrows, and she pauses to think for a minute. “The pizza guy got the wrong house. I swear, living so close to the university... You know, when Merete gets older, we should move.”
"That was last night..." Reed muses, "No, at about 1 or 2 in the morning."
Adriana puts her mug down, "Reed, what are you talking about?”
Reed frowns, "B.E.N. came in the middle of the night, kidnapped me, and raided the house for my magic items. They didn't appear to take any of yours. They then held me for... six hours? And they erased your memory of the event, Men in Black style."
“Damnit,” Adriana slammed her coffee mug down, tearing into the next room to check on Merete. “You checked, everything is still here?”
Reed nods, "They only took my stuff. How they knew..."
“What are you working on?” Adriana asked. “What did you do to piss BEN off?”
Reed shrugs, "I tell you everything I do! They suspected that I had something to do with the 'Anaheim Incident'."
“We haven’t been there since... well, since Merete’s fourth birthday,” Adriana shook her head. “Why do they think you were in Anaheim?”
"I don't know. The agents were tight-lipped." Reed says, "The most important thing is they don't want me to leave LA and Orange County until they finish the investigation."
“So the trip...”
"I won't be able to go. But Oliver is a capable researcher, the trip can still continue, you can still go. If they finish up the investigation, I’ll get down there.” Reed promises.
“I don’t want to go without you, certainly not if you’re in trouble.” Adriana says.
“I doubt I’m in trouble; someone else did it and their magic will leave a mark” Reed reassures Adriana, “I don’t think the others did it either...” He trails off.
“What if someone is purposefully framing you?” Adriana worries, twisting her hair nervously. “Seriously, Reed, this isn’t normal.”
“I know.” Reed says, “Framing seems weird, there were other suspects –they didn’t do it; we were all in the same situation– and I can’t imagine someone framed us all. They probably had a faulty divination.”
“A faulty divination? Magic doesn’t tend to lie like that.”
“The gods are cryptic to say the least, I wouldn’t be surprised if they misinterpreted the divination, that would explain why they also had a very similar looking archaeologist.”
“Shit,” Reed tries, “You know I’m worried! But I don’t know what to do! And last time something like this happened, there was someone who did.”
“I don’t know what to do either, love.” Adriana pulls Reed into an embrace. Reed hugs back.
Tooltips | Snippet Code | How to Homebrew on D&D Beyond | Subclass Guide | Feature Roadmap
Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Thank you Derek that would be very nice. Hanz says this quite pleased with the outcome of their visit to the Plastered Dragon.
Say do you know where specifically in Orange County this storm was causing trouble? If it was something suspicious, like you're describing, there must've been a central location for it to start or be at its strongest.
After listening to what the bartender has to say he'll thank him and toss him 2 gold pieces and order some food to eat as he turns to his other friends waiting to see if they're ready to do some more investigation work, this time in Orange County.
As she, Hanz, and Tenna arrive at the PD, Tia aims a smile and wave at Derek but doesn't stop to place an order. Instead, she heads for a quiet corner—which is, in the middle of the morning, all of them—and pulls out an old-model, faded yellow flip-phone. She doesn’t leave it on at all times—when your job involves a lot of magic, that’s just asking for trouble. So while the phone is powering up, Tia takes the opportunity for a few calming breaths and a quick mental inventory.
I’m safe. I’m free. I’m… in my pajamas in the middle of a public place.
Thus far, however, Tia’s new acquaintances hadn’t commented on her appearance. Turned half away from them, she self-consciously tugs at the hem of her t-shirt to be sure no fat rolls peek over the top of her sweats. Normally, she doesn't worry too much—she's been what Mima Rosa calls "pleasantly plump" her entire life. But she's also used to choosing what clothing people see her in.
Thank God I wore a bra to bed.
The jacket makes her feel better, too. Not only does it cover more than the t-shirt, but it’s peppered with pins by all her favorite bands. Which is a considerable number of pins, and also a considerable confidence boost.
As Tia is using her free hand in an attempt to tame the worst of her bedhead, the phone’s indicator light flares. With one more calming breath, Tia dials the first number. With the bar mostly-empty, there’s no real point in trying to hide what she’s saying, so she doesn’t bother.
Tia’s first call is to her grandmother. “Sí, Mima. I know, I know.” Tia makes placating gestures with her free hand as she speaks, mostly in Spanish. “I’m fine. It’s just work. I’m sorry I missed our breakfast. I’m sorry I didn’t call. Lo siento. Yes, I really am fine.” The conversation winds up for another few minutes, as Tia carefully guides her grandmother into the territory of general gossip and then even more carefully toward the topic of Anaheim, without revealing anything that happened to Tia last night or directly asking if Mima Rosa has heard of anything happening in Anaheim. Eventually, with several more placating gestures and words, Tia wraps up that call.
Tia’s second call is more succinct. “Father Garcia, por favor,” she says when the receptionist at Santa Lucia answers. A few seconds later, Tia quickly gets Father Garcia up to speed on what’s happened and where she is. Unlike her mostly-Spanish conversation with Mima Rosa, this conversation is mostly English with only a smattering of Spanish words. “…Anaheim incident. Do you have any idea what they mean?”
For a dishearteningly short time, Tia listens. Her face falls.
“Yeah. I will. Gracias, Father.” Tia frowns as she disconnects from the call. She hauls her brightly-colored go bag over to the bar and plops it onto an empty seat beside Hanz. The side pocket is open, revealing a few battered books of crossword and Sudoku puzzles. She carefully powers down her phone, snaps it shut, and drops it into the pocket with the puzzle books.
“Storms?” Tia says, catching just the tail end of the conversation. “Mima Rosa says storms are a bad omen.” Tia shrugs. "Unfortunately, that's the only information I can add. My contact at the Church had nothing."
Breenie Wrynn (Half-Elf Rogue/Arcane Trickster), Dragons of Despair
Runa Barnatsdottir (Human Fighter/Eldritch Knight), A Journey Across the Planes
Tia Cabrera (Human Sorcerer/Wild Magic), Kingdoms of Magic: Tinseltown
Lenore (Dwarf Cleric/Forge Domain), Threnody of Neverwinter
I don't have any contacts in the real world. Most work I do pertains to stuff in the magical world and so my friends are here.
Derek here was telling me about how he's heard of some strange weather recently in Orange County and we may want to do some investigating there. Says Hanz, filling in Tia (and Tenna if she's listening) on what he's found out.
Have you guys got your breakfast yet? I'm ready to go.
Hanz will turn towards Derek: Thank you Derek, it's been a pleasure and you've been a great help to me and my friends.
Tia glances between Hanz and Derek a couple of times, obviously torn. But Tenna doesn’t seem ready to depart yet, either, and Tia’s stomach rumbles.
“I… haven’t eaten anything since dinner last night.” She shrugs awkwardly. “And it was a long night. And maybe we should let the archaeology twins know what we found out and where we’re going before we leave?”
Tia parks herself on a barstool and orders cheese fries and a diet cola. While she’s waiting/eating, she asks Derek a few more questions.
“Strange storms, huh? I guess I missed that on the news. What exactly is so strange about them?” To Hanz and Tenna, Tia adds, "Either of you have a smart phone or anything we can use to research where these storms seem to be originating? I think that was a good instinct on your part, Hanz. But I don't carry too much technology into the field, unfortunately."
Breenie Wrynn (Half-Elf Rogue/Arcane Trickster), Dragons of Despair
Runa Barnatsdottir (Human Fighter/Eldritch Knight), A Journey Across the Planes
Tia Cabrera (Human Sorcerer/Wild Magic), Kingdoms of Magic: Tinseltown
Lenore (Dwarf Cleric/Forge Domain), Threnody of Neverwinter
Yeah, I do. Hanz replies.
He'll pull out his smartphone and begin looking up the recent weather in Orange County as well as seeing if any news stories have appeared from Anaheim yet.
Tenna frowns "Do you know the area the storms have been hitting? Just metropolitan areas, or have they stretched as far as the parks and reservations?"
Tia munches on her cheese fries and nods in agreement with the questions Tenna has added. Tia also nudges the plate of fries toward Tenna and Hanz and murmurs, "Have some if you want."
“I’m no weatherman, but it’s seemed to me that the thunderstorms have gone all the way to the parks,” Derek replied to Tenna.
"Thanks," Says Hanz, grateful for Tia's offer of fries. "If they've gone all the way to the parks we may want to look there first. It'll be a lot easier to search the park than the city and Tenna already knows the area very well." "Tenna, does this sound like something a fey would do?" Hanz asks curiously. "I am exceptionally good with tracking down some creatures but I can only focus on one at a time.
Tia tips her head when Hanz speaks of tracking, obviously restraining her curiosity. "You're probably right about heading to the parks first." She shrugs and smiles sheepishly. "I started off in research and investigation, it's still my first instinct. Boots on the ground is still new to me. But it may be easier to figure things out if we're actually there."
Tenna orders a milkshake and shrugs. "It'd have to be a pretty powerful fey, if the storms stretch from Anaheim to the forests. For that matter, it'd have to be a pretty powerful anything. But nothing about that particularly screams fey to me-it's a little too vague for me to be sure of anything."
"Alright, then I'd suggest you do the investigating” Hanz says. “I'll be more than happy to help you."
"Umm...OK, I'm absolutely happy to help out in the parks, but if we wind up in the city I'm afraid I won't be much use. Just warning you-I'm kind of bad with...buildings. And streets. And humans " Tenna takes a sip of her milkshake as it arrives and shrugs uncomfortably. "They don't really make much sense to me."
As Tenna informs Hanz on her environmental difficulties, he'll lay down sideways in the booth to get more comfortable. "That's fine, when we get into the city we'll just have to work together. We'd at least be able to tell the others nothing’s going on out in the parks, it'd be in the city."
Tia shoots Tenna a plainly puzzled look. "I don't know, you seem to do OK with humans." Tia glances between Tenna and Hanz and gives the tiniest of sighs. "I'm not much good with anyplace but the city. But if you'll help me out in the wilds, I'll return the favor if we need to come back to the city. I really do want to know what's going on." Polishing off her last fry, Tia leans back in her seat. "I guess we need to figure out how to get from here to... Where do you think we should we go first, exactly? Which park?"
Hanz looks to Tenna, he's not quite sure which park would be their best option but thinks Tenna would probably know.
Tenna chews her lip thoughtfully. "Chino Hills would be the closest...Of course, there's a huge unnamed one pretty close too. Has Santiago Peak and stretches nearly 60 miles end to end. Nah, we should probably start with Chino Hills." Tenna smiles wryly. "And trust me Tia, most humans I am terrible with. They just...complain a lot. About silly stuff in nature. Like bugs. Why would you complain about bugs? They're a vital part of the ecosystem!" Tenna stops her tirade abruptly, looking embarassed. "Umm, anyway, I appreciate the offer, Tia. I'm happy to help in the forests if you'll help me out in the city."
Tia makes an empathetic face as Tenna talks and nods in agreement, but she also squirms a bit during the bugs talk, like she's making a mental note not to complain about bugs in front of Tenna. "Chino Hills it is, then." Tia glances toward Hanz to get his agreement. Then she looks around the Plastered Dragon and out the window in an attempt to decide where exactly they are. "Public transportation, I guess?"
"Yeah that's fine," Hanz says. "I'd offer to give everyone a ride in my car but my car is at my apartment on the other side of town."
"Okay." Tenna nods. "Public transportation works for me." She glances at Hanz. "Do you need breakfast? I mean, I do, but I can get something portable if we want to head out right away."
Hanz looks at Tenna and chuckles. "I already ate, you guys decided to stay and eat after I finished."
"Oh." Tenna smiles embarassedly. "Umm, anyway, I just want to find someone to send a quick sending to my friend to make sure he's okay, and then I'm good to head for the parks."
Tia turns a little pink as well and shrugs defensively at Hanz. "I had calls to make first. Granted, they didn't do us much good. But still." To Tenna, Tia says, "Sure thing. Hanz and I can see about calling a cab or seeing if there's a bus stop close by while you're doing that."
"I'm fine with that." Hanz gets up, prepared to head out with Tia.
"I'll only be about fifteen minutes," Tenna says. "Meet you guys back here?" Unless either of them talk to her, she then heads out the door.
Meanwhile...
When Ryder returns to his humble abode, he shuts the door behind him and closes his eyes, taking slow deep breaths. He opens his eyes, taking in the total havoc and mayhem that was wrought upon his things. He sighs and begins cleaning up, cataloging his notes and returning his apartment to the organized chaos it usually is. (Though some may not see much difference). Once things are back in place he gives it all a thorough once over, ensuring those damned jackboots didn't decide to add any of their glyphs to his decor. Once satisfied his place is free of their meddling, Ryder cleans up, changing his clothes and tossing some snacks in his bag before heading back out.
Ryder strolls into the Plastered Dragon as the others seem to be ready to leave. He waves. "Well at least I caught you."
While Tenna is sending her message, Tia attempts to arrange public transporation to the entrance of Chino Hills State Park.
Tenna arrives back at the Plastered Dragon flustered and worried. As she arrives, she notices Ryder and gives him a distracted nod and muttered greeting before turning to all three of them. "Something's definitely going on with the fey. We need to get to Anaheim and figure out what's going on as soon as possible. How are we getting there? Oh, and is that other professor guy coming or not?"
Tia takes in Tenna's change in demeanor and frowns with concern. "I guess we should let him know where we're going, at the least," she says. As their ride arrives, Tia calls and leaves a message for Reed, outlining the little they've discovered and letting him know where they're headed.
Breenie Wrynn (Half-Elf Rogue/Arcane Trickster), Dragons of Despair
Runa Barnatsdottir (Human Fighter/Eldritch Knight), A Journey Across the Planes
Tia Cabrera (Human Sorcerer/Wild Magic), Kingdoms of Magic: Tinseltown
Lenore (Dwarf Cleric/Forge Domain), Threnody of Neverwinter
Whether by bus or car, the assembled crew makes their way to Chino Hills. It takes about an hour for everyone to get there, but you arrive at the rolling green hills outside of the city limits and assemble. Los Angeles is usually a combination of smog and sun, but today thunderclouds have assembled overhead. They appear to be originating west of your current position, but the skies above look like they could open up at any second.
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
Hanz looks toward Tenna questioningly, So where should we start?