Sunday December 17th, 2017

Outside Lunex Telecommunications, Millwall Dock, Isle of Dogs

Katrina grapples the robot, meeting its strength with hers – but a shadowy figure emerges on the rooftop. She’s thrown into the water, which is then magically frozen.

It’s Tsoudain’a.

There’s much space around her for Elli to block, and the robots get past her. Patty fights in were-form but one of them manages to land what should be a mortal blow on Patty – its long metal spike through her torso. She has to stay in were-form, because the injury would be lethal to a human; and the remaining robot is armed with a charm to force her back into human form.

Elli telekinetically uses the old dock cranes to hit that robot, and sets fire to some robot fuel to help melt the ice.

Tsoudain’a realises he’s lost the battle, mutters “not bad, I’m almost impressed” (“I’ll take that”, says Elli), and flees.

There’s a screeching of wheels – Tim the Pythagorean has turned up, prompted by the Mathematikoi who received a prophecy they needed help. So Elli, a shivering Katrina, and a seriously injured were-Patty, bundle into his car.

Katrina (?) makes an insistent phone call to Matthew Parks of The Council, and persuades him to help, even if it means leaking a Council secret to a Pythagorean they’ve never met before.

Secret Supernatural-Aware Ward of a Private Hospital near London Bridge

Our heroes have a chance to talk and plan whilst Patty gets patched up. She asks her father – a management consultant – to look into the financial arrangements they’ve discovered.

And Matthew Parks mentions that they’ve today seen Jerome Willoughby heading through King’s Cross. What is he doing in London? So Patty decides to invite him for a meal.

Monday December 18th, 2017

Ubuntu Restaurant

The Ubuntu restaurants, like Country Life, Loving Hut, or Soul Vegetarian, are run by a religious movement – in this case a South Asian, east African fusion.

Patty picks a table near the front window. Elli watches from the back, and spots Sarah Thacker watching them from across the street. Katrina thinks she spots a known vampire, and spends far too long following them through shops and down the street before she realises her mistake. (Critical fails happen.)

Patty is about to give up before Jerome arrives. They exchange pleasantries – Jerome has “never been better” – before his cultist mask slips and he lets out his inner G’rah demon. “Embrace the dark mother!” he cries, before Patty knocks him out with one punch, and drags him into a Taxi.

Sarah Thacker escapes, but Jerome is taken somewhere safe where he can be exorcised.

But the gifts of the dark mother were what were keeping him alive – without the neurogenesis from Dr Wilson’s MRI machine / the dark mother, he collapses. They rush him to a hospital where he is remorseful, helpful, but will not survive the night.

Tuesday December 19th, 2017

Stake Out

Patty is knockout drunk, despondent at their failure to save her uncle.

She leaves a ranting answering machine message at the Wilson Wellness Clinic, blaming them for Jerome’s death.

Elli and Katrina choose to head out to the Wilson Wellness clinic and finally shut down the machine before it’s used in the 3pm appointment.

Wilson Wellness Clinic, Croydon

Patty’s message is incoherent and unpersuasive, but Wilson confirms the death, and (together with earlier examples), begins to worry that his MRI machine is causing a problem, and that today’s patient, teenager Theresa Price, should receive merely a talking cure.

Sarah Thacker, slowing becoming more desperate, knocks out Dr Wilson, ties him up in a storeroom, and takes over the appointment so that she can push forward the patient’s transformation into a G’rah demon and cultist.

She’s close to completing the process when the machine starts to make an even odder clunking sound than normal – and she loses control.

Elli is outside, telekineticlally doing some damage. Elli and Katrina hear shouting and footsteps, and try to barge through. Katrina kicks down the door downstairs, and charges the transformed patient, still wearing her torn goth clothes.

“Wheres the patient?” asks receptionist Clarice Morton. Katrina shrugs and waves her hands at the demon. (???)

Elli tries to cast a spell to drain the Strength from the patient-demon, but she’s still tired and absorbs some of the demonic taint – feeling her temptation to rage out and attack, he skin slowly changing colour. Katrina grabs Theresa and retreats upstairs.

Sarah Thacker sees what’s happening and tells Elli to rejoice and “accept the gifts of the dark mother”, but Elli shakes off the temptation loses some of her cool, and pummels Sarah Thacker, before searching the basement and finding Dr Wilson.

The problems being undeniable, Wilson finally accepts that his supposed triumph is a medical dead end, and he won’t use the machine again.

Sarah Thacker runs off, abandoning her scheme. But will she return?

(This summarises several online sessions.)