5666/Chaos At the Gate

Chaos At the Gate
Date of Scene:	28 October 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Lucky Day, Mercy Thompson

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Lucky Day has posed:
The Bloody Gate is a mysterious thing that appears as it will, a gateway between a limbo between worlds, an afterlife for those who don't fit in either way; those who believe in the esoteric or have curses that demand something more than limbo. It is a surrealistic place, but hellish in its own right and the physical gate appears once in a hundred years. This time the place has been slated due to the alignment of the stars in the New Mexico desert far from New York. It will unleash chaos on the small towns around it as spirits and extra dimensional creatures pour out of it hoping to plunder the mortal realm.

Tom is here because there is one spirit in particular that is odd, untouched by the efforts of his curse to prevent him from learning about his condition. As luck would have it, as he learned about the gate, his efforts to tell others went for naught; a veribable pandorica of responses, emails lost, voice messages reforwarded. But Tom's curse is not all powerful so despite the occult threat to the rest of the world a few of the greater powers have been alerted to the threat.

Tom stands in the middle of a desert canyon, the sun setting in the distance, the moon rising and the complex ward he has set in the sand sloppy at best. He is a mage, but his skills outside of Luck are limited. It will buy time, but time might be enough to find a way to shut the gate once it opens.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy Thompson is out, away from home, camping. She's out in the desert, needing as she does from time to time to get away from the city and to the wide open spaces. She's left the camp tonight, however, and is running as a coyote. She's chased and caught a rabbit, and now is trotting through the sunset. The smell of magic rising makes her stop, forefoot still in the air. She turns a little and starts that way. Slow at first, soon Mercy's trotting rapidly toward the rising magic.

Lucky Day has posed:
Teal lightning begins to form in the distance around the gate. One strike, then another. It begins to set the wards that Tom has set around the place aglow in a bizarre mix of Anazsca style with poorly drawn stick figure style pictograms for a magician with no panache for the asthetic. He is not wearing his ritual top hat, evil villain mustache and montebanke cape since he is not expecting anyone to be here.

The gate slowly begins to form, a mirage at the moment, a flat disc of crimson that lines in perfect sync with the setting sun no matter what angle you look at it from, but that doesnt change that it is slowing fading into existance.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Coyote Mercy scrubs at her nose with a paw. She draws a bit closer...the competing smells of the magic making her cautious of just interfering. her attention divides evenly between Tom and the gate back and forth, as she skulks a few paces closer, hiding behind scrub or stones in the desert.

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom has his full attention on finish the wards, as he is able to complete the third ring thus completely locking the thing in. But its still a tough sell since he hasn't aligned the spell to the celestial orbit of the stars forming the gate. The longer the gate remains open, the more things will pour through it and the more he will have to find a way to close it.

On top of that, he just barely has time to take a small pumping out and begin making a Jack O Lantern out of it to talk to the Hejjmin, the spirit soon to pour out of it. More teal lighting tears down on the ring and the sun finally sets and the gate is fully formed. A sickly howl and a chime pours from the gate as the sounds of distant horns pour forth from it.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy crouches, hiding behind a scrub of tumbleweed. She bites down on a snarl as the gate forms and that sick howl sounds out. Coyote's eyes fix on Tom, lips pulled back in a snarl, not liking this at all.

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom lights the Jackolantern, and finishes the communication spell. Instantly, a hoard of ghosts, slaadi and daemons pour out of the blood gate, at leat a bakers dozen and another every thirty seconds. They slam into the wards though and look pissed. They know its Tom and a few shoot lightning bolts at him but those are stopped by the wards.

The Hejjmin has not yet stepped through the gate so Tom ignores their howling and waits. He is, however already working on a third spell to potentially close the gate, arguably the one he should have done second but he wants this information damn it.

As Mercy's disgust at Tom rises, she feels the metaphysical winds against her back and the nature of the desert and the situation giving her strength she might not ordinarily have. This is the right time and right place for her to be.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy feels the wind push. She hesitates, then howls back. It's a command. She can't do anything about some of what's there but the ghosts. They go silent and still at the coyote's howl. Mercy steps out into the moonlight, no hiding now.

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom is a bit shocked to see Mercy there, but most of his will at this point is focused on keeping the wards up, keeping the communication spell ready, and readying the third ritual to close the gate. The ghosts all stop where they are, confused and a bit annoyed but non plussed by the howl since no such magic exists on the Blood Plane.

The daemons and Slaadi however still pound on the wards, but the effect is temporarily lessened.

Tom's curse, annoyed that Tom's plan is working considers smiting Mercy but her attitude towards Tom is still hostile so its confused.

While it dithers, the negative magic keeping the Hejjmin out stops enough so it pours through the gate, all cubist squares and eyes on every facet. It speaks in a language that sounds like Bazookas and Tubas and it translates through the pumpkin. "I see you mage. What is it you want."

"I seek information."

"I know what you seek, but why should I give it to you?"

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy sits, watching the gate. Her head lowers, not submissively but ready to fight , and she growls when the Hejjim comes out. She wuffs, a bark with a command of 'tell.'

Lucky Day has posed:
The Hejjmin is neither daemon nor ghost nor Slaadi; it is a unique entity that is one of the rulers of the Bloodplane, but it understands all languages and responds to Mercy in kind. "You don't know me Daughter of Coyote" it says in Coyote's own tounge, "But I am a broker of information. I do not tell without a price, and before I tell you what he wants, you must tell me what you will pay to know it."

Tom doesn't catch any of this except the fact that she is asking the questions but nods, "I can give you seven bricks of Oladean Gold. I have them with me."

The Hejjmin laughs whole heartedly, "Well, why didn't you say that in the first place. Done and done."

Then all hell breaks loose. Tom's Curse and the powers behind it are not about to have Tom learn anything about what is going on so a satilite in orbit begins to decay in that orbit and descend toward the gate. Random winds pick up and begin to pick at the sand to blow it away. Random animals in the area howl and are being moved toward the gate to attack Tom. And a subtle but resistable urge is in Mercy's mind to attack Tom but due to her nature is effectively immune to it. But due to her senses she can actively sense something urging her to attack.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
"A rabbit, fresh caught," Mercy tells the Hejjmin. Then she howls, Coyote's howl, of chaos, directing it at the curse. she doesn't want those wards damaged. She paces slowly to Tom's side, not happy about it, but she's recognized that he's keeping the wards.

Lucky Day has posed:
The howl can command ghosts but it isn't enough to counter Tom's curse. But the ghosts can and immediately begin putting the sand back as the wind blows it away.

The Hejjmin can sense what is going on and then looks at Tom, "Deal changed. One bar of gold and I will give you a hint. Three are your tormentors; one of the 5th, one of the echoes of endless and one of reality entertainment. I will risk no more wrath from the combination such as those."

It turns to Mercy, "What you see is the manifestation of Blood Gate, the realm of my domain once every hundred years. This one seeks to undo a curse that is terrible and well crafted. You would do well to avoid aiding this one. But closing the gate is within your jurisdiction to do safely. You cannot stop my passage and I care not for these lesser beasts."

The Daemons and Slaadi take insult at that and hurl lighting at the Hejjmin instead of Tom. It also bounces off its cubic flesh accordingly.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy stands and starts to stalk forward, head still down and ready for a fight. THe advice about Tom, well, she's known for ignoring advice, and Coyote more or less -is- trouble. She takes a deep breath, and lets loose another howl this one directed at the gate itself. Go away, loosely translated. Coyote may be trouble and a trickster but he is also known for mostly making fools of those bent on evil.

Lucky Day has posed:
The gate begins to tremble since Coyote's magic in this place is very strong and the curse had ironically strengthened her magic here a mistake it is rapidly moving to rectify as it senses her thoughts. The gate begins to crumble and the Hejjmin smiles, "You would do well to supply that rabbit before the gate crumbles child."

Realizing what is going on, Tom understands the danger to Mercy even if she doesn't and says, "With any luck a Rabbit will not appear right now." The curse takes place and sure enough a ton of rabbits appear buuuuuuuut...so does a whole zoo of other animals all gunning for Tom. Snakes, Wolves, birds, bugs even a bear. Indeed, the rabbits are also gunning for him a vicious look in their eyes.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy pounces, and snaps...she's a lot faster than most coyotes. A quick shake of her head snaps the rabbit's neck and she flings it at the Hejjmin. She pauses, looking over her shoulder at Tom. Her expression clearly says 'run'.

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom is not that good at that many things but if there is one thing he has learned over time it is to run the frell away. A small trail of dust moves behind him as the gate finally collapses pulling all, including an outraged Hejjmin inside of it as teal lightning moves in REVERSE this time, moving up to the sky, closing the gate in a way that it has never been shut before. The earth begins to shake and while the zoo moves after Tom some of the other animals begin loose interest as the gate crumbles.

The rabbit is snatched, blood fresh as the Hejjmin at least got some gold and blood out of the bargain.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy the coyote runs as well, keeping track of Tom...she wants answers. She cuts back and forth behind him, distracting the wildlife that descended on the gate, making space for Tom. Once that space is achieved she puts foot to sand to follow him, catching up before long, then pacing him.

Lucky Day has posed:
It takes quite a bit of work since some of the other wild life really seems to have it in for Tom but the Curse gets bored quite easily and eventually stops or gets nipped and hurded away. Tom is quite the runner and keeps at full bore for a good 30 minutes before he finally collapses out of breath when the last rabbit moves away.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy growls at a persistent wolf, who looks a bit taken aback, being growled at by a coyote. The wolf sneezes, and cedes the chase, the curse no longer driving it, and not interested in a fight. Mercy goes over to Tom, and noses at him, grabbing a cuff of his shirt if he doesn't dodge, and tugging, then trotting off. She stops, and looks at him.

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom doesn't really stop her, he's too out of breathe at that point but he manages to pant speak "thank..." he waits, "you..." as he lies on his back. He smiles.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy huffs and waits for him to catch his breath, then trots off a few paces, stops, looks over her shoulder, takes a few more steps, looks.

Lucky Day has posed:
The coast, it seems, is clear though the Satilite in the distance makes a nice big THOOM causing a giant explosion that harmlessly spreads sand and fire and flame for a hundred yards in all directions with a shockwave heard for several miles.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy jumps, and flattens with a snarl, not having expected the explosion. She gets slowly to her feet, and looks at Tom. Fine...she's not body shy. She changes. In the blink of an eye there's no longer a coyote there, there's a woman, looking a little annoyed, and also quite naked. "gimme," she says, pointing at his shirt.

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom can't help himself as he sees the extremely hot girl suddenly nude before him but as much as his libido is primed he has interacted enough with shifters before that this isn't a TOTAL suprise so he takes off his shirt to hand to her, "That was...well timed." He has a bit of his breath back.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy Thompson pulls on the shirt. It's not great but it at least satisfies modesty. "You're welcome, by the way. ANd what the heck was all that about? Are you insane? Blood magic like that??? THe wolves would've ripped your throat out."

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom says, "It is...complicated. Technically speaking the less you know the better..." but as he sees she shifted from Coyote when he isn't looking at the curves he figures he isn't going to get out of it that easy, "I'm cursed. And it is exceptionally exceptionally difficult to learn anything about it. The Hejjmin was a desperation ploy."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy huhs. She doesn't say anything else for a minute. "I'm Mercedes, Mercy, Thopson," is what she does say. "Did you learn anything about the curse? Curses and I don't really get along."

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom says, "I learned that the guys who did it are powerful and a few cryptic clues." He repeats what he heard, "I need to hit the books on that but I have some leads. Knowing who did it might help me figure out how to undo it. Tom Night, sometimes called Lucky Day. Pleased to meet you."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy nods. "Good to meet you too," she says. "I do wonder how I get into these things. I'm just out here camping, and I get...demon gates and explosions." She frowns at Tom. "I get the feeling I should be blaming you."

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom says, "My luck is a weird magnet for odd things. You should blame me really. I am cursed in more ways than one." He smiles as she moves in the right direction. The less she likes him the safer she is."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
"Don't get a big head. Trouble finds me pretty much every other day. I -could- have done with a real camping trip, an actual vacation, " Mercy grumps. she flops back on the ground and looks up at the sky, a sort of 'why me'.

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom says, "I have a very big head. It really is about me. Before I was cursed, before time was changed, I was Elvis and the Avengers and the Beatles all wrapped up in one. Now, I'm...um....whatever the opposite of that is."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy laughs. "Yep, that's pretty much the big head," she says. She sits up, frowns at him. "You a good guy or a bad guy?" Might as well ask, the answer might be interesting.

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom says, "I tell people I'm a bad guy. I used to be a good guy. Now I'm a guy who does the best I can in a dangerous world but I'm not selfless. Bad things happen to people around me. People who like me get cursed and people who hate me get blessed. I can't end myself, but I can choose to never leave my house. I'm trying to end this and sometimes that puts people at risk. So...demigood?"

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy just shakes her head. She takes a breath, and is gone. There's a coyote there now, which shakes its way out of the shirt. The coyote stares at Tom a minute, then turns and runs off into the desert.