Liminal Case 3 a Play Report

 A session of Liminal created by Paul Mitchener.

This session was expertly written and run by Dave and featured Jeremy, Jonathan and Michael.  There is a load of information that Dave provided as part of session notes/summary, but I've written a storyfied actual play, from the perspective of new joiner Rae (Rae is a werewolf, lecturer & climber/parkour nut.  I joined this Liminal group halfway through their first season of cases).  

Technically this game was run using Discord for dice rolls and handouts and Zoom for voice, video and further handouts.

...Here Be Spoilers...

Revenge is the raging fire that consumes the arsonist...

...the woman crawled across the floor of the nightclub, swinging lights illuminated the carnage around her, pools of blood, limbs, organs.  A ragged, furry shape leapt over her and a human figure threw up their arms, a scream rang out as a flurry of teeth and claws ended them into pieces.  The woman let out a ragged breath and continued to crawl, blood was flowing from a stomach wound, she struggled to keep her vision from fading.  Eventually, she made it under the mixing desk, the cries and sounds of tearing and chewing were heard over the sound of VTSS, Sober Raving, a favourite set closer at the club.  A sound, a door, the fire exit to the street, she heaved herself to her feet, trying to stem a rising moan of pain.  Slowly, she edged towards the street and safety, she looked back... Raphael was on the floor behind her, he was reaching out, imploring.  She turned towards him and a shape pulled Raphael back into the melee, two red eyes glared back at her, the flash of strobes shone on its teeth, a howl pierced through the chaos.  This jolted the woman who turned and ran straight into the bonnet of a taxi, she spun, pulled at the door and threw herself inside, she just had time to look through the back window as the fire exit door slammed shut.

18 months later

Rae tosses her bag over her shoulder, the parkour club she'd set up at Brunel University was thriving, it was a great way of letting off steam, but it was also turning her into the fittest and strongest she'd ever been.  She was going to need every ounce of strength and agility to do what she needed to, it was revenge, pure and simple, for the friends she'd lost, for what she had become.  She snarled involuntarily, then laughed at the stupidity of it all, she was a werewolf, plain and simple, a killing machine.  The one person she trusted, Henry had confirmed it and they'd spent the last year researching all they could, Henry had saved her from doing something she regretted, she needed to learn all about her powers before she started tracking down the animals that had destroyed her life.

Rae Mendoza, Lecturer & Werewolf

But today, Henry had a favour to ask of her, he and some colleagues had been approached by P Division, an Inspector Skinner needs them to look into a sword that had been found in a cave in Wales.  The sword was all over YouTube, a tuber by the name of Josh "Ronin" Rayes was parading it and it seems to have caused consternation and interest from those with an interest in the occult.

The Sword

Henry and Rae arrive together at Mrs Miggins Pie Shop, meeting the rest of the group Ingrid and Abel.  Rae's hackles rise as she faces off to Ingrid, there is something otherworldly and deadly about this woman, who smiles back at her with all the cuddliness of a tiger shark.  Introductions made, they sit, eat, drink and discuss things which Rae only half listens to.  It seems Ingrid has something to do with magicians, there is mention of vampires and a ghost realm.  It sounds like teenagers discussing a computer game, but then she IS a werewolf, perhaps it would do well to listen closely.

Mrs Miggins Pie Shoppe

After a long discussion, where Rae barely controlled her temper as the two old men noisily slurped their teas and spilt bean juice onto their shirts, it is decided they will go directly to the home of Ronin and get the sword.  This is more like Rae, she likes action, to be doing something.  She feared, with these two doddery old men they would sit and discuss the finer points of fae and magical lore until the cows came home, or pontificate on the best way to fry bacon or make the perfect cuppa - infuriating!

The best fry up north of the river

Arriving at Ronin's house, Ingrid makes her excuses and heads off around the back.  It's left to Abel, Henry and Rae to front it out, they try a bit of flattery and Ronin's guard drops and he invites them in.  As Rae turns to close the door, she spots a well-dressed, elderly gent, sitting on a car bonnet down the road, she turns to the others to point him out, but when they look again, he's gone.

Inside the house is every geek's paradise, a cornucopia of tech and cool.  There is a woman there too, Beth, supposedly Ronin's girlfriend.  After Ronin recounts finding the sword, the group suggest they could do further research and surprisingly, Ronin is open to this, it seems the Sword has brought him nothing but bad luck but he makes the group swear, that if they find anything else out, they record it and send it to him.  Ronin refuses to go with them, for all his bluff and bravado, it's clear that he is scared.  Henry and Abel agree with Ronin's wishes and they make to leave.  Ronin and Beth whisper then Ronin steps forward, "There was a weird ninja type, tried to get in, like a cat they was, we spotted them on the camera, might be connected?"

Abel is carrying the sword as they leave, it's wrapped in a rug.  Rae is transfixed, it's like the rug is pulsing or light is trying to escape from it. Henry had mentioned that she may have The Sight, the ability to see through illusions or detect magical items or beings.  Whatever it is, there is a ton of magical energy pouring out of the rug.

Abel, Henry and Rae spot Ingrid as she walks from the back of the house and along the street, she nods in the direction behind them.  The same man, who was sitting on the bonnet of the car, is making a beeline for them.  Rae feels a claw ping out but bunches her fist to hide it.

"Hello gents, ladies, my name is Mervin Reese and I believe you have something I need."

Mervin Reese

A little while later they are in the pub, Mervin, a somewhat down-at-heel magician, is downing his third pint.  Mervin explains patiently, in his soft, welsh drawl, how it is important that the sword is returned to a cave in Wales, "as it will ward off werewolves, trolls and various fae fuckers from running amok", he's quietly but steadily adamant that this is what must be done and what will be done.  But Ingrid wants to return the sword to the Council of Merlin and Henry needs to do more research before handing it over to P-Division. And Rae is transfixed, this talk of a werewolf clan, the Clan of Ultr, seems the best lead she has had in tracking down the werewolves that killed her friends.

Excusing themselves from Mervin, the group debate the merits of this quest and decide it is worth checking out the "Cavern of the Lost Souls", where the sword was found, this is locally known as the former Cwmorthin Slate Mine.  Rae can commandeer some climbing equipment and one of the Brunel Minibuses for the journey.  They return and shake Mervin's hand, whilst promising only to head up to Wales and check this out.  Mervin passes on an incantation that they must remember and cast when the sword is in the ground, this should then protect it from future prying eyes and the ward will slowly spread across the surrounding area, protecting the great and good of the valley.

A little while later and Rae is driving the group up to Wales in the bus, rain lashes down and Henry and Abel swap tales of magical wards and mystical swords, whilst also sharing a bag of Werther's.  They suck on the boiled sweets noisily as Rae grits her teeth and tries to focus on the road ahead.  It does seem that the research Henry and Abel have done backs up the tale that Mervin spun.  Ingrid lounges in the back, she's polishing a wickedly sharp knife and glances over at Rae, giving her a cold, dead smile from time to time.  Rae mutters.

Arriving near closing time, the group quickly dump their gear in the rented cottage and then make the short drive into Blaenau Ffestiniog for a drink and a snack at The King's Head.

The King's Head

The Kings Head is a basic but friendly pub and there is enough time to grab drinks and some bar food before closing.

As the team wearily sit down they see a man staring unblinkingly at them, he looks elderly and fairly normal for this part of Wales, apart from an unusual necklace of slate jewellery.  One of the staff puts in front of him a plate of grub sufficient for a hungry Welsh Rugby Team, along with six pints of ale.  He drinks and eats as if his life depends on it, eyes never wavering from the party, in particular Rae.  Beer, meat juice, gravy and all manner of food detritus hits the man, his table, the floor until at last the table is relatively empty, if not clean.

The Necklace of Slate

Having finished their food, they decide to approach the man, after a few pleasantries, he introduces himself as Bowen.  Bowen fixes his eye on Rae and utters a few words under his breath, his eyes seem to flash with hate and Rae retreats, angry and crestfallen to the bar.  Henry stands beside Rae, as her fingers dig into the bar top as they order more drinks.  Rae glances back at Bowen, her shoulders shaking with anger as she assesses the possibility of shapechanging right here in the bar and tearing this unpleasant local limb from limb, but Henry calms her and they return to the table.

Bowen the Ogre

By this time, a misunderstanding seems to have been put to bed and Bowen invites everyone back to his cottage, a cottage next door to where they are staying.  After more drinking and a contrite Bowen apologising to Rae, Bowen is revealed as an Ogre, the slate necklace hides his true nature.  Bowen guarded an entrance to Annwn, in the fae underworld.  This portal is essentially the output of waste from the Fae lands into our world.  Bowen has now travelled around Wales and met his true love, a human called Gracelynn, she was blind and her family were slaughtered by werewolves, something that explains his antagonism towards Rae.

Gracelynn

The evening ends with Bowen setting out where to place the sword, in order to close up the portal and then cast the incantation to protect the surrounding lands from werewolves and other predators. BUT under no circumstances will he ever go back to serve in the mines, he's free, he's found love and that breaks all laws in this world or the other.

The next day a decision is made, breakfast at the Lakeside Cafe.   Tripadvisor has rated the breakfast highly and they have a varied selection of tea, including herbal and floral selections.  Rae snorts in derision, but plumps herself down next to the group, she is feeling left out, none of this makes any sense, she's questioning why she even made the journey in the first place and why can't they just get on and do stuff.

The owner of the cafe remarks how they are the second group to head up in the mountains, a group of three fellows left earlier today, she believes they were staying at the nearby Eco Lodge.  Henry and Abel, think it is worthwhile trekking down to the Ecolodge to check out the new arrivals, whilst Ingrid and Rae make their way up to the mines to try and find a way down to the caverns before another group does.

Rae and Ingrid are tramping through long grass, up the side of a mountain path, they spot an old miners building and a splash of red in the window.  On approaching, they see a red rucksack, leaning up against the window frame.  A glint from up the path looks to be a phone, Ingrid heads over to it, she barks at Rae, "Don't touch the bag."  As Ingrid bends over, she sees a phone in a plastic bag, splattered with blood, the bag has a cord that could easily fit around a neck, a very large neck.  Rae takes the opportunity to open the rucksack and look inside, just neatly folded clothes.  She quickly does it up again, before Ingrid turns around.

Mine remains

Meanwhile, Abel and Henry have drawn a blank at the lodge and feeling increasingly exposed without the more athletic side of the group, they decide to waste no more time and follow them up to the mines.  

It is not long before they catch up with Rae and Ingrid, who are peering into the depths of a hole, Rae is covered in mud and crap, she calls out to them "This is the cavern.  The rope is secured at the bottom, past all the cars.  Just a quick abseil and a soft landing, in the shitty water."  Abel and Henry exchange a glance and purse their lips, they stand at the top as Rae fixes harnesses, Abel clutches the sword to his chest, it's now in an easier to carry duffle bag.  Henry senses something, "Ooooh! That's worrying."  As he says this, a low growl is heard in the undergrowth and into their clearing steps a massive, grey werewolf.  Rae, eyes yellow and feral, produces a guttural, garbled sentence, "Take the sword down, I'll deal with this."

At this, the group look on befuddled as Rae's back arches and clothes tear, her face distorts as large canines force their way forward, hair sprouts from her back, across growing muscles and within seconds she is a large, heavy brown werewolf, stepping sideways around the grey. 

Rae transformed

Henry and Abel scramble for the rope, Ingrid helps them as they swing out into the hole and begin to awkwardly lower themselves down.  First Henry and then Abel, as Abel disappears into the dark, Ingrid flicks out her knife, a large shape is leaping across the hole towards her, she falls backwards and pulls the knife up from her side in an arc, it slices into the soft belly of the werewolf as it flies over her head, the werewolf cries out as it lands in a heap.

Rae and the alpha werewolf are wrestling on the floor, Rae is holding the massive grey beast down as it thrashes and snaps its jaws at her.  Rae slashes it across the chest as it breaks free, causing it to grunt.  Turning, the grey lunges forward towards Rae and she spins and rakes her claws across its back, it stumbles, blood pouring from the wounds as it eyes her.  They both turn and charge at each other, Rae retracts her claws and balls her fist, smashing it into the side of the grey werewolves' head, it slides to the floor, unconscious.

To the death...

[Was there a third werewolf, already wounded?]

Ingrid and Rae survey the scene, two wolves lie on the floor one unconscious, another bleeding out.  They hear a cry from below, "Are you coming?  If you are come quickly!"  Ingrid nods, "You go.  I'll take care of these."  Rae points at the grey, she acts out a "no killing" mime.  Ingrid smiles and nods again and shoos her with her hand, still holding the curved knife, still wet with blood.

Rae leaps and climbs down across cars and into the cavern, the entrance to which has a staircase of battered and disintegrating cars.  At the bottom of this stands Abel and Henry, they are peering into the gloom, pointing at something.

The Cavern of Lost Souls

As Rae, in werewolf form, splashes down beside them, she sees the shape of something, under the water, ripples on the surface moving fast towards the three.  Rae steps forward to intercept and a hideous form bursts through the surface, reaching up close to the ceiling of the cavern.  There is the stench of rotting flesh and effluence, the creature has matted hair and a warped and boil ridden face, it hunches over them and cries out, baring a mouth full of cruel, sharp teeth.

Abel and Henry point to Rae and then the troll and give a cheery thumbs-up.  The two academics are busy at work trying to secure the sword into the ground, the water around this spot grows a sickly green.  Using The Sight, Rae can see the portal beneath pulsate as the two men struggle to remember the incantation that Mervin taught them.

Turning to the screaming creature, Rae reaches under the water, pulling out a lump of metal, an old wheel, she throws it in an arc and it crashes into the side of the beasts head, black liquid leaks from the wound, sizzling as it hits the water.  

The troll starts to thrash through the water towards Rae, as Rae steps forward, a figure rushes past, Ingrid.  Ingrid jumps and clambers onto the back of the Troll, using her knife to give her purchase, as black blood spurts out.  As the troll's arms try to wrap around her she plunges the knife into its skull, once, twice, three times.  The troll gurgles and collapses back into the water, as Ingrid lightly steps off its back and onto a rocky outcrop, she sits there, cross-legged, eyeing the scene below.

It's a f**in' troll!

Down below Abel and Henry are happy that the sword is in place, protected and protecting the cavern and the valley.  Abel takes a bit of footage of the sword for Ronin, carefully keeping the immense body of the troll out of shot.  Once they are satisfied all is well, Rae, now back in human form, helps secure the ropes and pulls Henry and Abel up out of the cavern.  When all four are at the surface, they are surprised to see the werewolves are both dead.  Rae's head swings round to Ingrid, she exclaims, "I needed to talk with it, you could have killed it afterwards.  I needed to know something!"  Ingrid picks at her fingernails with the blade, "Too bad.  Needed to know what?"  Rae splutters, rages and screams her frustration, "Nothing.  Not a thing.  But next time, listen to me."

"Problems Ladies?  Hello gents!", up over the rise has appeared Mervin, pushing Bowen in front of him.  "Thanks for finding this thing for me, saved me the trouble it did."  Mervin continues, "Now all we have to do is magic him away and all our little problems have been cleared up."

"NO!", shouts out Abel.  "Bowen must be given his freedom!!  Love must prevail."  Abel raises his clenched fist and Henry steps forward, "YES!  Free it!  Free the ogre!!"  For the first time, the implacable cool of Mervin is shaken, a vigorous debate ensues, during which it is discovered that Mervin is a guardian of Annwn.  Eventually, Mervin accepts, Bowen will remain a free creature and return to his beloved Gracelynn.  Mervin strikes a bargain though, he will call on a favour from the group, maybe next week, maybe next year or decades from now, but when called, the favour will, must be returned.

The group walk past Mervin and Bowen as they go about cleaning up the mess in the caverns.  A meaty hand falls on Rae's shoulder, it is Bowen, he offers her the slate necklace.  Rae pauses then smiles and takes it from him.

The four of them head back to the cottage and without a word start to pack for the journey home.  On the way home, Rae relaxes, this feels a little like home, somewhere she could stay for a while.  She feels safe here, well almost safe and she glances in the rearview mirror at Ingrid.  Ingrid's eyes stare back, unblinking, unsmiling.