2. Smears on the Turbine (action)

[shaidar]

Conner notes the information on the family in the file, including links to their Facebook pages.

The whole situation depresses Conner. Normally he'd play some guitar to wind down, but he decides he really wants to get on top of this. To try and end the day on a better note he decides to go and see Nancy Johnson anyway.

[tibbius]

It's near the end of October, a little more than a week until Halloween. The evening air is chill as Conner rides the side streets into the sunset. This time of day it's a pain the ass to get on 95 for just three or four exits right where the traffic is worst.

The part of West Haven near New Haven is dilapidated, crumbling, rundown. Faded brick alternates with peeling paint, chipped shingle siding, cracked vinyl, chainlink fences, scraggly trees. The traffic lights swing in a stiff breeze as Conner passes a strip mall, heads up a steep curve on a hill, his earbud tells him "Turn right in 0.3 mile" ... and he's there, the sun touching the horizon as he walks the bike into not-a-parking-space next to an open concrete patio with a couple of wilted-looking, sparse-leaved potted flower bushes.

Nancy Johnson is Apt. 3B but the modest brick building appears to have only two floors. Looking at the mailboxes hung on the side of the building, it seems like "1" are the basement apartments, "3" is the top floor. Conner heads up the rickety wooden steps to the balcony, which has balusters missing from its chipped red-painted railing.

Several people are sitting on the balcony, quiet, individually drinking from cans. The odor of cheap beer. Conner doesn't know what Nancy Johnson looks like.

[shaidar]

Conner nods at the people, looking for any family resemblance in their faces.

"Evening folks. I'm looking for Nancy Johnson"

[tibbius]

The drinkers appraise Conner. Trouble die [1d6]=6.

"Hey, sure," says a sturdy-looking older man with tight white curls and a tidy white goatee. "That's her door. She'd be out here but she making dinner now." The old man's can sloshes as he squirms in his grey plastic lawn chair and grunts. "Sorry. Damn back ain't right. Anyway, you just knock the door and call her, she answer."

[shaidar]

Conner smiles "Thanks"

He heads over to the door (I assume it says 3B?) and knocks "Mrs Johnson? Could I speak to you please?"

[tibbius]

"Hold on a little, please," a woman shouts from inside. "Who's that?"

[shaidar]

Conner

"It's a little complicated Ma'am, but I'm the brother of someone who goes to school with your granddaughter. I'm looking for one of Jamilia's friends."

[tibbius]

A moment. And another.

"Well, don't you sound polite. Hold on, I got egg and flour on my hands ..." water runs, turns off. Footsteps. A broad-shouldered, tall, grandmotherly woman opens the door and smiles. "I don't know about Jamilia's friends," she says. "She's all big and goes to high school ... well, you know that. I haven't seen her in a while."

Over the woman's shoulder, Conner sees a thing hung on the wall. It's a mirror, facing the door. Its frame is etched with certain symbols. It's a spiritbane.

[shaidar]

Conner

"I'm sorry to hear that. The kid's name is Donte. He goes to school with Jamilia and my brother, Thomas Kelly. He's got himself into some unusual trouble and I want to help him." he catches her eye and then pointedly looks at the mirror "That's an unusual mirror. May I speak to you inside? Please."

What does a spiritbane do? Prevent entry, hide the area? Does it look like part of the original mirror design or added later?

[tibbius]

A spiritbane forbids entry. It's an arcanist trick. Conner's skills are more directly related to interacting with spirits. From the doorway it's hard to tell, but it seems like the symbols were scratched into the frame after it was made.

"I'm glad you like it," says the grandmother. "Come in and talk a little."

Euterpe whispers to Conner: "I'll wait on the balcony, dearie."

[shaidar]

Conner smiles and nods imperceptibly to Euterpe's whisper and steps inside.

Once inside he asks "The mirror, is that your handiwork?"

[tibbius]

As he enters the small and tidy apartment, Conner notices pink and white all over. The floor is grey linoleum but there's a white and pink rug that covers a lot of it. There are white and pink silk flowers in a black pottery vase on the white coffee table. The walls have murals of white and pink flowers. It's almost overwhelming.

Conner also notices presences. Not free spirits. This woman has bound a fairly large number of spirits to various objects in the apartment. More than five.

Nancy Johnson smiles at Conner. "I like my craft," she says. With her smile, her left eye crinkles so much that it might be a wink. "And did you come with a friend?"

[shaidar]

Conner

"I can tell." he says, deadpan, eyeing a couple of the binding objects.

"Mrs Johnson, I'm hoping you might be able to help me, as it affects Jamilia and her friends. Last night I was visited by the spirit of their dead teacher. He told me that it wasn't Donte's fault, that the Horned Man made him do it. He also used the name Cernunnos. Does this mean anything to you? If there is a malevolent spirit here in town then it needs to be stopped, particularly if it's preying on school kids"

[tibbius]

Mrs. Johnson frowns. "Donte told me Magout. He described a man with antlers and a spider face. I don't know where Mr. Compton got the idea of Cernunnos. That's a Celtic guy, and they don't do no spider gods."

She frowns. "I don't know where Donte is. I hope he hasn't gone back to the Magout. But these big spirits, they have a draw, you know?"

She gestures toward the kitchenette, divided from the tidy living room by a breakfast bar. Good smells permeate the apartment, Conner notices chicken, black pepper, onions, and beans, and some kind of a bitter green. Probably collards or turnips. "Sit and have some food," she says, "I made enough for leftovers."

[shaidar]

Conner

"Well, thank you, as long as you're sure, I don't want to intrude. Mr Compton was a science guy, so maybe he just got it wrong. If the spirit is that powerful I'm going to need help defeating it, whatever that actually means"

[tibbius]

"Oh - you seem kind of new at this," Mrs. Johnson says as she fixes a plate for Conner. "Here ya go, sweetie. Just sit here at the bar. Drink? I got soda and beer and some milk. Defeating a spirit ... I sensed you had a friend with you, if I were to go up against her I'd try to bind her into something, I reckon you would try to command her or deal with her. There's risks, though. Something as big as this Magout, running a whole operation with so many servants as Donte describes, would be dangerous to deal with. Likely as you wound up bound to him as the other way round. Maybe more likely. I'm scared of trying it, but I have some trinkets might help you - if you dare."

[shaidar]

Conner

"Soda is fine, thanks. The gift runs in my mom's side of the family. Once she thought I was old enough she started to teach me, but she died..I guess it must be six years ago now. I've tried to teach myself as best I can, but work and helping look after my younger brother keeps me busy. My friend..." he smiles "...she found me as much as I found her, she was attracted by my music, so making that deal was easy. Any help, or advice, is appreciated. Maybe I can deal for Donte's release, that might be more manageable."

[tibbius]

"Well, first thing is that you know his name. Magout. With that, you could command him to appear. With this little trinket -" Mrs. Johnson pushes a rooster-shaped salt shaker across the table at Conner - "you will come across more potent. I want this back, please. It's just a loan. This -" she pushes across the matching hen-shaped pepper shaker - "should make him want not to mess with you."

Game terms: these are animate objects that enhance your Spirit skill and Deter people screwing with you. You'll get at least an extra [1d6] on relevant rolls.

[shaidar]

Conner

"Thank you, I promise to return them...WelI, I guess I'm doing this. Yay me...I should pick up a white hat on the way home" he flushes and looks at Mrs. Johnson "Sorry, this is kind of new territory for me. I usually just look out for my family and keep my head down. Now I just need to find out where they are, I guess I'll have to speak to that Fed again."

[tibbius]

"Oh. Donte thought he was a local cop. He didn't understand why the other cops shot at the guy."