The Un-man Un-made

GM: Justin
Transcribed by: James
Date: April 8, 2018
In Game date: November, 2011
Episode: 21

Part 01:

Fergus Mac Cormaic was mightily concerned for his friend. Jack Youngblood had mediated for a few minutes in the newly discovered sanctum of the wizard, Artemis Miller and then opened his mystical senses to see if they had found the right place to close the mystical 7th Gate he was supposed to guard. To Fergus he had merely swayed back and forth for a few minutes and then keeled over like a puppet with its strings cut. The young Guardian was alarmed to see that Jack was bleeding from his nose and ears. He carried the young man back to his old jeep and driven back to Seattle as fast as he could. He had to get him to Aunt B’s clinic. She would know how to take care of him if anyone did. He was unable to figure out how to close up Miller’s sanctum or how to activate the wards that protected it. He just hoped no one would find the place before they were able to return.

He carried Jack into the clinic running into Leif Wotensen in the hallway. Leif cried out, set the coffee he was carrying down and began to grill Fergus about what happened while frantically checking the wizard’s vitals. Fergus could tell that the doctor truly cared about Jack and both of them smiled when the wizard mumbled something about being in Asgard again.

“I told you not to give me any more of that Dwarvish ale,” Jack muttered his eyes glazed with obvious pain. “And I told you to eat the warbread with it or you would end up with a hangover the size of Ymir,” Leif retorted.

The doctor examined Jack thoroughly and when he was done Fergus was happy to hear that he was going to be fine. He just needed to rest for a couple of hours. Fergus finished Leif’s coffee (he had snatched it from the doctor while he was busy working on Jack) and raised it in salute before dropping the empty cup in a trash can with a thump. The doctor looked surprised and looked around for his pilfered coffee as Fergus left the room to arrange an appointment with Aunt B. She was too busy to speak with him until noon. That was fine by him because Jack should be recovered by then and able to join him.

He came back and waited in Jack’s room for a couple of hours and was gratified when he came to. Jack was obviously suffering from a massive headache but he was able to work out a strategy with Fergus for how to get the Un-man out of the clinic undetected. They quickly concluded they wouldn’t be able to do it alone and Jack wracked his aching brain coming up with a list of his contacts that could help them. The first person on the list was Aunt B.

Part 02:

The two went to her office and explained to Aunt B that they were working on a ritual to deal with The Un-Man. They needed to come up with a safe way to transport him from the clinic to Miller’s sanctum 2 hours away at the base of Mount Rainier. Aunt B grilled the two making sure they weren’t simply going to kill the Un-man. He was a person after all. A young man by the name of Troy Wilkerson who had a family. Jack reassured the concerned woman that the ritual wouldn’t harm the Un-man’s vessel. They hoped they could cure him. What he didn’t tell her was that Troy Wilkerson was likely doomed no matter what. As an apprentice of the murderous Barry Goldman Troy had broken the 7th Law of Magic. He had Researched and Dealt with Outsiders, beings from beyond the boundaries of the known universe and he would likely be executed by the White Council after a very brief trial. But he could honestly say that he intended to do Wilkerson no harm with his ritual. So, technically, it wasn’t a lie. That did little to assuage the Warden’s conscious. After their assurances Aunt B agreed to provide them with an ambulance.

They were also going to need a mundane to transport the Un-man. Someone who wouldn’t be susceptible to the creature’s mana-draining powers. After some thought Jack called up his friend, Grizzly. Grizzly was a computer genius who was married to an actual Manic Changeling Dream Wife and often worked with The Paranet. Griz seemed open to helping out if he could until Jack revealed that they might be facing opposition by The Fomor. He was a large man but he just didn’t handle violence at all. Plus his wife would kick his ass if he got hurt. Jack assured him they would figure it out and hung up. After some thought he realized the solution was right under his nose. He went to Lief as a courtesy and let him know he was going to ask his girlfriend to help them out.

Jack asked Emmie Mercer, who worked as an administrator to the clinic, for her help. He knew she was a remarkable woman with enough courage for an army of heroes. He had seen her face down an ancient and powerful Black Court Vampire after all. He could trust her with his life. He was able to persuade Emmie with very little effort saying that he could cure the Un-man with the ritual again leaving out Troy’s likely execution at the hands of the Council. Hating himself he cast aside his guilt and went to give his best friend a call.

Bruno Walsh had been Jack’s best friend for years and no lies or deceptions of any kind were required to enlist his aid. Thank the gods. Because Jack wasn’t sure if he could endure any more. The big man promised to bring Jack one of the old white cargo vans from the construction site he was working at as long as they brought it back by the next morning.

Part 03:

After checking out of the Radcliffe Clinic on Capitol Hill Jack made a quick phone call and got Fergus to drive him to a seedy part of West Seattle. As they drove through a run down block that still clearly suffered from the ravages of Black Monday Fergus became increasingly uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure why until Jack explained that The Pack had been founded by an ex-Navy SEAL named Dozer who had trained all of its members with military strategies and tactics. They could also shape-shift into powerful, deadly wolves who used pack tactics that were woven into the military defenses and strategies beautifully creating a formidable merger of man and beast. Unfortunately, Dozer, who had once been an honorable man, had been sacrificed to the Slavic deity Chernobog and was now an undead monster who had tried to corrupt The Pack in his master’s name.

As they drove on Jack indicated the sniper positions on the roofs of several buildings giving overlapping fields of fire to the increasingly nervous Guardian. They had been in their sites as soon as they had entered the neighborhood. He also pointed out the glowing eyes of wolves that shined menacingly in the shadows of dark alleys. They arrived at a squalid strip club called Lynne’s Den, that Jack explained was the Pack’s headquarters. The street was clean and well tended and Fergus caught the shadowy movement of a huge wolf out of the corner of his eye but when he looked all he saw was a trash can that was rattling a bit in the alley.

Swallowing his discomfort Fergus followed Jack into the club after a brief conversation with the door man. He said the Boss was waiting for them in the office. It was mid-afternoon so the place was relatively quiet with only a few bikers playing pool and chatting up some of the dancers who were enticing them with offers of a lap dance. Fergus was reassured a bit that Jack seemed to know many of the bikers who called out greetings cheerfully to him. They did not offer the same courtesy to Fergus. He didn’t back down from their piercing gazes but it made him very nervous to be in the presence of so many predators. The Guardian went directly to the bar and got a little liquid courage in the form of a double Jameson’s. Neat. He followed Jack to the back of the club and into a large office with a southern facing view through some heavy blinds the sun was shining directly into their faces. Fergus swallowed deeply wondering what kind of bad ass Hombre would be leading such a formidable group. He was completely surprised by the slender woman who sat behind a heavy steel desk.

Jack greeted the woman warmly and the two traded mocking insults and the Guardian was able to figure out that they may have dated in the past. Formalities out of the way, Jack introduced Fergus to Callisto, the current Alpha of The Pack. After some haggling with the formidable woman Jack was able to get the help they would need to transport the Un-man. In exchange he promised to provide mystic wards to the Pack’s headquarters that would keep out stray spirits and demons strengthening their defenses. They quickly wrapped up their negotiations and as they were leaving Callisto gave Jack some herbal tea she had acquired for his wife, Abigail Youngblood. Callisto obviously held Jack’s wife in high regard, and she explained that the herbal blend had some remarkable healing properties that might help Abby overcome her illness. Jack thanked her for the gift and gave her a brief hug. Now they had their ambulance and their escort, their plan was coming together nicely. They just needed to finalize the actual ritual and then carry it out.

Part 04:

From West Seattle Jack directed Fergus to drive them to the University District. They made their ways to the home of Zebidiah Einar, the senior Warden of Seattle. He explained that Zeb had moved to Edinburgh after having his back broken while saving Jack from the demon, Azael. He wasn’t sure when he would return. Using keys given to him by his former teacher the Warden unlocked the front door and after a moment’s concentration he brought down the wards that protected the old Victorian home.

He went inside while Fergus waited in the jeep using a veil to cloak his presence. It took a few hours, but Jack was able to track down the formulas and equations he would need to pull of the ritual. The documents they had acquired from the offices of Parker, Daniels and Johnson Attorneys at Law a few nights ago proved invaluable. They allowed Jack to cross reference what books Zeb had secured from Artemis Miller’s estate. This greatly aided him in his research, and he was able to finish in record time. Still, he had to kick Fergus awake and the pair went back to Jack’s home picking up enough takeout for a small army on the way.

Puzzled at the large food order Fergus and Jack lugged the food in with the help of Bruno Walsh, Jack’s best friend. Bruno’s appetite was truly epic, and it became evident that the huge man would eat more food than Jack, Fergus and Abby combined. Jack joked that Bruno was eating for two. Yuquot, the native spirit of an orca that shared its power with Bruno craved sensation and had an insatiable appetite.

The four of them ate in quiet companionship and afterwards Fergus called his fiance, Anna Maria Avila and told he would likely be out for another day or so. He told her not to worry and that he loved her.

Meanwhile, Jack called his sister, Caroline Youngblood, at the headquarters of the White Council in Edinburgh. The siblings exchanged some heated banter back and forth for a few minutes before getting down to business. Caroline had received the documents Jack had mailed her two days before and had managed to decipher some of the formula. The two went over her notes and Jack finally fully understood what the ritual to banish the Un-Man would entail. He thanked his sister and went down to his workshop in the basement to complete his preparations for the ritual. His wife, Abby, who had the mystical knowledge of the Denarion Demon that had possessed her for 7 years, checked his work making some refinements to his formula.

That took almost the entire evening and while he was hard at work Fergus and Bruno bonded. The Guardian challenged Bruno to see who could drink who under the table. Fergus lost. Badly. In they process they drank all of Jack’s whiskey (including his hidden stash of Macallan Fine Oak 17 Year Highland Single Malt Scotch). Needless to say Jack wasn’t pleased at all about that, but he was eager to finish the ritual and let the matter drop. For now.

Everything was now in place. The next morning Jack called all the parties that would be helping them and set the times to meet them that evening.

Part 05:

All the pieces were in place and Jack and Fergus were ready to execute their plan. Fergus used a veil to create the illusion that a CPR dummy was Troy Wilkerson, the Un-man. They put the dummy on a gurney and it was loaded into the ambulance which was driven by Bruno. A dozen bikers from The Pack surrounded the ambulance as it left the parking lot. A squamous and mysterious figure with huge eyes noted the activity and followed the group on a motorcycle as they pulled away.

A white van arrived (driven by Emmie Mercer) carrying medical supplies. Jack and Fergus, wearing maintenance coveralls and hats, unloaded them off to the side blocking line of sight from the street in case there were more spies. The two then quickly loaded a gurney with the actual Un-Man into the white van hidden from view by the supplies. As Emmie pulled away after loading the supplies into the clinic Jack and Fergus led the way in the jeep. Jack was relieved. It appeared the decoy had worked. They made their way to Mount Rainier without any trouble and no one tailing them. The Fomor were formidable foes and he was relieved that they had tricked them with their decoy.

He was shocked when they arrived at Miller’s sanctum only to find another white van parked at the entrance. Trying not to panic, Jack drove past the van continuing up the road while Fergus used his ability to walk the Nevernever to teleport back to wave Emmie off the road and turn off her lights before she was noticed. Once he got around a corner Jack pulled over and used his magic to veil himself and backtracked to investigate. Two large shadowy shapes stalked directly toward him and he could only hope his veil kept them from seeing him.

Part 06:

For a moment Jack dared to hope that his veil had worked. But he was wrong. Whether that was because of his own depleted magic or because of some natural ability of the hulking shapes remained in question. He called out a challenge telling the two figures to stay back while brandishing his staff. They ignored him and charged forward. The full moon revealed two monstrous creatures that seemed to be a terrible hybrid of man and fish.

They were clearly not human with large soulless eyes, scaly skin, a wide mouth filled with shark-like teeth and an odd bulbous skull with fins. They were also both larger than any NFL lineman. Channeling his fear and revulsion the young wizard blasted the closest monster with a bright beam of spirit magic pouring as much power as he could into it leaving himself panting with effort. It was a solid hit yet the blast seemed to simply slide off the slimy skin of the fish man barely slowing him.

Fergus had heard Jack’s challenge to the figures and couldn’t help but notice the intense flash of light of the Warden cutting lose with his magic. He called for Emmie to stay where she was and stepped into one of his portals coming out just above the trailing creature. He slammed down on it from above gaining its full attention. When he got a good look at the monster he almost wish he hadn’t.

The other creature was reaching for Jack when the wizard pointed his staff at the ground and used a combination of water and earth magic to create a muddy patch of ground in its path. It blundered into the mud pit seeming to disappear from view. The other monster, seeing the wizard as the bigger threat, turned away from Fergus and slammed a massive fist at the Warden’s head. Jack managed to weave an energy barrier of pure force that cracked and barely held against the powerful blow. Using his fear Jack slammed his staff hard on the ground causing the earth to erupt in a line at the fish man slamming him to the ground. The monster shook its head and looked stunned.

Taking advantage of the creature’s momentary vulnerability Fergus tried to knock its head off with a brutal spin kick but the beast ducked its head and its crest absorbed much of the blow’s power. Still ignoring Fergus, the monster slammed a meaty fist at the wizard that rang like a gong on his shield. The other creature rose up out of Jack’s mud pit and lunged at the Fergus but he was far to slow for the nimble changeling. Fergus was so quick that he left the creature momentarily confused and vulnerable.

Thinking that sea monsters might be vulnerable to fire the Warden summoned a powerful storm of flames that engulfed it. But again the magic did not have any effect. After the flames burned out the creature stood unharmed. Cursing Jack changed tactics and drew his Warden Sword brandishing it at the monster.

Fergus came up behind it and executed a powerful ax kick that was powerful enough to fell an oak tree. Much to his amazement the fish man staggered back a step but did not fall. Recovering its balance the monster attacked Fergus clipping him with a forceful blow that knocked the wind out him. Roaring the second fish man attacked the staggering changeling as well forcing Fergus into a desperate defense.

Jack charged the creatures slashing one deeply in the side with his sword buying his friend time to recover. Oily, foul ichor flowed from the deep wound and the creature staggered back. Fergus slammed his fist into the wounded monster’s jaw with an uppercut that sent it sprawling. It wobbled to its feet and took off running the fight clearly gone from it. The other monster kicked Jack viciously knocking him off balance but his shield still held. He retaliated by slamming his staff into the creature’s chest channeling electricity into it but it had no effect. Fergus clothes-lined the monster with an elbow to its throat knocking it into the ground. It recovered quickly and charged Jack. Unable to get out of the way in time Jack used the momentum of the blow and spun around in a pirouette like move slashing his sword across its chest drawing more foul smelling blood. Fergus followed that up with a punch that rocked the creatures huge head back. Realizing it would not last long against the two determined men the fish monster turned and ran away in its brethren’s footsteps. Triumphant and a bit bruised the two men sank to their knees and caught their breath.

Part 07:

After calling Emmie up to the sanctum Jack and Fergus approached cautiously. They found the front door ajar, just as they had left it. Jack used geomancy to see if he could sense anyone in the underground complex. He learned very little and couldn’t detect any movement. They entered cautiously and found some green chemical glow sticks strewn throughout the place leading directly to the main chambers. They directed Emmie to keep watch on the Un-man and Jack closed the sanctums door and reactivated the wards in case the fish men returned. They slowly made their way back to the White Room passing through the Ritual Chamber on the way. They discovered a nerdy looking man muttering about “the chosen one” and “power” under his breath while he was splashing green paint all over the walls and floors of the White Room in strange and somehow nauseating patterns.

Jack called out to the figure asking him what he was doing and why he was there. The nerd snarled his reply arrogantly telling them he was master here and could do what he wished. At Jack’s signal Fergus teleported behind the man and grabbed him in a head lock. Jack took the moment to touch the man, reaching out with his mystical sense. He wasn’t able to get much as the other man was actively blocking his probe with his own power. But the nerdy man wasn’t fully able to conceal his connection to the Outsiders who sought to supplant our reality with their own. Realizing they were dealing with a dangerous warlock Jack called out a warning to Fergus but he was too late. The warlock channeled a wave of distorted reality that broke Fergu’s choke hold and knocked him back.

Jack tried one more time to talk to the warlock calling for him to surrender to the judgment of a Warden of the White Council of Wizards. The man replied with curses and invective his eyes lit with madness. Fergus grabbed a can of green paint and threw it at the warlock’s head. The paint and the bucket was repelled by that strange distortion again. The warlock only had a few flecks of green paint land on him. Jack summoned his power causing a theatrical wind to billow around him as electricity cackled from his fingers and demanded the man stand down. The mad man laughed contemptuously reaching out with his own magics causing the electricity to sputter and die.

His third warning ignored Jack used Spirit magic to summon bands of force to wrap around the arrogant madman holding him in place. The warlock struggled against the bonds but Fergus grabbed him and energies flowed from his tattoos reinforcing Jack’s bonds holding the man in place. Snarling the warlock cursed the two men and a full can of paint flew across the room and nearly took Fergus’s head off. Jack raised his Warden’s Sword, the badge of his office that was carried by his father before him, and invoked the authority of the White Council of Wizards. He pronounced judgement on the warlock proclaiming him in violation of the 7th Law of Magic, dealing with Outsiders. The sentence was death. Jack swung his sword using perfect form and chopped the warlock’s head cleanly from his shoulders. He stood there for a moment holding the swing in an impressive stance as blood sprayed the chamber behind him. He then turned pale and threw up in the corner.

Part 08:

They learned very little about the warlock from his possessions. His name was Tim Walker-Marsh and he was a student at the University of Washington. Jack also found an eldritch tome in his backpack. Upon examination Jack found it to be a schematic of madness clearly tainted by the Outsiders. Jack quickly closed the book and did his best to secure it so no one else could look at it. He would need to send it to the White Council as evidence for his judgement when he called them next. Fergus found a substantial wad of crisp $100 bills and pocketed the money. The Guardian volunteered to transport himself to the nearest Target to get some cleaning supplies with the money so they could clean the place up and erase whatever the madman was attempting to do.

Jack used his old ritual “Forensic Spell”, perfected to clean crime scenes during his misspent youth, that erased all the blood in the chamber. When Fergus returned the two of them cleaned off all the noxious symbols from the chamber walls and floors preserving it from the attempted corruption. All that work done Jack then prepared himself to do the ritual that would unravel the Un-Man.

It was a complex thaumaturgic formula and it took a great deal of effort from the determined young Warden to purge the Un-Man releasing the power that it had absorbed. He fought against the Un-Man itself in a battle of wills that pushed Jack to his limits, but he was able to persevere and with a flash of light the Un-Man was undone. Jack sank to his knees muttered, “I did it,” and passed out on the chamber floor.

He woke up nine hours later and he ached in every joint in his body. His very essence felt as if it had been abused and stretched to its very limits. But he could also feel the hum of his old magics. They had been fully restored and Jack was once again whole! He made arrangements to get the Un-Man’s host, Troy WIlkerson back to his home, locking the young man up in the warded vault in his basement. He then called the White Council and arranged for a trial the next morning. He also related the location of Miller’s sanctum and told them about the body of a warlock that had been judged there. The Council would handle the scene and erase any evidence as needed.

His duty done Jack was happy to discover that Fergus had replaced his entire stash of liquor using the money they had found on Tim Walker-Marsh’s body. He invited Bruno and Leif over to the house along with Emmie while Fergus called his fiancé asked her to meet them at Jack’s house. Anna Maria Avila arrived an hour or so later and she and Abby struck up a quick friendship both recognizing in the other a kindred spirit. The Legacy of the Un-Man had been contained and the group enjoyed an impromptu but companionable lunch to celebrate.

END OF BOOK FOUR

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