Session 21: Beyond Reality
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Shadowrun
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Chapter 2 |
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Chapter 1 |
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F.A.T.E. PCs |
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The Situation
Barry Stearns and Kefeng Yau sat as their black sedan wove through the hilly countryside north of San Francisco. The windshield wipers worked as a light rain fell over the area.
Dr. Yau continued to explain the importance of astral rifts in his research. The significance was not lost on Barry. He had spent time in the Chicago Containment Zone. He knew that many have died exploring these exotic areas at the edge of reality.
A holographic image of doc appeared on the dashboard. "Things have calmed down here a little bit. Eric, Ana, and Wex went into the rift to search for the kids. We've appeased this tree spirit... for now."
Yau replied with some concern, "No! Tell them not to go in. We don't know how stable the rift is. They could be lost forever should it close."
"Too late, Eric did not hesitate. I told him it wasn't worth the risk, but he's the Special Agent," his voice had a hint of resentment.
Yau began to speculate. "Oh dear... there is no predicting when they will come back. The metaplanes are not composed of the same 4 dimensions we are used to. Their dimension corresponding to time is not well understood. Some have entered rifts only to exit immediately, but report that days, months, and in one case years, passed inside the metaplane. That man said he died of old age in the metaplane. Others have experienced the reverse effect, their physical body remaining comatose for months at a time while there metaplanar experience lasts hours or days."
Doc replied, "Well... let's just hope they come back in a few hours... this rift seems to be a nightly phenomenon, it might be gone by morning."
Hours passed as F.A.T.E. waited anxiously to hear from their agents. Barry, Dr. Yau, and other personnel had arrived and set up a temporary workplace in the control room at Peters Dam. Desmond and Hector remained on the island, waiting. Eventually, the sun began to peak over the hilltops. The astral rift, in a visual spectacle, receded. The tree spirit dematerialized. The birds began chirping, and the water on the lake returned to an eerie calm. It was like nothing had happened.
The team spent the morning searching for and recovering the bodies of the three F.A.T.E. agents. They were doing okay, in that they were alive and in the comatose state that Doc witnessed from the others.
For the agents to return to their bodies via the astral rift, their bodies needed to be within the radius of the rift. The plan was, on the next evening, to have the 5 bodies, 3 agents and 2 children, lay in the center of the island, where the rift's epicenter was the night prior.
The feeling was like none the agents had ever experienced before. The feeling of having their soul torn from their body, pulled across a metaphysical dimensional boundary, and reconstructed on the other side. The feeling was both harrowing and sublime. Each agent could feel a rush of air flowing against their skin as their senses adjusted to the new properties of reality. Their vision returned slowly, their mind clearing metaphysical threads and artifacts from their vision, adjusting to the metaplane.
They were in free fall. The air was bitterly cold. The scene below was a mix of green and white. A mix of tree trunks, vines, leaves, and plants they had never seen before filled their vision. A few such leaves and branches smacked them as they fell, but not enough to slow their descent.
Notes
Session Synopsis
Aftermath
Results
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Quote of the night:
Nuyen:
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