WttSS session 26: 'How do You Solve a Problem Like Dark Science?'

General Summary

The party approached the Abouelkassem spirit research facility on foot through the jungle, angling to arrive at the Messenger building they visited when they first came to Ghodar. (This was the building that Zarzur shut down in order to allow the party mystics to leave the area. If they are to reinstate the facility then they'll need to restart operations at this building, from which the Abouelkassem's three energy fields are broadcast.)   Travel through the jungle revealed evidence of Ghodar Station's claims that the valley is drying out: Though there is yet no current change to the animal populations, plants and insects were starting to feel the effects, with some leaf development changing pace and some insect nests emptying.   A strange noise also beared some investigation. Letting the main party group carry on, Murad hung back to witness a creature come floating after them through the trees - not rapidly pursuing the party but rather ebbing and flowing like a it was bourne on some tide in the air. As it came closer, Murad noticed it seemed drawn to the centre of the party, drawn to change direction when Kerman swung out wide to scout a forward path. More distracting however, was the appearance of the creature, clearly a spirit and clearly once in life a Company Legionary.   Likely the poor woman was one of those killed in the Valley of Madness incident, evidence of her shocked and painful death still showing on her face even in death. Her screams too, still hung in the air, though sounding distant despite even as close to Murad as she was. Taking no chances, Murad snuck round behind the spirit and hit it with a charge of a spirit ray. This single charge caused the creature to disintegrate, to fade into a mist, but its second end was a slow one, giving it time to turn attention to Murad, who heard its death scream suddenly hear and now. Nonetheless the spirit disipated.   Now having left the line of the jungle and passing over the well-kept grass between the treeline and the Messenger building, the rest of the party turned at the sudden scream, first only to see flocks of birds fly up and away but then to see Murad reappear. But they were not the only ones to hear the scream.   Other spirits changed direction in the facility's central garden, difficult to see at distance through the spirit glasses but noticeably moving on legs rather than caught on some Dark tide. At other points in the treeline too, more lost Legionary spirits came floating through, attracted by their former comarde's further suffering. In response the party made a run for the Messenger building.   But the spirits were still coming. The Legionaries came on slowly but the other spirits came faster, so the party chose to scale the side of the Messenger building, which did give them a moment's planning time; and also a better view of the spirits coming from the centre of the facility: heads of vultures with bodies a mongrel mix or reptile and human. These spirits also showed their intelligence, able to project the target of the Legionaries as being the Messenger building, which they began to search, though starting from the ground floor.   The party were then drawn into a combat. Darkbound on the first floor of the building saw them coming and tried to use the mechanism of the building's large entenna array to knock the PCs off the roof but failed. Darkbound and vulture spirits did suceed in pulling Kerman a little way into the Dark throughout the combat, with night veil and disconnection attacks but the party saw off the assault with a combination of spirit rays and a thermal pistol.   Such would perhaps have drawn the attention of more spirits on the site but at this point the Gambler building made its move. A deep roll of thunder emanated from the building, accompanied by a dimming of even the bright Ghodar sun. At this, spirits now heading to the party changed to form an honour guard at the entrance of the Gambler building. Further, the defences of the Judge building shut down, allowing free passage across the facility, and the Gambler building's doors opened, all locks and defences disabled.   The sound of thunder echoed too long in the heads of Kerman and the party mystics, calling out to Khalil: "come".