Brew:17 Sum Worshippers

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Starring: James, Brick, Becca, and introducing Thomas.
Guest Starring: Chang, Sharon Kingsley, Trina the Think Geek booth babe, Cookie
Challenge: Math puns; Tim Wang
Location: Kokomo, specifically the Smith and Westin Hotel, the Ko Ko Motel on the outskirts of town, and the Speakeasy Hotel.
Date Played: 29 July 2012

Recap

🎲 DM: With the long gap between sessions, I wrote a recap of the storyline thus far.

Previously, on Brewed Awakening ... the coffee shop is bustling with the usual activity, students come in waves as class lets out, professors and professionals get their mid-afternoon cuppa joe, and then someone, or more precisely, ones step into the shop who are definitely out of the ordinary. Three women in burkas accompany a middle-aged dour Iranian man who confers with Abraham Crane briefly, and then leaves.

Soon a flyer is posted to the attention of the paranet, warning them that a genie, or djinn, is on the loose. This fact is already known to some, as they recently battered one down with Segways. Research mode is started to try and find where the djinn went in the ambulance. During the research, the collective of free-spirits at the Highpoint House contacts Ilke, saying they were harassed by ninjas warning them about the laws of magic.

It turns out that Brick goes to Church with Wenn Care, one of the women in the photo found in the djinn's bag. The djinn is named Ghazi Al-Razi and is in intensive care at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital on campus. A casual visit to the ICU turns wicked, as Tim Wang is trying to choke Ghazi with a pillow when everyone arrives. Threatening to hex the ICU equipment buys Tim his escape.

Seeking out more information the group turns to Sharon Kingsley, for help finding out about the other girl in the picture that was found on Ghazi. Sharon, being a rookie cop and friendly with the paranet, pulls some strings and gets finds out that the girl's name is Kimberly Pierson. Some research on Facemart turns up the fact that she is the treasurer of the Honey Pot, a beekeeping group in squirrel hill, the center of the Allegheny City jewish community.

The Honey Pot Tea House is frequently mostly by elderly women, including Becca's Meemaw, who both plays matchmaker and offers to make her friends a nice brisket. A loud crash is heard as a car is overturned by incoming air elementals of some sort, who smash the window and blow bolts of air into the place. James takes note that the elementals are barred from entering by some sort of wall of bees.

After the elementals are dispatched, the occupant of the car is dragged to safety and is revealed to be Kimberly. She requests that Brick watch Ghazi's cat for the next 24 hours, since she is headed to the hospital. Everyone immediately breaks into Ghazi's place and discovers his journal, written mostly in Farsi but also a smattering of German. From what is decyphered, Tim Wang has somehow been manipulating Ghazi into doing the terrible things that he did.

It was also discovered, on Facemart, that Tim Wang bolted out of town to Kokomo, the Vegas of the midwest, to join his friends at the 2012 Extramural US Mathletics Competition. Fretting how they will catch up to him in time (as no one has any money), fate steps in and provides tickets. Crane had a vision that tickets would be needed and he put the coffee shop's resident hacker on the job to provide transportation to Kokomo for everyone.

A simple bus trip turns upside down as visions of previous lives are brought into focus for everyone. The epicenter of this is Ilke's missing arm, which, if the flashbacks are to be believed, is a key to something powerful for the fae. With each reincarnation seven fae appear and take it by force, if needed. The journey through the past ends with Ilke agreeing to go with them to help set problems right and the departure is bittersweet.

You awaken slowly as the megabus pulls into the station. You check your phone and see that it is just after 11pm. Climbing off of the bus you see the bright flashing wonder that is Kokomo!

Securing a Hotel

Brick: Hey, yo! Man, we got off the bus, & all the tiredness I felt just melted away. We were in Kokomo, baby! There were sparkling lights & people everywhere! ...I just wish we weren't here for a math competition. Man, math is like my #1 enemy except for English, history, & science.

Anyway, we stop by the closest hotel which is called the Magic Bus. It is SOOOOO cool! It's actually made of buses on the outside! We go in & there's this guy who's baked. I don't mean 1/2 baked. I mean, turn off the oven, he's done baked. Becca tells me to talk to him to get a better rate, but I don't speak stoner. Man, doesn't she know I gotta keep clean to keep my scholarships?

Anyway, 'cuz of the segway incident, we can't afford to stay at a super-nice place, but we find a hotel just outside of the city. Becca complains the most, but she'd complain if we stayed at the Hampton so I don't really pay attention. I don't know what she's talkin' about this place is pretty decent. It's way better than my room at the frat house. We get 2 rooms. One of the guys & one for the gals.

In the morning, I find Chang clinging on my bicep in his sleep. We agree not to talk about that anymore. After a nice continental breakfast, we head back to the city.

We find out that the math competition is at the Smith & Westin & head over. There's this little Indian (dot not feather) that's protestin' the event or something. Is he a nerd that didn't get into the games or something? Well anyway, he seems to cling onto James & Chang. Luckily, this place is free to students so we head in...

James: Now we're talking! I've always wanted to go to Kokomo, and I finally got there. Too bad my credit is wrecked and bank account drained from these goddamn fools bustin' up the scooters that I rented. Ah well, we got bigger fish to fry than tourism. Wang's on the loose, if you know what I mean.

We scrape up enough moolah for a crappy hotel. Smelled like Brick's frat house. Well, slightly less beer vomit, slightly more decay of civilization. Whatever, I've slept in worse places.

Exploring the Mathletics Competition

Brick: We get in & then we immediately lose Chang. I'm not worried though. I mean, how much trouble could the guy get into on his own? I go & try to find an event that our school's competin' in & find a speed math contest. I cheer our team on to victory! YEAH! GO SUM WORSHIPPERS! WHOOO! Becca comes in & tells me that I'm s'posed to take photos for the school paper, but I don't remember them askin' me too, but she's lookin' like she's gonna yell at me if I argue so I start takin' pictures.

James: Met this peculiar fellow at the hotel that the Mathlympics were being held at. He was protesting it - he had something against the way they were doing the calculations or something. Thing is, he had that aura about him. Arcane, magic, whatever you wanna call it. Like mine, but with weird math instead of alchemy. He offered to help us track down Wang. When he asked why I had his ID card, I replied "That motherfucker shot me with a Nerf gun, OF COURSE I have his ID!" Duh.

Dr. Lem, Coach for the WUP Sum Worshippers

Brick: We wait 'til the competition is done, & Becca gets their coach to give us a list of where & when our school is competin' & we get a list of who's playin'. Tim Wang's nowhere on the list. We find out that he had quit to join the Chess team. Man, nothin' 's easy.

We get the group together, & Chang tells us who Tim's friends were in the math club. Dude, math club, everytime I hear it, I want to hit a nerd...

So we split up to talk to each of his friends to see if they've seen him.

I talk to Billy Joe Dupree. I remember him from Church! We talk, & I find out that they aren't friends anymore because Tim fell in with the wrong crowd in the chess club. Knowing Chang, I think he may be right. He invites me to a party after the math competition & says Tim might be there so I get the flyer & tell him I'll go. He also said that he wanted to go to my baptism so I invite him. Now, I just need to find out what a baptism is. After that, I go back to meet the others.

Triga-TRON-omy Contest, Sponsored by Think Geek

Brick: I agree to join a TRON game-thingy with Becca 'cuz I thought I'd get to ride a motorcycle, but it turns out it's a graphing game. I fake an injury to pair up Chang & Becca, 'cuz I know Chang's gotta thing for her.

While they're playin' the game, I go back to the Think Geek booth & talk to the cute brunette Trina. She says she likes the Price Slashers, & I score some points tellin' her that I'm the most BA tackler on the team. She agrees to go with me to the party after the math competition.

James: Me and my new friend Tommy teamed up in the Think Geek TRON-themed math contest. We didn't fail the first round, thanks to this kid's smarts. But we didn't get to the final round either. Becca and Chang managed to win 2nd. I hope I can get some of that cash back from her before the trip is done. There's a hotel bar with my name on it...

Local Paranet

Brick: We end up going to the Speakeasy Hotel 'cuz James says that's where the local Paranet group is. It turns out to be in a barbershop. A nice lady takes James aside, & they talk while we scope the place. He comes back & tells us that other than weird weather the place doesn't have too much activity & he tells us somethin' about lay's lines or somethin'. I don't know, I quit payin' attention after a while.

James: No luck finding Wang at the nerd-fest. I remembered Abraham telling me that ParaNet has people scattered about, maybe there's one in Kokomo. So I ring up Brewed Awakening and get him on the horn. He comes through with a name and a location. Cookie in The Art of Shaving.

The Art of Shaving is attached to the Speakeasy hotel. Swanky. And holyshit - moonshine? Is it my birthday? I find Cookie, and speak with him/her. He/she is uber nice and helpful. She/he says that Kokomo is some sort of nexus point for lay-lines. Fascinating. Sort of a magical mecca. And that's probably why Wang is here, he's gonna do something nasty with the air elemental crap he's been messin' with. Uh oh. Now, where's that moonshine?

AfterMath Party Ruined and Rooftop Fight

Brick: We go the party a little early & find that the door to the party room is WRECKED & something blew through the stairwell to the roof! I go in to see if anyone's hurt, but no one's there. There's a big symbol on the ground so I call in James, I grab a beer, & head up the stairwell. Before I get there, I tell Trina to stay there for her own safety. Whatever blew through the door, literally knocked it off it's hinges so it had to be pretty strong.

I find Becca in the stairway & rush past her. Then I hear the sound of balloons popping. I look up & air dudes are comin' at me. So I'm all like "Come at me, bro" & take them out with a little help from Becca. Becca almost gets knocked down the stairs by those things so I have to save her, even though she nags at me & complains all the time.

When we get to the roof, we find Tim by a hot air balloon. I run at him as soon as I see him & he nearly singes off my hair with some sorta electric bolt. I tackle him & really lay into him, but he's takin' my punches like a champ. He must have made himself super-strong!

We fight for a while & he puts me to sleep. I wake up with him still under me & booze being poured on my face. I think enough is enough & toss the nerd over the railing from the balcony onto the roof. He's super-strong so he should be able to take it. Then I jump after him to make sure he stays down.

After checkin' if I knocked him out, I look at him, & he don't look so good. I think he may be concussed... & may have some broken bones. Man, what happened to his super-strength? I help get clues & then run down stairs. It seems like the party is in full swing in the room. I call the guy an ambulance from the landline & tell the gang to get while the gettin' 's good.

James: YAAARGH, thish moonshine's an ass-kickr@1 I'm cant seem to recall all all that musch of th afterMATH party, but HELL YEA PARRTY@1 THere ws a crayobn cirlece of MAJIKS and some ballons oand airmonstrrs and BEERS. The roooof awas weird man, like WEEIRD# I FOUSND MY WANG hahah. he was had a HUGE ASS AIR BALLLOn@! Oh he made a horabLE stinky fog and I treid my ALCHMEY on him but iT diidnt work so hot. Briclk trhew him off a building thuogh and WRECKED HIS SHIT UP. After I gave my LASt beeer to wake up the brick, what a scacrifiece.| An Iraneeaan nijna woman talked to us too abuot some shit tooo. I LOVE THIS TOWWN!

• 
  Summoning Circle written in colored Sharpies.
• 
  Potion found in the hotel room.
• 
  Ghazi's lamp that Wang was using.
• 
  James enjoys the strong drink.

Commercial

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Conclusion of the Storyline

This episode concludes the Iran So Far Away storyline.

Storyline Boon

All cast members gain the following:

Cookie Rookie (Usable Once): You now have connections with the Paranet in Kokomo and this gives you Obligation (Paranet, Minor). You may invoke this ability to call in a favor from Cookie, which will grant you a +3 bonus on Occultism or Knowledge checks for research. Alternately, you may ask Cookie for access to a spell. Roll a d10 with a +4 bonus with a -1 penalty for each Power Level of the spell. If you call in a favor, your obligation level goes from minor to important.