The group begins the night still reeling from what they witnessed at East Jesus. After time is taken to recover from the encounter with the television installation, the vision of the conquistador, and the manifestation of the paradox spirit, the cabal chooses to move on rather than dwell on what they saw. As the desert heat breaks, they head toward the music camp.
They arrive to find the largest gathering of people they’ve seen so far in Slab City. Around thirty-five people sit and stand around a makeshift stage, listening to a toothless, cross-eyed guitarist singing a bleak, honest song about loss and endurance. The mood is heavy, but alive.
The cabal disperses into the crowd:
One member takes over the sound system, shifting the tone from somber reflection to shared experience, energizing the group and drawing people together through music.
Another moves through the crowd providing medical aid, stabilizing injuries and helping those suffering from dehydration and exhaustion.
Others begin conversations, including one with Eli and a man called Razor Tom, whose drug-fueled philosophy reveals a deeper truth: many in the Slabs are chasing a spiritual connection they’ve already lost.
Meanwhile, quieter interactions unfold. The guitarist, revealed to be more than human, speaks to one of the cabal about belonging and the necessity of finding a “flock.” He gifts her a feather, which is later revealed to be spiritually significant.
As the group settles into the scene, those sensitive to magical forces begin to notice something wrong.
A working is active in the area.
Through investigation, the cabal discovers:
Injured, non-awakened people are being further harmed.
That harm is being converted into quintessence.
The quintessence is being distributed randomly to Awakened individuals present.
At first, this appears predatory. But deeper analysis reveals a different purpose: the effect acts as a brutal filter. It weakens those who cannot survive the Slabs, pushing them out before they become a larger problem, while simultaneously empowering those who can endure.
The cabal debates intervention, but before acting, they identify the likely source: the guitarist himself.
They confront him.
The entity, calling himself “Beak,” admits to what he’s doing, but rejects the cabal’s assumptions. He is not hiding, and he is not apologizing.
His perspective is simple:
The world is not fair, and survival requires enduring compounded hardship.
The Slabs are already dangerous; his actions make that truth unavoidable.
By pushing out the weak early, he prevents greater suffering later.
He frames his role as necessary, not malicious.
During the conversation, several key revelations emerge:
He is not human, but a spirit-tied being (likely a Corax or similar entity).
He has a long-standing relationship with the “man in the hat” (the paradox entity encountered previously).
He knows of Paige Holloway and confirms she was “good,” but died because she stood against forces embedded in the Slabs.
Most importantly, he makes it clear:
The truth of what happened to Paige cannot be uncovered in the physical world.
Answers lie in Spirit or Time.
Salvation Mountain is a place where those paths can be accessed.
He warns them directly: pursuing the truth openly will get them killed, just as it did Paige.
After offering a final piece of aid (the feather as a means of calling him), he transforms into a massive raven and leaves.
The cabal travels to Salvation Mountain, arriving late at night. There, they are stopped by guardians who control access to the site.
The rules are clear:
The mountain is a node of immense importance.
No one is allowed to perform major workings there without approval.
To gain access, they must secure support from the “Sun Court.”
Four supporters grant entry; six allow them to perform large-scale magic.
The cabal attempts to explain their intentions, but their lack of a clear plan and their openness about using Time and Spirit immediately raises red flags. They are denied access for now.
They leave with two conclusions:
If they want to use the mountain, they must play by the system and gather support.
They don’t yet know exactly what they intend to do, which will be a problem either way.
As they regroup, Ian’s stone begins to react again. This time, it does not point toward Salvation Mountain, but away from it.
The group chooses to follow it.
The path is deliberate and indirect:
It leads them away from the mountain,
Then loops back from another direction,
Avoiding obvious lines of sight or detection.
Eventually, it guides them to a buried jeep in the desert.
Before they can investigate further, the tentacled entity from earlier attacks.
The entity strikes violently:
Twilight is nearly killed in the initial hit.
Others are knocked aside as it attempts to engulf them.
Through magical insight, the cabal learns:
The creature is not malicious.
It is a being that was once contained.
Repeated failed attempts to control it have only made it more dangerous over time.
It behaves like a mistreated predator, not a thinking enemy.
The cabal responds quickly:
Life magic stabilizes the wounded.
A portal to the Umbra is opened (after initial failure and complications).
The group retreats rather than attempting to destroy the creature.
Crossing into the spirit world, the environment shifts dramatically:
The desert becomes shallow, mineral-heavy water.
The landscape feels alien and fluid.
As they move deeper, a boat approaches them across the water.
The session ends as the figures aboard the boat come into view.
By the end of Game 3, the cabal has learned:
The Slabs are actively regulated by unseen forces and harsh systems of survival.
Not all harmful effects are malicious; some serve a larger equilibrium.
Paige Holloway died investigating something real and dangerous.
The truth cannot be found through normal means.
Salvation Mountain is key, but access is controlled.
There are alternative paths into the Umbra, and they have already found one.
And most importantly:
They are no longer just observers. They are now moving directly into whatever killed Paige.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.