Roots

It's the summer of 2017 in small town Virginia. The tranquility the residents take for granted is shaken by disturbing news: Karen Parker is missing. To some she may be a friend or neighbor. To others, a daughter. But regardless of the relation, the investigators set out to bring her home. But ancient evils lurk everywhere, and as the investigators are about to discover, some are very close to home...

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The Tree is too busy "feeding" to pay Daniel much mind, at least at first, and he gets to work. Within short order the statues nearest the tree are up in flames, and the officer moves further out and proceeds to do the same to the ones further away. By now the screams of both Alex and Mabel have silenced, and both have been released from the grip of the branches, their bodies now falling to the ground drained of all blood. The Tree itself makes a few grabs for Daniel. Some of these are uncomfortably close, but none of them reach him. It would seem the Tree was unable to retaliate against the investigator.

When he's finished, over twenty satyr statues are burning. The smell is nauseating. Something besides wood was burning with each one, and the smell is nauseating. But any threat they held appears to have been dealt with.

The only issue remaining was the large Tree. Daniel could attempt to deal with it, but that would risk getting close to it, and with none remaining to distract it. Alternatively he could leave, content in knowing it could not follow them.
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Thanks to fear and adrenaline Daniel had been able to ignore the gash in his face made by the Wild Woman, but now he was exhausted and pain radiated out from the wound. All he wants to do now is take Karen home, and put this nasty business behind him. Perhaps he, Tobias, and Catherine could return and destroy the tree at a later time. Daniel leaves the tree and the burning statues to catch up with the others.


OOC:   How confident are we that we could find our way back here without Peter or some other guide?  
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OOC:   You rolled well enough on luck I'm willing to say you make it out.  
Daniel leaves the tree behind, having destroyed the Wild Ones that could be a threat to them. Still, his conscience pangs. Alex had called out to him for help more than once, and the officer had ignored him. Daniel had always believed in protecting and serving. What he did today, deserved as it perhaps was, still takes a toll on him.
OOC:   Daniel can make a san roll. 1/1d4  
Fortune is on the investigators side, as they make it back to their vehicle within an hour. Daniel soon joins them, looking exhausted. The cultists are not with him.
OOC:   Feel free to question each other about this, don't want to rush through things.  
When they get in their vehicle, Karen sobers up somewhat. She begins to speak as they begin the drive back to Paradise Falls.

"Joy sent me a letter. She wanted me to come here. I love the Parkers, my family. But I needed to know where I came from. Joy spent months telling me I'd love it in Geverlon. So I snuck away. I only wanted to spend a few days here, that's all. But on my way to town those things captured me." She takes a shaky breath and continues. "They were jeering at first, made plans to sacrifice me. Until they learned i was from Geverlon. Then Beth told me I was chosen, destined to be a favored child of the goddess. That I would become like her.

"I tried to run,t hat first night, but they caught me. They tied me to the tree and made me bleed. They did so many things, and Beth, she just smiled. Told me I needed to be reborn, free of the shackles of morality. They fed me the tree's sap and promised me it would make me a Wild Woman. And it became so hard to fight it. Beth's words started to make perfect sense. Even now, a part of me can't help but find them sensible
." She breaks down crying for a moment before continuing. " Maybe I am like her already! When I first saw the three of you, Uncle Daniel and Grandfather and Ms. Levesque, I felt a strong combination of lust and hunger. Only when Beth died did I feel like myself again. But I'm scared. What if these feelings always haunt me? What if they never go away? How can I ever be normal after what I've seen?"

And then she begins to sob again. This time, she doesn't stop.
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Karen, you have a family. You have us, if you won’t abandon us, then we will never abandon you. Listen Karen, you can still go with your uncle Daniel here to that boy band concert; though I disapprove of your habits, what with underage drinking and shady bars and whatnots, but we can still talk about it and help you adjust back to that life. That life is still there, you can still go back to it. It’s okay. You have us, and what’s more, you have a future.” Tobias struggled to get the words out of him, as he started to cry himself, tiny, choking, episodes of coughing and crying. He wasn’t all that great at crying. It wasn’t a pretty sight. “L-listen, there’s time for you to adjust. There’s places you can go where people understands exactly what you are going through and could help you in ways that I never could. I...look, if you want to, my alma mater, Miskatonic University, I know of a few professors from my days there that could talk to you. It’s a good place, and I think I wouldn’t neccessarily mind if you go to college there.”

He tried to comfort Karen and offer some advice, but he realised that he was just some old man, there’s no superior insight that his life experiences offered him in comforting his granddaughter, he wasn’t trained at reassuring people. At the end of the day, he wished he could do more. Turning to Daniel, he asked, “What happened? You’re still shaking, the look in your eyes...”

He is concerned for them.
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Re: Roots

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"Karen, you are nothing like Beth and never will be," Catherine assures her. "Once I killed her, that broke the spell. I understand how you feel you can never be normal again. I don't think any of us can. But I'm here for you, any time you need to talk about what happened. We all are, and we'll help you get through it."
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Daniel says to Tobias, keeping his voice low while Catherine talks to Karen, "I... wasn't fast enough to save them,
but... the Wild Men won't be a problem."
He moves past the older man to Karen and tries to console her, "Don't worry, its over now we should head home and we can start putting all this behind us." He's shaky and sweaty and bleeding, however, and isn't very convincing.

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Tobias sighed, but didn’t comment further.
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OOC:   I'm guessing any professors Tobias had are long dead, or else engaged in things Karen would do well to stay away from. :D  
Karen seems to calm down a bit as her family and teacher consoles her. She stops crying and remains quiet for a few minutes.

"What am I going to tell everyone? No one, no one will believe what happened!"

Karen does raise a good point. What would the investigators tell Karen? Moreover, what would they tell the Parkers, not to mention the police? Could they really risk telling others what they saw? With all the Wild Ones destroyed, they may be looked at as liars or worse, somehow involved in Karen's disappearance. And though the Tree remained, for all they knew it might very well go back to "sleep" before they returned.

And what of the town of Geverlon? It was still filled with practitioners of this pagan religion. Would they attempt to deal with it, or be content with saving Karen?
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"I have a recording of some parts of the conversation. We could justify the existence of the cult well enough. Pressing charges against them for kidnapping Karen is an option as well. Remember, her biological mother and the pastor know about what's going on, and their secrets aren't bullet-proof. Daniel, as I remember it, you had taken a few photos of the scenes as well. We definitely have enough evidence to justify the police raid that is happening tomorrow. It wouldn't be hard to sue the town for illegal police conduct as well." Tobias grinned. "Karen, Beth's body is still there as well, the surprise raid tomorrow should be able to find her body too. With this many factors working against them, I highly doubt they would be able to wriggle out of this. We can take them to court, and we can also ensure that a federal investigation gets started."
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"We'll just have to leave out the parts that would get us a one-way trip to the loony bin," says Catherine. "No mention of a tree coming to life and killing people, a satyr woman, or anything like that. This is just a simple case of kidnapping."
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"Agreed. In fact we should just leave out the whole part about the grove and Peter entirely. It would only bring up a lot uncomfortable questions."
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OOC:   Okay, writing up the aftermath. As always, let me know if I should change anything your characters do.  
The investigators take Karen home. The Parkers are overjoyed to see their daughter and sister once again, and a touching family reunion occurs. In between hugs and endless expressions of gratitude, a story comes out as to where Karen was. She had gone to meet her birth mother and was promptly kidnapped by the townsfolk, who held her for some nefarious purpose. The investigators though managed to locate her and ferry her out of the town. The Parkers are of course outraged, but Daniel assures them that the police are going to take care of it. Karen for her part declines to talk about it further. She seems glad to be home, though none of those who had gone to find her expect she'll ever fully forget the events she saw and underwent. Hopefully though she could find a way to live a normal life.

Friends soon ferry in as well, and Karen makes an effort to engage with them. She seemed conflicted, both happy and haunted. But that was perhaps hardly surprising. The Parkers eventually make their way over to Catherine and Tobias, and seem eager for more details as to Karen's rescue. Would they be given any, or left in the dark as much as possible?

***

Daniel takes the opportunity to head out and give a report to Chief Taylor. Even an edited story, along with Karne's testimony would be enough to bring about a raid on Geverlon. But to his surprise, Chief Taylor calls him into his office and interrupts him before he can explain anything past Karen being recovered.

"Got a call from upstairs. The FBI, in fact. Apparently they're taking over the case for counter-terrorism reasons. The raid will go ahead don't worry about that. But it's a federal matter now. I get the feeling the feds are very interested in what's going on in Geverlon. They also want to interview you."

Daniel is not really given a choice. He's ushered into an interrogation room. A short time later a tall, severe looking middle aged black woman comes in. She's dressed sharpy, and everything about her screams bureaucrat. She does not identify herself without prompting.

"I won't keep you for long, Officer Parker. The recent events surrounding Geverlon have greatly interested the federal government. As the one in charge of the raid on the town, I'd like you to recount everything you experienced there. We don't want to go in unprepared. What should we be expecting to find there?"
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"It was a very frightening experience," says Catherine. "Your daughter has been through a tremendous ordeal, and she has shown remarkable courage and resilience." She glances at Tobias to see if he wants to tell them any details. They are his family, after all, so the decision should be his.
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“There’s a cult there...and personally, I don’t think it’s my story to tell. I’ll respect Karen’s choice and privacy. Besides, I think they’ll be take care of, so I doubt I’ll have anything more to the story that you can’t find on the evening news around tomorrow or the day after that.” Tobias replied.
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Daniel takes a moment to take in the situation before responding. "There is a cult of some kind there. I don't think the people there will attack you, but they certainly won't make things easy on you. I don't know how involved they all are. Two officers who lived in the town threatened and eventually shot at us, and I shot back, and they died." Daniel tries his best to read the woman, to see how she'd react to hearing about the Tree, but that's never been his strong suit. He decides to omit that part, hoping the feds will stick to the town.
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The Parkers share a look. Then Rachel nods.

"She must have been through so much. Thank you for saving her. I think we'll need to talk about getting Karen a therapist. I don't think either of us are equipped to understand what she went through."

Paul holds his wife's hand and gently squeezes. "But we'll be there for her. And I know the both of you and Daniel will be as well, so thank you. Thank you for bringing our little girl home." They look towards Karen then. She's talking to a group of her friends. Though still looking reserved, all our relieved to see a slight smile grow across her face.
***

Daniel notes the woman hardly seems surprised by his mention of the cult. Indeed, Her face remains frustratingly blank, and he can't get a read on her.

"I see." she says, when he finishes his tale. "As I've said, recent events in Geverlon have caught our interest. The government has dealt with these sort of cults before. Rarely are they on so organized a scale as an entire town, but it does happen. They can hide in plain site, as you've learned. Many of them are your standard fundamentalist sect, crazy but recognizable. Some though worship things that are older than that."

"Telling us more about this cult, anything you've learned about it would be useful. In our... line of work, we've learned that nothing is impossible." Daniel notices she does not even seem to care that he just confessed to killing two people, even if in self defense.
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Tobias smiled as well, happy to see that Karen has taken the first step towards recovery. He sat down and drank some water. He wants to remain sober for a while longer.
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"You're quite welcome," says Catherine. "Your plan sounds like the best course of action. If Karen or you two ever need anything, just ask."
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Daniel licks his lips, and wonders what he should say next. In the end he decides to tell the whole truth, after all if Tobias knew about the kind of things they saw in Geverlon then others must too. "Well. There was this woman, not really a woman but like one. A monster. And a Tree that was alive and drank people's blood. The monster woman died too, and there were some statues of other monsters that I burned for good measure. The Tree is still there though." Daniel tries to look as earnest as he can. The things he's saying sound insane even to himself, but he suddenly hopes very much that this woman will believe him.
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Once again Daniel finds the FBI agent impossible to read. She waits for him to finish before continuing.

"The things you are saying sound crazy, Officer Parker. I advise you to think up a better story." she leans in close and lowers her voice. "But I also suspect you're telling me the truth. It would be better for you if you don't spread this around.But your cooperation is noted."

She slides a card against the desk towards him. It's blank, except for a number. "There are others who have seen the sort of things you've seen. The people I represent work to find and root out places like Geverlon. You have two options, officer. Forget about all this and go back to your life. Or call that number and we'll know we can count on you if something along these lines comes up. You have one week before that number is disconnected. Think about it long and hard. You don't get to quit this club."

Without another word, she turns and leaves the room.

***

The next day comes with no fanfare. Karen had given a statement to the police. She's remaining quiet about what really happened to her. Along with the investigators providing her story with support, the police seem willing to close the case, content on letting the FBI handle the rest. The chief does mention to Daniel that the feds are giving them significant pressure to let them handle it, and he's inclined to let them.

The raid is unannounced. Coincidentally, there are some reports of forest fires in the surrounding area of Geverlon over the next few days.No one seems eager to follow up, and though the Parkers seem to want closure and the knowledge that their daughter's kidnappers have been brought to justice, Karen and her rescuers are able to convince them not to push the matter too far, if only for her mental health.

Over the next few months life gradually returns to normal. Karen defers on college and instead plans to attends one close to her family, specifically her uncle and grandfather. Catherine still sees her now and then as well, and she seems trying to be normal. She's still a popular girl, if perhaps not as quick with a smile as she had been before Geverlon. And every now and then she gets a distant look in her eyes. But she seems glad to be home. Perhaps sh'ell never fully recover, but neither does she seem to wish to become like Beth.

The only other odd thing is if any of the investigators do research on Geverlon, they find that most mentions of it on the internet are gone. A few new websites have gone up, claiming the town died out over a century ago. If the investigators are brave( or foolhardy) enough to go out near Geverlon, they find no traces of the community.It's like it vanished from the world.

Though perhaps that's a good thing.

No one outside the Group that raided that forest and town will ever know what went on there, but if they somehow did, they would discover that much of the town was liquidated with extreme prejudice. Survivors,, especially those more well versed in the cult's background, were herded out to a secret black site and interrogated and experimented on. Mos tof these subjects would be dead within a few months, though a few promising ones were stored on site indefinitely.

As for the Wild Ones, thanks to Daniel most of them were destroyed. The Tree was dealt with an acceptable amount of trauma, it's sap collected for further study. It was found to have amazing healing qualities, and attempts to replicate it achieved a partial success. The resulting sap was found effective enough to market it out to a Group affiliated company, which would begin producing it for the military and eventually the general population. Millions of dollars would be made.

The pure sap was also tested on the survivors from Geverlon, and mutations would gradually develop in them. The Group's scientists would learn much from their studies. More than one of them would be seduced into the service of Geverlon's mother goddess, and the implications from this would be serious in the years to come.

But our heroes would never know any of this, and so their victory was sweet. They had encountered pure evil and achieved a victory over it. And maybe that was enough.
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