Attestatio de Vita Maintainers (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} attestatio_mods) wrote,@ 2008-01-09 22:21:00 |
|
Storyline Updates
Major Storyline Updates
Notes: The date given is just an approximate general date around which the plot was played out. Only large-scale plots will be listed. Several subplots take place, but we simply cannot list them all. Most all specific character interations will not be listed here as there are just too many to cover. These focus on plot driven aspects of the story (which is why, yes, sometimes, character interactions are listed).
Newer updates can be found at the top of this post. Once this page is full, they will be found in comments to this entry.
[ February 27th, 2008 - Enemy Agenda prt 1] When 17 year old Vanessa of Kansas was contacted and told she was a Slayer, the only person she confided in was her boyfriend, Chris Cotter. The two had been dating for two years. Chris was amazed by the things Vanessa could do. One night when Chris had accompanied Vanessa on a patrol, two vampires surprised them. Vanessa had only managed to stake one when the other had sunk his fangs into her neck. Chris hid, unable to make himself do anything, a cowardly but human motion that he would later deflect as blame to others. When the vampire left Vanessa, Chris crawled out to her, but she was dead. The hospital couldn't help her. Chris was angry, especially at her watcher, Matthew.
Chris asserted that Matthew should have been there, should have trained her better - and ultimately he decided that no young teenage girls had business being put up as fighters. He tried to tell Vanessa's family and friends (and his own) the truth, but no one believed him. So he became deranged. He killed Matthew and took off with a few addresses Matthew had. Since then he's been trying to track down any Watcher's he can. He believes in killing the Watchers so they stop making Slayers. (He doesn't understand that the Watcher's don't make the Slayers, nor would he believe you.)
He was able to trace a group of Slayers working together in Canada, under one Watcher. Because there has been a shortage of Watcher's - these Slayers had to band together. They did not have Watcher's before, but they were asked to accept their calling and move.
They're inexperienced still, and so they work in a remote part of the country, in the woods. They'd only been working together a couple months, bonding with the Watchers because she was like a cool Aunt to them. When Chris killed their Watcher, they knew what to do. They contacted the emergency council number. The council decided to send this group of Slayers to Giles, Buffy, and the rest of that group.
The Slayers never saw who killed their Watcher. But they know that she was shot five times.
[ November 15th, 2007 - Haz Mat Team ] tba
[ November 1st, 2007 - Cheap Memory ] Spike and Illyria wake up in an abandoned warehouse in Texas. They have no idea how they got there, but they're both sore and wounded from a fight. And when they make their way back to Hope Falls, they realize they've been gone weeks.
[ October 8th, 2007 - Imbued Intensity ] The orb of energy Phenex had left behind which had shot into Willow, Tara, and Avery, has been making them act strangely. They don't seem phased from their huge power use. They became nymph-like, temporarily, with extra powers relating to the earth.
[ September 19th, 2007 - Revival & Ruins ] In Buffy's words, to Dawn: "Phenex was an Old One. Like Illyria. He'd taken over the body of someone, whom - we don't know. And sadly...we couldn't save. He wanted power, lots of it. We aren't sure what his endgame was, but it couldn't have been good. Somehow he realized what you were. I guess your blood still has magical properties that can feed or open a portal, or something, we're not exactly sure... but the blood they tested at the hospital comes up normal, thankfully. Anyway, from what I'm told, there was an altar he built, with ritual carvings, and he cut you, and placed you there. And your blood started to transform him into his original form. If you had died...he would have been fully manifested. Anyway - during this, he raised a bunch more of those stone soldiers. As he grew in size, his appetite for destruction increased, and now there is a ton of damage on one of the streets. Oz assembled people and he tracked my scent. Abby and I hadn't had a hard time finding Phenex cause he'd left a trail. But it was hard to move past the stone guys. We finally realized that they were connected to him, and no matter how many we killed - they'd just keep coming. As more help arrived, Faith, Solace, and I focused on trying to hurt Phenex. It didn't much work. During this time, Dean and some others crawled into the ground and brought you up, getting you here. Willow and Tara, along with another witch - a kid, did a spell that overloaded Phenex's power. Then when we hurt him, wherever we did damage - the damage manifested on the soldiers, too. So, when we cut off one of his arms, all of the soldiers left arms went poof, see? Being that he was weakened, it was easier for us to slowly cut him down. His body was cracking, and after Faith distracted him, Solace and I drove swords into his torso and midsection - and he literally splintered apart. All that was left was like, an orb of energy. Which basically dissipated. All of the soldiers turned to dust. People are hurt, like Abby, Solace, and especially Faith. But everyone will live. Including you."
[ August 19th, 2007 - Skeleton Key ] Phenex decides that he's tired of being trapped in a body that has so many limits, and he can't control. Gaining some knowledge, he seeks out Dawn - who has retained her 'key-like' properties. She's kidnapped and dragged out to the Hellmouth. - In progress -
[ August 5th, 2007 - Delicate Souls ] Niks and Giles makes it to Hope Falls - where, everything is confusing. Riley's come into town just to witness a major fight between Buffy and Dawn. Buffy wants Dawn out of this new Hellmouth and Dawn refuses. Solace and Riley take Dawn's side, and anger ensues. Meanwhile, a new vampire in town, Vincenzo - has been making the rounds. Elsewhere, Faith and Xander are bonding, while Spike tags along. Most everyone is in Hope Falls, frequenting the Sunrise motel and everywhere else - but connecting everyone has been problematic. Watcher's have been e-mailing eachother about the research they scrounge up about Phenex, which isn't very much. [ Most things going on have been character growth/dynamic building. ]
[ July 1st, 2007 - What You Didn't See ] Fred becomes sick and has to stay in the hospital. But still with a job to do, Wes works with Niks and Cordelia (while minding Max) about what they know about this Old One in Hope Falls.
Things go horribly wrong for Wesley. Fred, soon after giving birth to their son Max, died of a medical condition.
An old friend, Lorne, appears. He shows them a text of what happened when the Sunnydale Hellmouth was formed - and confirms their thoughts that the Hellmouth, had indeed moved from Cleveland.
This is the text passage:
In 500 BC the earth did not open, but shuddered. The mouth of hell was
born in the land of sun. So bright the sky, but so dark the
underworld. So many creatures did rise from the earth, to live upon
the world's living blood. Empowered, they walk the land of night and
seek destruction. Demons were called and crawled to the land, for an
energy was brought here. Darkness took over. The light of flames were
extinguished. Blood poured from the mouths of the river. Water to
people's lips was red as crimson, dark as death. Lightening danced in
the sky, born alive with mystical blue energy. The life above and
connected to the ground withered and died in an instant. Most
noticeable was the moon, blood red - which hung above the sky, night
and day for many a cycle. And around the sun, a black ring of
darkness. Dark birds appeared, making their spot. Many animals, so
connected to the world, feared all. Others grew aggressive. The lake
churned as though angry. And the world was made to rest uneasy. Death
occured daily. The way of life. The people bared their sins to the sky
and were burned by an evil touch of hell. A hell that was unescapable.
A hell that would reign supreme, opening at times, till power was
brought upon the masses. Only then would hells jaw be wired shut on
this spot. But hell shall survive, do not be decieved.
He has information that he suckered out of a drunk demon, that the Senior Partners at Wolfram and Hart had this demon perform a spell on Cordeila, by which she stopped recieving her visions. Which is why she had none about Phenex - and hasn't had any in a long time. Lorne informs her that she can get her visions back, but at the cost of a great deal of pain - for all the visions she's missed will enter her mind at the same time. Cordelia says that she needs her visions to help future people, and wants them back.
[ June 17th, 2007 - Run ] A group of Scoobies are on patrol, when Phenex happens upon them. He wastes no time in using his new power to visciously beat-up and beat-down. People fall unconcious, wrists break, blood stains the street and a slayer named Katie gets killed. Willow and Tara try to do magic by drawing on Kennedy's power, but Phenex stops them, injuring them further. Anyone who can is told to run off - and they do.
Spike and Buffy try to shoulder the brunt of the attack, but they don't fare so well. The concern is to get out of there, and not so much with hurting Phenex, by this point. Dean shows up in the Impala, which knocks Phenex down. Dean shoots at Phenex. Interested, Phenex picks up the bullets that deflected off of him, and throws them at the others. Spike is one who gets hit. Everyone is told to run to the car. But they need a distraction. Buffy takes the task. She runs in the opposite direction of the car, and leads Phenex down an alley. In the alley, Phenex begins to brutally beat-up Buffy. Just as he's going to land a very possible fatal blow, Phenex switches into Tyler. Tyler freaks, seeing the 'dead?' girl, and runs off. Everyone else that was at the scene manages to make it back to the Sunrise hotel, where they've all been staying.
The next morning, some people find Buffy, unconcious, half-broken, and bloody, and take her to a hospital, where she is known as a Jane Doe, in the intensive care unit. Her friends do not know where she currently is, or if she is even alive. Willow and Tara are too zapped to do magic. Dawn, among others, is scared witless. That is, she would be, if she hadn't been attacked with the others, by a giant unknown demon - and had fallen into a coma.
[ June 1st, 2007 - And So it Goes ] Everyone starts to find eachother in Hope Falls, reconnecting. Stone minions of Phenex's roam the town - and attack people. Their heads are now stone, as well, making it much more difficult to kill them (though their stone heads are hollow). Many people get injured by these minions. On one occasion, Donovan saves a group by using his powers to, essentially, teleport people to saftey.
A particular watcher in Hope Falls, Alexandra Riley, consults with Niks. Back at the Hotel Cavalier, research is going on. Niks comes across the 'Slipets Zellis' prophecy. Which, in Lativan, translates to 'Old bird'.
Prophecy:
As this sane end of the world is drawing nigh, many queer happenings
shall occur . . .
climatic changes; . . .
terrors from the depths, beneath the earth, in the tombs of those long
deceased and dormant; . . .
a shifting and collision below the surface of our lands that will
bring forth a great stir like never before; . . .
the moon, rising high into the sky, will fill with the blood of those
slain on the mouth of hells until it bursts,
overflows, and rains down upon he who brought It forth.
So shall It be. So shall It come to pass.
Hope shall fall.
The Scorched Bird shall rise and pull energy from the earth.
Inhabited by more than one, he shall be a threat unlike many.
At a nearby hospital, Fred gives birth to her baby, Maximilian Chase Liam Charles. Cordy, Anya, Rosa (and in a round-about way, Riley) visit her and Wes. Wes and Cordelia then go shopping. Speaking of Cordelia, where had she been? She admits to Wes that she had won a free Spiritual Awakening Cruise to the Virgin Islands, and that's where she's been. Now that she's back she's been recieving a few strange hang-up calls, but thinks nothing of it.
Lindsey McDonald returns from vacation, pissed off at what's happening. He consults with Amy Madison, to see what trouble she can cause.
[ May 1st, 2007 - Death and Rebirth ] Much like Fred Burkle, Tyler Ripley was an unsuspecting victim when his father's friend called him over for his birthday present. The present turned out to be a stone sarcophagus. And soon it had infected Tyler with the essence of an Old One - named Phenex. Tyler died slowly, allowed just a few parting words over the phone to his wife.
But the story becomes different from Fred's right about here. Where Fred had died, the Old One appeared had Fred - and Fred had died (for what they thought was forever). Only that wasn't the case. Tyler's wife had been a practicing Wiccan, and had placed a protection spell on him a long time ago. This spell let Tyler live. In the same body as Phenex. A person with who different personas. A body that hosted two people's essences.
Phenex couldn't be bothered with that right then, he went with his Qwa’ha Xahn, or high priest, Anthony Fisher (Tyler's dad's friend) to feed on the closest big power that was around. That happened to be an unsuspecting sleeping redheaded witch in Rhode Island. Willow.
Phenex, who is red in his diluted demon form, appeared to Willow. And he immediately began sucking energy from her. Angel burst in, deflecting attention and fighting Phenex. Angel could tell from the speech and the look, that this is an Old One.
Willow made her way to Buffy's room, who'd been having one of her prophetic dreams and in deep sleep. She wakes, afraid someone is trying to get Caitlyn - those guards had really seemed to want her. Before they have time to process this, Phenex has beaten Angel enough and has appeared to Buffy and Willow. Buffy doesn't realize that this is an Old One, and feels confident in her skills. Willow watches Caitlyn, while Buffy sizes up her opponent. Phenex makes lunch meat of her. But then he leaves to the street, realizing that the Hellmouth has just appeared.
Phenex's minions, stone men, attack Buffy who is alone, trapped in the room (as Willow has run off to save herself and Caitlyn). These minions have gemstones embedded in their rock-hard bodies, which make it difficult to see them, or much of anything. But their heads are not rock - and Buffy manages to kill them all via their heads. By the time she's gotten outside, Phenex is gone.
While this is happening, slayers from around the world have been calling the Watcher's Council, and the Hotel Cavalier in particular, letting the watchers know of the dreams they've been having.
A day later Oz tells the group of conspiracys that are online about this town called Hope Falls. Dawn recognizes it as familar as the place where Buffy said she was when she left her a message. The group realizes that that's where the action is - and they send a team on their way there. Meanwhile, a group stays at the hotel, left to do the requisite research for why all theses strange things are happening in Hope Falls. They have also noticed a decline in vampires and demons.
Someone else has noticed this. Wolfram and Hart is abuzz. The CEO, Lindsey, is 'on vacation' somewhere. Lilah puts herself in charge, and demands answers. Their shamans are able to tell them that the Hellmouth has moved, and where to. But they want to know why.
[ April 29th, 2007 - A Bloodstain in the Sky ] The poorly named Herb Michinski had lived in Cleveland until recently. His dad had gotten a new job and moved the family to Hope Falls, Rhode Island. Nothing seemed to go right for Herb. Hanging out at a drugstore (to steal a snickers and a Coke) he had been busying himself by throwing stones. One of the rocks he used was bigger than the others, and wouldn't you know it - that's the one that bounced up and into the windshield of a passing car.
Yes, he got in trouble. His parents were 'disappointed.' He listened to them talk about him from the top of the stairs. His parents didn't know what to do with him and his new attitude. Angry, Herb retreated to his room. His parents had denied him dinner and he was starving. He decided he couldn't possibly get in any more trouble than he was already in so he used his mother's trellis to climb down from his room, and biked to the Gas Station - where he knew there'd be food.
Once there, he pocketed some food. But someone saw him. A woman. An attractive woman. And she was nice, too. She talked to him. She gave him a good luck charm because she had taken a liking to him. She expressed dismay for this town. And Herb agreed - he hated it here. He wished that things here would be more like home, Cleveland.
And in that instant, so much changed. The woman he was talking to had been a vengeance demon. And his wish was twisted into making Hope Falls a Hellmouth - which Cleveland had been.
There were several indicators. The ocean became restless and pounded the shores. Flowers literally turned black. And the plants started to rot. The electricity went off. Tapwater turned into blood. Electric blue energy bolts were seen in the sky, along with white lightening streaking above. What's more - the moon had turned blood-red. Animals became either aggressive or excessively fearful.
All over, Slayers were having dreams of these things - including bodies dragging themselves out of the ground. ( For more on that, read the next update. This is not all that happens on this night. )
The next day, the moon could still be seen in the sky - red. And the sun had a black circle around it. People were scared. But in a few days, electrify returned - in fact, everything that had gone wacky seemed to right itself. The flowers were still dead, but the water was back to normal, the lake was calm. The Mayor held a press conference where he explained everything that had happened. It wasn't blood water they'd seen - but water turned red from rusted pipes. The flowers had died from a lack of water. The strange things in the sky? Why, it was a celestial phenomenon that occurred every thousand years. Hadn't they ever heard of the Yvonne eclipse? It was totally normal, and they were lucky to have seen it.
The majority of people in Hope Falls underwent what you could call the 'Sunnydale Syndrome.' They believed the excuses the authorities told them, because they didn't want to believe that anything scary, weird, or dangerous was going on.
[ March 26th, 2007 - Pineland ] Angel had gone missing. He hadn't been seen by anyone. Buffy had assumed he was staying away and avoiding her, after the big fight between her, Spike, and Angel, a month ago. But a month was long enough to sulk, and she'd been trying to get in touch with him, only to find that he was never home.
Dean came to Buffy with a newspaper clipping of a bunch of murders that took place in Hope Falls, Rhode Island. He pointed out that all of the murders were things that Angelus used to do - killing nuns, nailing puppies to doors, etc. Plus, all the places murders had taken place at were public places, further giving weight to an 'it's a vampire' theory. Worried that Angelus had gotten loose, Buffy assembled a team right away (consisting of Dean, Buffy, Faith, and Willow) and they took a road trip in Dean's Impala, to Hope Falls.
When they got there they went to one of the churches that some of the murders had taken place at. As they looked for clues, Willow managed to find a knife stowed away in a confessional - these Police Men had no idea what or who they were dealing with, and not used to murders so yes, they were a bit incompetent. Having Buffy and Faith sit to either side of her to anchor her, Willow did a spell using a bowl of water and the blood off of the knife to reveal an intricate 'picture sketch' from the blood to form a picture in the water to show who had used the deadly weapon - it was someone else. Everyone was relieved that it wasn't Angelus they saw.
But they still had a murderer on their hands. Willow stepped into action again, knowing they needed to locate this killer. They went about getting themselves a map of the area. Another spell was performed - a blade pointing to their desired location: the abandoned Pineland Asylum.
Where was Angel? Angel had actually been captured and put into a cell at the Pineland Asylum which was now a Demon Rehabilitation Center, also in Hope Falls, where he'd been framed. He had been without blood, and had the requisite torturing. He lived in a cell with an unnamed demon who didn't speak English, and a pregnant woman who revealed that her baby was most likely a demon.
Buffy, Willow, Faith, and Dean made their way into the abandoned asylum and were greeted by guards - human guards. The guards underestimated the girls, going for them moreso than Dean - and the girls delivered. (With Dean helping, of course.) They didn't kill any of them, but they went about knocking them out. Just when they thought they might have gotten a break by these lax guards, an old man appeared, flanked by giant bodyguards - who were definitely non-human. Even steroids wouldn't account for their size. The old man taunted our heroes as he told him that he would be leaving through the front doors. This was the person they'd seen drawn in blood. This was the killer. No way were they letting him go.
The giant guards, which the old man had referred to as knights engaged in battle with Buffy and Faith. And while this was going on...
Elsewhere, Angel was helping the woman in his cell deliver her baby. The guards had already made it clear that they meant to kill the baby, as well as the woman. Although, that didn't explain why they were waiting for her to give birth before they killed her. Maybe they were just waiting to make sure the baby was a demon - from the father's side. After the woman delivered her baby, and told Angel that the baby's name was to be Caitlyn, he noticed there was too much blood coming from her. She was bleeding to death, and there was nothing he could do. He yelled for guards to help, but they didn't do anything. The demon in Angel's cell helped him, as the guards came in to collect the baby. The demon got killed in the process. But it gave Angel a chance to get Caitlyn and escape from the guards - leaving them locked in the cell.
Running as fast as he dared, with the baby, he made his way towards the front. He was more than surprised to see that there, in the entrance hall, was Buffy and a few others fighting some demons. By this time, the old man had left, but no one had realized. Buffy and Faith and Dean were getting their asses kicked by these knights. Angel realized they were outnumbered, and didn't want to risk Caitlyn being hurt, so he yelled for everyone to get out of the place. Surprised and relieved to see him, they obeyed - getting out of there.
Dean drove them to a motel. Buffy stepped up to take care of the baby so everyone else could rest - especially Angel who needed to find blood and then rest. Everyone agreed it was a good plan, and soon, even Buffy - who'd laid Caitlyn in a makeshift cradle Angel had made from a drawer, was asleep.
[ February 7th, 2007 - Visionless ] Lilah becomes determined to get rid of the visions she's gained, afraid they are killing her. Literally. She calls the one person she believes who could help, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. Once he reached her apartment, it was revealed that she had to undergo a series of trials to get rid of them, and she convinced Wes to perform the ritual to do this. She also revealed the existance of her daughter to him, just in case things didn't work out. Her trials took on the form of memories, with her confronting a darker version of her former lover as she was forced to relive past joys and heartaches in order to discover what price she was willing to pay. In the end, she was rid of the visions. Wes paid special care to her afterwards, and Lilah stole a kiss, for old time's sake.
[ February 4th, 2007 - Theater of the Absurd ] Buffy and Spike save a pre-teen from a vampire named Jade, in Pelton Park. They find a ID bracelet on the girl that says she belongs to the Linden Mental Hospital. So they return her there. They assume that's all over with. The next day, Buffy is attacked by several demons in a row, but they aren't that hard to defeat. Buffy also realizes she can read minds - again! But it's not as bad as before. Spike wakes up, and realizes he has a heartbeat - he's human. He gets grumbly and goes to Buffy. They believe he's received the Shanshu prophecy. But Spike does not like that. He says he hasn't done anything to earn his humanity, not recently. So it's odd, to him, that he'd suddenly become a human. Buffy reluctantly agrees. They go out on patrol to dig up some information, and a demon appears. The demon calls Spike 'Cottonball' and finally it starts to come together. Spike remembers that the girl last night, Rebecca, called him Cottonball. So they go to the Mental Hospital. That is, after breaking in, and dressing up in nurse/patient outfits. They discover, at the Hospital, that there is an outbreak of unicorns, friendly vampires, and other sorts of mystical things. They find Rebecca and talk to her. Not knowing what to do, Buffy calls up Payton. Payton magically restores things back to the girl's imagination, and does a spell to find out that Rebecca is half demon. Anything she draws out, comes true. This power was unlocked after her recent altercation with the vampire yesterday. Payton binds her powers, and takes her back with him. Buffy and Spike write a note from Rebecca's 'parents' saying she's gone home with them, although she is an orphan. Hopefully the Hospital is too busy to realize this.
[ January 17th, 2007 - Listen to Reason ] Wes gets a call at Angel Investigations from a girl saying that there have been unusual things going on at a house on Clifford road. She has witnessed weird lights flashing from the windows. She lives on that street, so she's concerned. It's been boarded up for a year, but the lights started appearing in October. Now sometimes there are loud noises, too. No one knows what to do. She'd seen the website online for A.I, wants to alert them. Since Vaughn is hanging around, Wes instructs her to come with him to the house. She doesn't take too kindly to being bossed around, but comes anyway. The pair get trapped in a soundproof, cement room. They don't get cell reception. They notice several medical instrucments, a white lab coat, all sorts of things that indicate this could be the new lair of the Mad Scientist. Spiders start appearing. The Mad Scientist appears in the torture chamber. He gloats about how he's trained the spiders to attack anyone not wearing his magic amulet. The spiders
attack Wes and Vaughn, but they fight most of them off. They grab the amulet off the Mad Scientist, and he gets devoured by a spider of his own creation.
[ December 20th, 2006 - Christmas Cheer ] The mad scientist who has been plaguing the Hotel Cavalier sends out cursed Christmas cards to all the members of the Scooby Gang, and even some of those associated with them. When opened, the cards sucked the recipient (and anyone in close proximity) to an alternate dimension. There, each character came face-to-face their own alter ego. (The particular interpretations were left up to the individual players.) In order to leave, they had to defeat the alternate version of themselves. Though it was difficult, most succeeded. The one character who did not succeed was Spike. He was defeated, and his alter-ego returned to our dimension in his place. After a certain amount of mayhem and confusion ensued, the switched was revealed and the true Spike was rescued.
Major Storyline Updates
Notes: The date given is just an approximate general date around which the plot was played out. Only large-scale plots will be listed. Several subplots take place, but we simply cannot list them all. Most all specific character interations will not be listed here as there are just too many to cover. These focus on plot driven aspects of the story (which is why, yes, sometimes, character interactions are listed).
Newer updates can be found at the top of this post. Once this page is full, they will be found in comments to this entry.
[ February 27th, 2008 - Enemy Agenda prt 1] When 17 year old Vanessa of Kansas was contacted and told she was a Slayer, the only person she confided in was her boyfriend, Chris Cotter. The two had been dating for two years. Chris was amazed by the things Vanessa could do. One night when Chris had accompanied Vanessa on a patrol, two vampires surprised them. Vanessa had only managed to stake one when the other had sunk his fangs into her neck. Chris hid, unable to make himself do anything, a cowardly but human motion that he would later deflect as blame to others. When the vampire left Vanessa, Chris crawled out to her, but she was dead. The hospital couldn't help her. Chris was angry, especially at her watcher, Matthew.
Chris asserted that Matthew should have been there, should have trained her better - and ultimately he decided that no young teenage girls had business being put up as fighters. He tried to tell Vanessa's family and friends (and his own) the truth, but no one believed him. So he became deranged. He killed Matthew and took off with a few addresses Matthew had. Since then he's been trying to track down any Watcher's he can. He believes in killing the Watchers so they stop making Slayers. (He doesn't understand that the Watcher's don't make the Slayers, nor would he believe you.)
He was able to trace a group of Slayers working together in Canada, under one Watcher. Because there has been a shortage of Watcher's - these Slayers had to band together. They did not have Watcher's before, but they were asked to accept their calling and move.
They're inexperienced still, and so they work in a remote part of the country, in the woods. They'd only been working together a couple months, bonding with the Watchers because she was like a cool Aunt to them. When Chris killed their Watcher, they knew what to do. They contacted the emergency council number. The council decided to send this group of Slayers to Giles, Buffy, and the rest of that group.
The Slayers never saw who killed their Watcher. But they know that she was shot five times.
[ November 15th, 2007 - Haz Mat Team ] tba
[ November 1st, 2007 - Cheap Memory ] Spike and Illyria wake up in an abandoned warehouse in Texas. They have no idea how they got there, but they're both sore and wounded from a fight. And when they make their way back to Hope Falls, they realize they've been gone weeks.
[ October 8th, 2007 - Imbued Intensity ] The orb of energy Phenex had left behind which had shot into Willow, Tara, and Avery, has been making them act strangely. They don't seem phased from their huge power use. They became nymph-like, temporarily, with extra powers relating to the earth.
[ September 19th, 2007 - Revival & Ruins ] In Buffy's words, to Dawn: "Phenex was an Old One. Like Illyria. He'd taken over the body of someone, whom - we don't know. And sadly...we couldn't save. He wanted power, lots of it. We aren't sure what his endgame was, but it couldn't have been good. Somehow he realized what you were. I guess your blood still has magical properties that can feed or open a portal, or something, we're not exactly sure... but the blood they tested at the hospital comes up normal, thankfully. Anyway, from what I'm told, there was an altar he built, with ritual carvings, and he cut you, and placed you there. And your blood started to transform him into his original form. If you had died...he would have been fully manifested. Anyway - during this, he raised a bunch more of those stone soldiers. As he grew in size, his appetite for destruction increased, and now there is a ton of damage on one of the streets. Oz assembled people and he tracked my scent. Abby and I hadn't had a hard time finding Phenex cause he'd left a trail. But it was hard to move past the stone guys. We finally realized that they were connected to him, and no matter how many we killed - they'd just keep coming. As more help arrived, Faith, Solace, and I focused on trying to hurt Phenex. It didn't much work. During this time, Dean and some others crawled into the ground and brought you up, getting you here. Willow and Tara, along with another witch - a kid, did a spell that overloaded Phenex's power. Then when we hurt him, wherever we did damage - the damage manifested on the soldiers, too. So, when we cut off one of his arms, all of the soldiers left arms went poof, see? Being that he was weakened, it was easier for us to slowly cut him down. His body was cracking, and after Faith distracted him, Solace and I drove swords into his torso and midsection - and he literally splintered apart. All that was left was like, an orb of energy. Which basically dissipated. All of the soldiers turned to dust. People are hurt, like Abby, Solace, and especially Faith. But everyone will live. Including you."
[ August 19th, 2007 - Skeleton Key ] Phenex decides that he's tired of being trapped in a body that has so many limits, and he can't control. Gaining some knowledge, he seeks out Dawn - who has retained her 'key-like' properties. She's kidnapped and dragged out to the Hellmouth. - In progress -
[ August 5th, 2007 - Delicate Souls ] Niks and Giles makes it to Hope Falls - where, everything is confusing. Riley's come into town just to witness a major fight between Buffy and Dawn. Buffy wants Dawn out of this new Hellmouth and Dawn refuses. Solace and Riley take Dawn's side, and anger ensues. Meanwhile, a new vampire in town, Vincenzo - has been making the rounds. Elsewhere, Faith and Xander are bonding, while Spike tags along. Most everyone is in Hope Falls, frequenting the Sunrise motel and everywhere else - but connecting everyone has been problematic. Watcher's have been e-mailing eachother about the research they scrounge up about Phenex, which isn't very much. [ Most things going on have been character growth/dynamic building. ]
[ July 1st, 2007 - What You Didn't See ] Fred becomes sick and has to stay in the hospital. But still with a job to do, Wes works with Niks and Cordelia (while minding Max) about what they know about this Old One in Hope Falls.
Things go horribly wrong for Wesley. Fred, soon after giving birth to their son Max, died of a medical condition.
An old friend, Lorne, appears. He shows them a text of what happened when the Sunnydale Hellmouth was formed - and confirms their thoughts that the Hellmouth, had indeed moved from Cleveland.
This is the text passage:
In 500 BC the earth did not open, but shuddered. The mouth of hell was
born in the land of sun. So bright the sky, but so dark the
underworld. So many creatures did rise from the earth, to live upon
the world's living blood. Empowered, they walk the land of night and
seek destruction. Demons were called and crawled to the land, for an
energy was brought here. Darkness took over. The light of flames were
extinguished. Blood poured from the mouths of the river. Water to
people's lips was red as crimson, dark as death. Lightening danced in
the sky, born alive with mystical blue energy. The life above and
connected to the ground withered and died in an instant. Most
noticeable was the moon, blood red - which hung above the sky, night
and day for many a cycle. And around the sun, a black ring of
darkness. Dark birds appeared, making their spot. Many animals, so
connected to the world, feared all. Others grew aggressive. The lake
churned as though angry. And the world was made to rest uneasy. Death
occured daily. The way of life. The people bared their sins to the sky
and were burned by an evil touch of hell. A hell that was unescapable.
A hell that would reign supreme, opening at times, till power was
brought upon the masses. Only then would hells jaw be wired shut on
this spot. But hell shall survive, do not be decieved.
He has information that he suckered out of a drunk demon, that the Senior Partners at Wolfram and Hart had this demon perform a spell on Cordeila, by which she stopped recieving her visions. Which is why she had none about Phenex - and hasn't had any in a long time. Lorne informs her that she can get her visions back, but at the cost of a great deal of pain - for all the visions she's missed will enter her mind at the same time. Cordelia says that she needs her visions to help future people, and wants them back.
[ June 17th, 2007 - Run ] A group of Scoobies are on patrol, when Phenex happens upon them. He wastes no time in using his new power to visciously beat-up and beat-down. People fall unconcious, wrists break, blood stains the street and a slayer named Katie gets killed. Willow and Tara try to do magic by drawing on Kennedy's power, but Phenex stops them, injuring them further. Anyone who can is told to run off - and they do.
Spike and Buffy try to shoulder the brunt of the attack, but they don't fare so well. The concern is to get out of there, and not so much with hurting Phenex, by this point. Dean shows up in the Impala, which knocks Phenex down. Dean shoots at Phenex. Interested, Phenex picks up the bullets that deflected off of him, and throws them at the others. Spike is one who gets hit. Everyone is told to run to the car. But they need a distraction. Buffy takes the task. She runs in the opposite direction of the car, and leads Phenex down an alley. In the alley, Phenex begins to brutally beat-up Buffy. Just as he's going to land a very possible fatal blow, Phenex switches into Tyler. Tyler freaks, seeing the 'dead?' girl, and runs off. Everyone else that was at the scene manages to make it back to the Sunrise hotel, where they've all been staying.
The next morning, some people find Buffy, unconcious, half-broken, and bloody, and take her to a hospital, where she is known as a Jane Doe, in the intensive care unit. Her friends do not know where she currently is, or if she is even alive. Willow and Tara are too zapped to do magic. Dawn, among others, is scared witless. That is, she would be, if she hadn't been attacked with the others, by a giant unknown demon - and had fallen into a coma.
[ June 1st, 2007 - And So it Goes ] Everyone starts to find eachother in Hope Falls, reconnecting. Stone minions of Phenex's roam the town - and attack people. Their heads are now stone, as well, making it much more difficult to kill them (though their stone heads are hollow). Many people get injured by these minions. On one occasion, Donovan saves a group by using his powers to, essentially, teleport people to saftey.
A particular watcher in Hope Falls, Alexandra Riley, consults with Niks. Back at the Hotel Cavalier, research is going on. Niks comes across the 'Slipets Zellis' prophecy. Which, in Lativan, translates to 'Old bird'.
Prophecy:
As this sane end of the world is drawing nigh, many queer happenings
shall occur . . .
climatic changes; . . .
terrors from the depths, beneath the earth, in the tombs of those long
deceased and dormant; . . .
a shifting and collision below the surface of our lands that will
bring forth a great stir like never before; . . .
the moon, rising high into the sky, will fill with the blood of those
slain on the mouth of hells until it bursts,
overflows, and rains down upon he who brought It forth.
So shall It be. So shall It come to pass.
Hope shall fall.
The Scorched Bird shall rise and pull energy from the earth.
Inhabited by more than one, he shall be a threat unlike many.
At a nearby hospital, Fred gives birth to her baby, Maximilian Chase Liam Charles. Cordy, Anya, Rosa (and in a round-about way, Riley) visit her and Wes. Wes and Cordelia then go shopping. Speaking of Cordelia, where had she been? She admits to Wes that she had won a free Spiritual Awakening Cruise to the Virgin Islands, and that's where she's been. Now that she's back she's been recieving a few strange hang-up calls, but thinks nothing of it.
Lindsey McDonald returns from vacation, pissed off at what's happening. He consults with Amy Madison, to see what trouble she can cause.
[ May 1st, 2007 - Death and Rebirth ] Much like Fred Burkle, Tyler Ripley was an unsuspecting victim when his father's friend called him over for his birthday present. The present turned out to be a stone sarcophagus. And soon it had infected Tyler with the essence of an Old One - named Phenex. Tyler died slowly, allowed just a few parting words over the phone to his wife.
But the story becomes different from Fred's right about here. Where Fred had died, the Old One appeared had Fred - and Fred had died (for what they thought was forever). Only that wasn't the case. Tyler's wife had been a practicing Wiccan, and had placed a protection spell on him a long time ago. This spell let Tyler live. In the same body as Phenex. A person with who different personas. A body that hosted two people's essences.
Phenex couldn't be bothered with that right then, he went with his Qwa’ha Xahn, or high priest, Anthony Fisher (Tyler's dad's friend) to feed on the closest big power that was around. That happened to be an unsuspecting sleeping redheaded witch in Rhode Island. Willow.
Phenex, who is red in his diluted demon form, appeared to Willow. And he immediately began sucking energy from her. Angel burst in, deflecting attention and fighting Phenex. Angel could tell from the speech and the look, that this is an Old One.
Willow made her way to Buffy's room, who'd been having one of her prophetic dreams and in deep sleep. She wakes, afraid someone is trying to get Caitlyn - those guards had really seemed to want her. Before they have time to process this, Phenex has beaten Angel enough and has appeared to Buffy and Willow. Buffy doesn't realize that this is an Old One, and feels confident in her skills. Willow watches Caitlyn, while Buffy sizes up her opponent. Phenex makes lunch meat of her. But then he leaves to the street, realizing that the Hellmouth has just appeared.
Phenex's minions, stone men, attack Buffy who is alone, trapped in the room (as Willow has run off to save herself and Caitlyn). These minions have gemstones embedded in their rock-hard bodies, which make it difficult to see them, or much of anything. But their heads are not rock - and Buffy manages to kill them all via their heads. By the time she's gotten outside, Phenex is gone.
While this is happening, slayers from around the world have been calling the Watcher's Council, and the Hotel Cavalier in particular, letting the watchers know of the dreams they've been having.
A day later Oz tells the group of conspiracys that are online about this town called Hope Falls. Dawn recognizes it as familar as the place where Buffy said she was when she left her a message. The group realizes that that's where the action is - and they send a team on their way there. Meanwhile, a group stays at the hotel, left to do the requisite research for why all theses strange things are happening in Hope Falls. They have also noticed a decline in vampires and demons.
Someone else has noticed this. Wolfram and Hart is abuzz. The CEO, Lindsey, is 'on vacation' somewhere. Lilah puts herself in charge, and demands answers. Their shamans are able to tell them that the Hellmouth has moved, and where to. But they want to know why.
[ April 29th, 2007 - A Bloodstain in the Sky ] The poorly named Herb Michinski had lived in Cleveland until recently. His dad had gotten a new job and moved the family to Hope Falls, Rhode Island. Nothing seemed to go right for Herb. Hanging out at a drugstore (to steal a snickers and a Coke) he had been busying himself by throwing stones. One of the rocks he used was bigger than the others, and wouldn't you know it - that's the one that bounced up and into the windshield of a passing car.
Yes, he got in trouble. His parents were 'disappointed.' He listened to them talk about him from the top of the stairs. His parents didn't know what to do with him and his new attitude. Angry, Herb retreated to his room. His parents had denied him dinner and he was starving. He decided he couldn't possibly get in any more trouble than he was already in so he used his mother's trellis to climb down from his room, and biked to the Gas Station - where he knew there'd be food.
Once there, he pocketed some food. But someone saw him. A woman. An attractive woman. And she was nice, too. She talked to him. She gave him a good luck charm because she had taken a liking to him. She expressed dismay for this town. And Herb agreed - he hated it here. He wished that things here would be more like home, Cleveland.
And in that instant, so much changed. The woman he was talking to had been a vengeance demon. And his wish was twisted into making Hope Falls a Hellmouth - which Cleveland had been.
There were several indicators. The ocean became restless and pounded the shores. Flowers literally turned black. And the plants started to rot. The electricity went off. Tapwater turned into blood. Electric blue energy bolts were seen in the sky, along with white lightening streaking above. What's more - the moon had turned blood-red. Animals became either aggressive or excessively fearful.
All over, Slayers were having dreams of these things - including bodies dragging themselves out of the ground. ( For more on that, read the next update. This is not all that happens on this night. )
The next day, the moon could still be seen in the sky - red. And the sun had a black circle around it. People were scared. But in a few days, electrify returned - in fact, everything that had gone wacky seemed to right itself. The flowers were still dead, but the water was back to normal, the lake was calm. The Mayor held a press conference where he explained everything that had happened. It wasn't blood water they'd seen - but water turned red from rusted pipes. The flowers had died from a lack of water. The strange things in the sky? Why, it was a celestial phenomenon that occurred every thousand years. Hadn't they ever heard of the Yvonne eclipse? It was totally normal, and they were lucky to have seen it.
The majority of people in Hope Falls underwent what you could call the 'Sunnydale Syndrome.' They believed the excuses the authorities told them, because they didn't want to believe that anything scary, weird, or dangerous was going on.
[ March 26th, 2007 - Pineland ] Angel had gone missing. He hadn't been seen by anyone. Buffy had assumed he was staying away and avoiding her, after the big fight between her, Spike, and Angel, a month ago. But a month was long enough to sulk, and she'd been trying to get in touch with him, only to find that he was never home.
Dean came to Buffy with a newspaper clipping of a bunch of murders that took place in Hope Falls, Rhode Island. He pointed out that all of the murders were things that Angelus used to do - killing nuns, nailing puppies to doors, etc. Plus, all the places murders had taken place at were public places, further giving weight to an 'it's a vampire' theory. Worried that Angelus had gotten loose, Buffy assembled a team right away (consisting of Dean, Buffy, Faith, and Willow) and they took a road trip in Dean's Impala, to Hope Falls.
When they got there they went to one of the churches that some of the murders had taken place at. As they looked for clues, Willow managed to find a knife stowed away in a confessional - these Police Men had no idea what or who they were dealing with, and not used to murders so yes, they were a bit incompetent. Having Buffy and Faith sit to either side of her to anchor her, Willow did a spell using a bowl of water and the blood off of the knife to reveal an intricate 'picture sketch' from the blood to form a picture in the water to show who had used the deadly weapon - it was someone else. Everyone was relieved that it wasn't Angelus they saw.
But they still had a murderer on their hands. Willow stepped into action again, knowing they needed to locate this killer. They went about getting themselves a map of the area. Another spell was performed - a blade pointing to their desired location: the abandoned Pineland Asylum.
Where was Angel? Angel had actually been captured and put into a cell at the Pineland Asylum which was now a Demon Rehabilitation Center, also in Hope Falls, where he'd been framed. He had been without blood, and had the requisite torturing. He lived in a cell with an unnamed demon who didn't speak English, and a pregnant woman who revealed that her baby was most likely a demon.
Buffy, Willow, Faith, and Dean made their way into the abandoned asylum and were greeted by guards - human guards. The guards underestimated the girls, going for them moreso than Dean - and the girls delivered. (With Dean helping, of course.) They didn't kill any of them, but they went about knocking them out. Just when they thought they might have gotten a break by these lax guards, an old man appeared, flanked by giant bodyguards - who were definitely non-human. Even steroids wouldn't account for their size. The old man taunted our heroes as he told him that he would be leaving through the front doors. This was the person they'd seen drawn in blood. This was the killer. No way were they letting him go.
The giant guards, which the old man had referred to as knights engaged in battle with Buffy and Faith. And while this was going on...
Elsewhere, Angel was helping the woman in his cell deliver her baby. The guards had already made it clear that they meant to kill the baby, as well as the woman. Although, that didn't explain why they were waiting for her to give birth before they killed her. Maybe they were just waiting to make sure the baby was a demon - from the father's side. After the woman delivered her baby, and told Angel that the baby's name was to be Caitlyn, he noticed there was too much blood coming from her. She was bleeding to death, and there was nothing he could do. He yelled for guards to help, but they didn't do anything. The demon in Angel's cell helped him, as the guards came in to collect the baby. The demon got killed in the process. But it gave Angel a chance to get Caitlyn and escape from the guards - leaving them locked in the cell.
Running as fast as he dared, with the baby, he made his way towards the front. He was more than surprised to see that there, in the entrance hall, was Buffy and a few others fighting some demons. By this time, the old man had left, but no one had realized. Buffy and Faith and Dean were getting their asses kicked by these knights. Angel realized they were outnumbered, and didn't want to risk Caitlyn being hurt, so he yelled for everyone to get out of the place. Surprised and relieved to see him, they obeyed - getting out of there.
Dean drove them to a motel. Buffy stepped up to take care of the baby so everyone else could rest - especially Angel who needed to find blood and then rest. Everyone agreed it was a good plan, and soon, even Buffy - who'd laid Caitlyn in a makeshift cradle Angel had made from a drawer, was asleep.
[ February 7th, 2007 - Visionless ] Lilah becomes determined to get rid of the visions she's gained, afraid they are killing her. Literally. She calls the one person she believes who could help, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. Once he reached her apartment, it was revealed that she had to undergo a series of trials to get rid of them, and she convinced Wes to perform the ritual to do this. She also revealed the existance of her daughter to him, just in case things didn't work out. Her trials took on the form of memories, with her confronting a darker version of her former lover as she was forced to relive past joys and heartaches in order to discover what price she was willing to pay. In the end, she was rid of the visions. Wes paid special care to her afterwards, and Lilah stole a kiss, for old time's sake.
[ February 4th, 2007 - Theater of the Absurd ] Buffy and Spike save a pre-teen from a vampire named Jade, in Pelton Park. They find a ID bracelet on the girl that says she belongs to the Linden Mental Hospital. So they return her there. They assume that's all over with. The next day, Buffy is attacked by several demons in a row, but they aren't that hard to defeat. Buffy also realizes she can read minds - again! But it's not as bad as before. Spike wakes up, and realizes he has a heartbeat - he's human. He gets grumbly and goes to Buffy. They believe he's received the Shanshu prophecy. But Spike does not like that. He says he hasn't done anything to earn his humanity, not recently. So it's odd, to him, that he'd suddenly become a human. Buffy reluctantly agrees. They go out on patrol to dig up some information, and a demon appears. The demon calls Spike 'Cottonball' and finally it starts to come together. Spike remembers that the girl last night, Rebecca, called him Cottonball. So they go to the Mental Hospital. That is, after breaking in, and dressing up in nurse/patient outfits. They discover, at the Hospital, that there is an outbreak of unicorns, friendly vampires, and other sorts of mystical things. They find Rebecca and talk to her. Not knowing what to do, Buffy calls up Payton. Payton magically restores things back to the girl's imagination, and does a spell to find out that Rebecca is half demon. Anything she draws out, comes true. This power was unlocked after her recent altercation with the vampire yesterday. Payton binds her powers, and takes her back with him. Buffy and Spike write a note from Rebecca's 'parents' saying she's gone home with them, although she is an orphan. Hopefully the Hospital is too busy to realize this.
[ January 17th, 2007 - Listen to Reason ] Wes gets a call at Angel Investigations from a girl saying that there have been unusual things going on at a house on Clifford road. She has witnessed weird lights flashing from the windows. She lives on that street, so she's concerned. It's been boarded up for a year, but the lights started appearing in October. Now sometimes there are loud noises, too. No one knows what to do. She'd seen the website online for A.I, wants to alert them. Since Vaughn is hanging around, Wes instructs her to come with him to the house. She doesn't take too kindly to being bossed around, but comes anyway. The pair get trapped in a soundproof, cement room. They don't get cell reception. They notice several medical instrucments, a white lab coat, all sorts of things that indicate this could be the new lair of the Mad Scientist. Spiders start appearing. The Mad Scientist appears in the torture chamber. He gloats about how he's trained the spiders to attack anyone not wearing his magic amulet. The spiders
attack Wes and Vaughn, but they fight most of them off. They grab the amulet off the Mad Scientist, and he gets devoured by a spider of his own creation.
[ December 20th, 2006 - Christmas Cheer ] The mad scientist who has been plaguing the Hotel Cavalier sends out cursed Christmas cards to all the members of the Scooby Gang, and even some of those associated with them. When opened, the cards sucked the recipient (and anyone in close proximity) to an alternate dimension. There, each character came face-to-face their own alter ego. (The particular interpretations were left up to the individual players.) In order to leave, they had to defeat the alternate version of themselves. Though it was difficult, most succeeded. The one character who did not succeed was Spike. He was defeated, and his alter-ego returned to our dimension in his place. After a certain amount of mayhem and confusion ensued, the switched was revealed and the true Spike was rescued.
