The Bloom Session 1 Recap
Where our rag-tag crew stumbles head first into whatever is brewing in Coldwater
The Bloom - Episode 1
Background
The Bloom (Dev Version): Finished Manuscript (available on itch), currently sent off for editing
System: LIMINAL HORROR
Location: Tylers Basement
Group: Longstanding play group that has played:
The Mall (playtest)
NPC created for Coldwater:
Bethany: Traveling through. Met a boy online and went to meet him at the camp site. Traveling with Cassy (PC).
Rodney: Pharmacist. Mom & Pop shop went out of business and got replaced by a Walgreens express that’s not doing very well. Hates working there. Knows too much since he fills everyone’s perscriptions.
Aragorn: Logger. Lives in town but goes out into surrounding areas to work. Parents loved LOTR.
PCs:
Cassy, passing through (background), young, hitching her way to Seattle. Made a recent a pitstop in Coldwater because her traveling companion Bethany had met a boy online who’s camping there and wanted to meet up with him. Bonds: Has a crush/infatuation with Tim (PC). Traveling with Bethany (NPC). Equipment: Backpack (+2 inventory), rain coat, walking stick (d6), pocket knife (d6).
Tim, amateur mountain biker (background), former tech worker, been in Coldwater for a month to ride the trails and get content for his bike YouTube. Bonds: Wants Diablo to be his workout buddy: "let's pump!" Bothers Rodney at the pharmacy to get better keto & macro protein foods. Equipment: mountain bike, anti-collision shirt (+1 armor), full face helmet (+1 armor when wearing), action camera...it's worth noting he always wears his helmet.
Diablo, touring for his "solo" career (background) as Azul Diablo. At Coldwater to land a gig at the Blueberry Fest. Plays songs for people regularly. Bonds: Wants to impress everybody, especially Cassy and Bethany. Equipment: guitar, vintage dynamic microphone, portable amp.
Transportation
Diablo: Van (for touring) with full mural of Azul Diablo.
Tim: Subaru, parked at his airbnb.
The Session
Coldwater Dinner
Coldwater Cafe: A quaint, 1950’s style diner at the heart of the town.
Split between a dozen booths with sticky tables and a counter with tall swiveling stools.
Faded teal and red motifs.
An old, mounted CRT TV blares the news through fuzzy speakers.
Jukebox in the corner.
Open “24 hours a day”.
The session began with the party sitting in the Coldwater Diner. Kassandra is serving them breakfast as a few other townsfolk sip coffee.
The CRT TV plays an urgent weather overview of incoming inclement weather, followed by an emergency report of missing campers in Coldwater Camp.
Hank walks in and barks at Kassandra to turn the tv off. He loudly states that it should never made the news to begin with, making care to point this directly at Kassandra. Stories about out of towners and potential bear attacks does no one any good. Kassandra remarks to the party that "bears" is a bunch of crap.
Tim proceeds to pepper Hank with questions and wonderings about the town, sick biking trails, and his "service" to the community. Hank continually tries to deflect until getting exasperated and yells for Kassandra to pack his food to go.
Banging from the back of the kitchen muffles her disparaging comments about the sheriff. He takes his food and leaves the party as quickly as he can.
Kassandra serves the party, inquiring about them, and makes clear that she thinks Hank is full of shit. “There is no way that BEARS are the reason those campers are missing.”
Cassy asks about the guy her friend Bethany went to meet. Kassandra says that almost everyone comes through here (locals and tourists) and she never met someone by that name. When asked what she thinks happened to the campers she says it for sure isn't whatever Hank is claiming. Cassy wonders to the group about going to check on her friend and see if she's okay.
Before they leave Diablo sees if Kassandra knows of any way he can get a set at the Blueberry Festival. Kassandra says that Jeanie the mayor is frantically trying to get the Blueberry fest up and running. Kassandra thinks she might be able to put in a good word with the mayor. Diablo attempts to "impress" Kassandra with a short musical number...this is not as successful as he'd hope. Kassandra writes his info down and says she'll try her best.
Walgreens
The party decides to stock up on bear mace before heading to look into the disappearances at Coldwater Camp. They walk through town dogging pot holes as Tim does tricks on his mountain bike. As they enter the Walgreens parking lot they see a dog digging a deep hole near a withering tree.
The Walgreens is poorly stocked, and Rodney makes an exasperated groan as he sees Tim come in. Tim immediately interrogates Rodney about the state of his request for more keto friendly foods for his macros.
The party buys some supplies (bear mace, slim jims). Cassy steals aspirin for the hangover from white claws the night before. Diablo plays a tune for Rodney, getting a small smile from the old pharmacist.
The party then heads to camp in Diablo’s van. As they drive to camp they pass some roads into the surrounds with signage for The Post Office & The Curing Shed.
Coldwater Camp
Camp office
The party drives up to camp just before evening. They stop at the office and meet Ranger Sam.
Camp Office: A small building, with a sliding window. A broken drop gate stuck in a lifted position.
Sign: <Open 8am-6pm. For late check-ins, call (509) 978-1419>
Sign: <Ranger located off hours in Cabin #1>
Inside: A cluttered mess of papers, maintenance supplies, old camping gear and logbook.
Tim leans over Diablo (who was driving) and starts to ask Sam about the surrounding trails and being able to stay the night. Sam pauses and mutters that "technically they didn't say we couldn't take new campers" as she looks off screen at the police tape in the trash (the PCs notice her looking off but don't know at what). Sam warns that there is an active investigation about the missing campers and that if they stay they can't go to the tent area.
Sam lets slip that she doesn't think it's bears but instead one of the many cryptids in the area. She may be able to rent them a cabin for the regular fee along with a donation the the Coldwater Cryptid Society. Sensing her unsurity in proceeding, Tim proceeds to play her an improtu song, "Cryptid Slaughter." This seals the deal, and the party secures a cabin with a promise that they'll stay away from the tents and keep an eye out for cryptids.
Parking Lot
Parking Lot: Paved lot with faded white lines for a dozen parking spaces.
‘72 Ford Bronco
Chevy Astro Van
Dated Sheriff’s squad car.
The party parks to the other side of the astro van (unlocked). Looking inside they see bluish fungal growths all on the inside. As time peers into the glass, he gets the feeling of something directly behind him that he cannot shake.
As they head toward the cabins Tim knocks on the sheriff car to introduce himself. Rolling down the window, his distain for being interrupted is palpable. He curses Sam and says that they shouldn't be there. Gerald looks at the camera on Tim's helmet, but since Tim blacked out the recording light so Gerald assumes its inactive. Gerald tells the party to stay away from the camp sites and watch for bears. At the mention of bears the party holds up the bear mace they acquired from the Walgreens.
As they head to the cabins Cassy looks back to see that Gerald is radioing someone.
Cabins
The party makes their way to cabin #7. As they pass they notice that Cabin #3's door hangs open. The latch is broken, the back window is open, and the door looks to have been smashed inward by something large. The other cabins seem to have their windows closed.
Camping Area
Primary Camping Area: Assorted camping spots. Plots #6, #7, #8, #11, #16 were recently rented. Loose caution tape. Tents torn to shreds, garbage everywhere.
The party sneaks to the camping area (on their way it seems like Gerald is getting ready to leave). Systematically they search the area. As they investigate, Diablo cannot shake the feeling of something watching from the trees. They find:
#6: Car keys (Bronco), wallet of Timöthy alongside some whiteclaws of the very same flavor Cassy & Bethany stole to drink yesterday.
#7: Half empty bottle of vodka.
#8: Crushed pack of cigarettes, 13 still inside.
#11: Folder with a flyer for The Church of Celestial Science and a map with a location circled in red (Hines Farm).
#16: Three bullet casings inside tent.
Parking
The party decides to test out the keys to the bronco. As they turn them it becomes clear something is wrong with the engine. Popping the hood it seems like the wires and such have been ripped/slashed. This is odd because a bear doesn't know how to pop a hood.
Diablo finds a 9mm pistol on the floor beneath the glove compartment.
Forest
Clearly was something that happened here, but they’re not sure what as there’s no blood, bodies, or any tangible evidence of the campers themselves. The party decides to look toward the trails to see if they can find anything.
The Trails: Unofficial trails with handmade signage.
Leads to The Forest
One sign is broken. Signs of a scuffle.
Something large was dragged. Footprints alongside in no discernable pattern.
Armed with a headlamp on Tim's helmet, Diablo's massive maglight, and Cassy's phone light, they head into the woods along the trail that seems to have some sort of disturbance. Tim bikes slightly ahead.
After 15-20 minutes Tim skid stops into a clearing.
Crumbling Ruins: The collapsing brickwork of an old house. The roof has fallen in, furniture left inside has rotted.
The outer wall has collapsed in such a way as to expose the main room of the house. Inside is a man sitting at a table, his back toward Tim (there is no reaction to the skidding). Tim approaches (making sure to remain outside the house) and calls to the figure. Only then does the man rise and turn to Tim. As he stands the chair he was sitting in crumbles to the ground.
The light from the helmet makes odd shadows dance from the man, and for a moment his eyes seem pitch black before returning to "normal." Tim introduces himself and asks what the man is doing out at night in the woods.
It takes an uncomfortable amount of time to remember(?) his name as he introduces himself as Brett and that he was just taking a walk through the woods. Tim learns that Brett lives at The Lodge with "...my wife..An-Angela." Tim is excited by this new connection and invites himself to The Lodge to go mountain biking. Brett asks for Tim's phone to input his info, but something about the way he wants to take possession of the phone puts Tim off and he deflects.
Cassy and Diablo make it to the clearing and almost immediately Cassy clocks that Brett has a weapon on him (a skill developed from years of her hitchhiking around the world).
The group asks if Brett has seen anything weird, or if he's seen signs of the missing campers, but he just chuckles and doesn't answer. As the conversation fizzles, Brett begs goodbye and says he needs to be off back to his home. He gently steps away and heads off into the forest.
Upon examining the interior of the house they notice a circle of blue mushrooms around where Brett was sitting. Tim takes a sample of the mushrooms, exclaims that they are the same as those in the astro van, and snorts some.
He immediate takes fallout (legacy, THRESHOLD), and that feeling of something behind him manifests into a door standing in the woods. He goes and tries to open it to no avail and asks if the others can see it. They cannot, but they do notice that it sounds like him attempting to open a door, but they write it off to nerves.
As they head back the party hears a otherworldly scream coming from camp.
Coldwater Camp
It is night now, and they head to Cabin 1 to check on Sam. They knock on the door and are greeted by an enthusiastic Sam.
Cabin #1: Ranger’s cabin. Walls covered in pictures, maps, drawings of different cryptids. The bookcase in main room has a plaster casting of a massive foot.
The party asks if she heard the scream (she hadn't) and inquire more about what she thinks may be going on. Sam has many theories, all involving cryptids. When asked what the house in the woods was, she wonders if they got all the way to Haru's cabin, but with more details she determines they found an abandoned homestead. They tell her about Brett. She says that the town hates them for buying the lodge and no one really has gotten to know them. She also notes that getting to The Lodge through the forest would be extremely difficult, especially at night.
Something about the plaster casting draws the party towards it (much to Sam's excitement). She describes it as irrefutable evidence of Sasquatch.
The party lets Sam know they'll be heading into town.
The Road Back to Coldwater
Diablo is driving perhaps faster than is comfortable, especially with the fog.
As the road twists and turns a pair of lights cuts through the darkness, heading towards the party. As it approaches it becomes clear that the oncoming car is veering into their lane. Diablo lays on the horn to no avail. Right before they collide Cassy grabs the steering wheel and swerves it to narrowly avoid the approaching vehicle. The party stops as the other car goes of the road and crashes into a tree.
They get out and go to assess what has happened. Inside is an older femme covered in blood. Tim reaches through the broken window and gets the drivers side door open. Heently gets the driver out and attempts first aid response. Diablo holds his flashlight as Cassy fails toget through to emergency services.
Tim looks to see if the she's breathing (there's movement underneath her dress). Tim attempts to check her airway as she's in the sitting position but its difficult as something may be broken (spine arcs backwards from below the shoulder blades).
As he looks to check her airway he notices a blue glow from within her mouth as her hands shoot out to grab his wrists.
Session Ends
Clock moves to DOOM 1