Abarim, Shedite of Theft: associate of Ummah's.
Clement Chan: police officer.
Ezri, angel of the Sword: secretary at Adelaide.
Gerar, Malakite of the Sword: PC.
Irijah, Ofanite of War: PC.
Jack Pierce, Soldier of the War: a thug.
Jason Sydney: a salesman at a clothing store.
Jeezer: Pimpernel's equine familiar.
Laurence 2.0, Archangel of the Sword: leather and chrome.
Lyta Aram, Soldier of Trade: Scale hunter and book translator.
Meander, Djinn of Theft: a vicious knife expert.
Michael 2.0, Archangel of War: a reasonably decent copy.
Pimpernel, Malakite of Trade: horseman and trader.
Saminga, Demon Prince of Death: the Big Bad Guy.
Sakyamuni Buddha, Archangel of Perception: a helpful spectator.
Triam, Malakite of Trade: the man with the burning hands.
Ummah, demon of the War: a main villain, a Spaniard, a wolf.
Unnamed angels, demons, humans, and Soldiers.
Unnamed Demon Prince.
Gerar: a fairly straightforward Malakite sworn to give challenge before making an attack and never to lie for his own sake only.
Irijah: a freewheeling gun-fu Ofanite.
Abarim's Rapier: a summonable weapon.
Blind Spot Cloth: a plane cover that kept Ummah's ultralight plane hidden.
Endless Blade: a dagger that keeps doing damage long after it hits.
Glass Gun: no one knows what it does, since all six shots missed. (Well, one was a flesh wound.)
Liber Mors Mortis, the: a book compiled by an Empty Habbalite on Saminga's demons and practices.
Scale of Baal: another one, found in Ummah's hideout.
Ummah's ultralight plane: much as one would guess.
Up in Heaven, Jean 2.0 goes missing. Gerar notices a faint scaling on his body, as if he had been using snakeskin grafts. He decides to go down to Adelaide and check things out on Earth. As soon as he arrives, in the Cathedral's back room, he hears an insane babble of voices. One whispers, seeming to come from right next to Gerar's ear, "Be very quiet." Gerar sneaks around quietly, looking for the source of the voices. Then a voice demands, louder than the others, "Who are you and what are you doing on my network?"
Gerar answers, after a pause, "Repeat transmission?"
"Who are you and what are you doing on my network?"
The voice that whispered answers, equally loud, "We are Mary Anvil-of-God. Don't you remember us? We've always been here."
"Oh. Mary, I want to destroy that New Heaven of Eli's. Figure out a way. Get back to me as soon as you have something."
Then all the voices quiet.
Gerar searches the room, finding no sources of sound other than the usual devices used to pick up voices elsewhere in the Cathedral, none of which were obviously on. She -- his Vessel is female -- sneaks out, looks around, and then knocks on the secretary's door. The two of them talk briefly, and Gerar gets a list of people who came down to the Tether and went up from it recently, printed out in celestial script. (Much like a musical score.) Gerar also finds out about the new Tetherphones Eli created, enabling phone-line-less communication between local Tethers. Then she gets Ezri to call her a cab, and she goes out to wait for it.
Meanwhile, in the Deep South, Irijah has just completed a mission and is making a report at a Tether of War. He hears the disturbance of a Creationer pseudo-Superior descending, and Michael walks out. Michael explains that a Malakite of the Sword recently came down to a Tether in Paris, and at around the same time the presence of two Demon Princes was detected in that Tether. Irijah is to investigate, because "the 'bot" isn't to be trusted. (That would be robo-Laurence, of course.)
Irijah scoots up to Heaven, rolls to the Tether of the Sword, finds a reliever who helpfully shows him the right Tether, and down he goes. He notes that someone has searched the room lately, from patterns in the dust at the room's sides; he speaks with Ezri; and he discovers that Gerar is out waiting for the cab. Gerar has actually just gotten in, conversed for a time with the cab driver, and just as the cab pulls away Irijah comes out of the Cathedral. He chases after the cab; once Gerar gives permission, the cab stops and picks Irijah up. The two of them discuss Class F replacement status, the Demon Princes, and so forth. The two of them reach Jack's House and pay for the cab. They head upstairs to talk some more, and Gerar introduces Irijah to Lyta. They discuss the Scales of Baal briefly, including the two others known to exist. Lyta gives Gerar an unopened envelope containing a message, which she then describes. Apparently, the Tether of the War the PCs visited in Godzilla, Angel of the Wind sent it, saying that they should attend a party at 1010 Park Avenue in (a few days), dressed for a ball. They are to expect Dark Humor. Gerar reads -- it is in fact on 1270 Scenario Lane stationary -- all this and that the place is an "abandoned mansion." She asks how Lyta knew, and Lyta explains that Triam knew somehow. ("He's good," a player or PC observed.) Then Irijah drags Gerar out again.
Irijah wants to rent a car. Of course, he has no driver's license. So the two arrange to have Triam "get one made" in the name Irijah uses, which is "Ray." While the two wait, Gerar drinks a soda and Irijah goes off to get a tux that will accommodate his knife and spring-holders for his guns. Irijah finds himself at Sydney & Sydney's Clothier, and buys a hugely expensive tux. It will be tailored appropriately by the next day at 4pm. Irijah returns, cutting corners, and picks up his driver's license (in the name of "Ray N" -- for NLN). They take a cab (from the three always waiting outside Jack's house) to Hertz, pick up a convertible, pay for a couple days and for insurance, and now they have a car.
The two decide to go to the docks, since many weeks ago a Scale was stored in a warehouse there. Gerar assumes Ethereal Form after they park -- a 6 CD meaning a long invisibility. Irijah gets a 9 CD on a Move Silently roll, which is almost as good. Then they go into the warehouse through a window and look around. Hay on the floor. Lots of crates. The place is dark. Then they see someone watching the warehouse through a big high window near the warehouse roof and a higher window in the warehouse across the way. (With about three feet between the windows; the alley was narrow.)
Gerar, being too short to see details, decides to climb some crates, and fumbles the climbing roll completely. Down a huge stack of crates tumbles, many of them breaking open. The two angels notice a weird-looking blobbish stuff that fell out of a crate, and Gerar identifies it as an explosive -- but with no obvious timer. The two of them begin to get very paranoid. The man in the other window moves away. The two angels talk for a bit. The man in the other window returns with a rocket launcher. The two PCs run for the window, and manage to burst through it as the rocket goes off into the warehouse. There's just one boom to start with. Then the others begin. The Ofanite rolls to speed up his movement, and gets Divine Intervention. So the Ofanite zips off, breaking the sound barrier by a lot, and the Malakite little girl gets sucked along, tumbling end over end, in the vacuum left behind. Irijah reaches the car, turns around, and catches Gerar. Then most of the block is leveled, except for the warehouse the rocket was fired from. The wooden outside has been completely destroyed, but the core of the walls was tough metal, now very scarred and twisted. The windows, of course, are completely gone.
The PCs head in that direction. A human guards the door from the inside, somewhat cut-up by the window's shattering. Irijah shoots open the door and the two angels head in. Irijah shoots at his kneecaps. The man kicks one of his shoes into the way, but still gets tumbled to the floor with a broken leg. Gerar sneaks up and whispers a challenge. He refuses to give up, though, so takes a few more bullets. Then he goes for a cyanide pill. His hand gets shot still in his pocket, powdering the cyanide and getting it immediately into his bloodstream. Then there's the jangle of a human dying.
The PCs search the body, and then turn to the interior of the building: a smaller internal building without windows, with a computer lock on the door. Irijah walks over and knocks. The door opens, revealing three people with guns pointed directly at Irijah. He asks if they're willing to accept God's salvation and fires at Ummah and Abarim. Ummah pulls a ninja disappearance, firing a dart from his glass gun past Irijah's nose, while Abarim simply grabs the gun and yanks Irijah in, taking the extra damage in order to mess up Irijah generally. (After all, it's just a host!) Then Abarim brings his own weapon to bear and fires, without great effect. Gerar issues a challenge, and Meander lashes out at him with knives, but misses.
Irijah and Abarim struggle with their guns. Ummah fires a shot from somewhere with his dart gun, hitting Irijah squarely in the Adam's apple. Irijah fires a shot back blind, nearly hitting. Abarim manages to fire his gun, Irijah triggers both of his, and a complicated series of maneuvers fire that end up with the two of them separated and sprawled on the ground. Gerar shoots at Meander and misses; she slashes and hits, but Gerar manages to avoid damage by diving out of the way. Irijah fires at Abarim again, who dives out of the way, leaving a trail of blood, and Ummah misses Irijah. Irijah coughs, and the dart in his throat comes out -- apparently it was just lodged in his skin after all! Abarim misses with his gun. Gerar misses again too. Meander plants two knives on the floor and one in Gerar, in a line. Irijah manages to kill Abarim in another series of shots and countershots. Ummah, having abandoned the glass gun, charges Irijah with a rapier. Irijah muffs his resonance with a CD 6 as Ummah's rapier scores. Gerar charges Meander and sticks her with the Endless Blade, doing a huge amount of damage. Irijah shoots Ummah painfully but unimpressively with one gun, dropping the other. Ummah sticks his rapier in Irijah and lets go long enough to steal one gun and grab the other out of the air. Pocketing them, he takes up the rapier again and pulls it out before Irijah reacts. Gerar pokes Meander again, who spends three Essence to assume celestial form and flee. The Shedite, meanwhile, eddies up through the ceiling. Irijah kicks Ummah and knocks him down; Ummah manages to sweep Irijah's foot out from under him as he falls, and then switches to the shape of a wolf. Gerar charges over and makes a huge ripping cut in the wolf, and a round later Ummah is in Trauma.
The PCs wander around the downstairs villain base, a comfortable place with couches and soft music and carpet and an armory. They find and raid this armory. Then they go up to the hastily evacuated upper floor, and finally up to the roof. An ultralight plane is zooming off over the water, but hasn't gone far. Irijah notes a plane-cover made from Blind Spot cloth cast off to the side of the roof. (Which presumably had been concealing the plane.) Irijah opens up on the plane with a SMG found downstairs, hitting both engines for significant damage. As it starts to weave and rock, the Shedite abandons his Vessel, taking Ummah's Scale with him. The PCs charge downstairs and follow him in their car -- they're in position to see it when he takes a new host as a dock worker in a crowd of dock workers. Irijah walks up and begins threatening Abarim, who tries to get the other workers on his side. When Irijah pulls a gun and rips the Scale-on-chain out into a strangling cord around Abarim's neck, they back up. Abarim summons his rapier-on-demand and attempts to slash Irijah. Irijah shoots him in the head, although it really only grazes the back of his head. However, Abarim surrenders, and our heroes grab the Scale and head out.
The GM rolls to see the PCs' current luck, and rolls an eleven with check digit six. So naturally, as our heroes drive away, they get pulled over by the police. Unfortunately, Gerar is extremely distinctive, and worse, the dock workers got the PCs' license plate. The PCs hide all their weapons in the Blind Spot cloth, but let themselves be pulled over. So the police arrest Irijah and take Gerar into non-arrest custody. Irijah refuses to be handcuffed, however, and Celestial Motions to the other side of the car, grabs the Blind Spot cloth, and whirls it up so that it's covering both of them. The police get very nervous at all this, and the cop by the car suggests to his partner that maybe the GRA has something after all. The PCs hold a whispered conversation, which the cops hear. They walk around trying to locate the PCs, and notice it as the SMG (which fell to the ground and wasn't collected) appears from nowhere. The PCs hold a hurried conference, and then head for where they think a ditch by the road is. They find it, since they can see the ground -- if nothing else -- under their feet. Sasami uses mud from the ditch to make a brown beehive out of her blue pigtails.
Eventually, they decide to just shuffle along the ditch, since the cops have decided to stay put and wait for backup. Irijah throws a confiscated grenade as a distraction, but someone catches it and it goes pop. The PCs soon learn that this is the Buddha, who is acting to minimize property damage. He makes interested comments as the PCs plan and shuffle and such. Eventually the PCs reach a turnoff that ends the ditch. Gerar sneaks out and assumes Ethereal Form again. Then she leads Irijah back to the car, Irijah staying under the cloth. Then Gerar crawls into the driver's seat and suddenly starts the car. Irijah leaps in and tosses a grenade back. The Buddha catches it, of course, but the grenade and the Buddha's movement in front of the police car makes it stop, while the other cop (who had been leaning against their car) falls to the ground. Then the two tear off and away, losing the police car, abandoning the rental a half hour from Adelaide, and walking the rest of the way. Irijah calls Triam to get him to pick up the Scale, since he doesn't want to leave Adelaide while "hot". Gerar cleans up while Triam wanders around in the catacombs. Pimpernel rides up on Jeezer and collects the Scale; on Gerar's orders, he takes it back and has Lyta lock both of them up. Gerar and Irijah notice something odd about Gerar's reaction to the Tether. Gerar notices that while the Tether has that expected homey feeling, it also feels a little tiny bit uncomfortable. Irijah just feels that something isn't quite right. The two go and search for the Demon Princes at the entry point to the Tether, and Irijah goes celestially up and down the Tether a bunch of times to see if this provokes the voices. It does not. Then Gerar assumes celestial form, and notices that the scaling is much more severe, and he also has four dents, two above each eye, in his forehead. The two go up to Heaven, and both know immediately that there are two demons in Heaven. One is off by the Halls of Order (that is, the headquarters for Jean 2.0's Order of Guardians) and the other is ... Gerar! Irijah tackles Gerar and, in a dazzling show of celestial might, pins him down long enough for the Malakim to get there and haul Gerar away.