Bad Omens Summary
January 2020
BCO - Big Cat in Oregon
The new year begins under the new management of Mammon, who acquired the majority share in the Cafe following the death of his sister Lucifer. Following leads from last month, the Cafe looks into the appearance of a strange large cat near Crater Lake in Oregon, the Cath Palug. The Cath Palug is not quite a Cryptid nor Demon but is instead a Myth from the newly appeared “Otherworld,” meaning the Cafe will need to discover the secret to dealing with the beast. During an altercation with Cath Palug, Julia discovers that she is able to subdue Myths though she isn’t yet certain how to activate this power or how she obtained such power. It’s speculated that Julia acquired this power while she was missing in the alternate cycle, Wandsun-Prime. Additionally, Julia and Jackie confirm that Cath Palug’s legendary claws are made from some sort of mythical metal. In an exceedingly strange (or perhaps, normal?) Amber receipt, Amber reveals that she has somehow gotten in touch with Goibniu, the Divine Smith in Celtic mythology. Goibniu revealed to Amber that the secret to defeating Cath Palug lies in its reflection, as the shield of Sir Kay, who slayed the beast in mythology, only had an iron shield coated in reflective aluminum. Amber also hints that by getting in touch with Goibniu, the Cafe now runs the risk of catching the Badb’s attention. Victoria puts Amber’s plan into motion and slays (or re-slays?) the Cath Palug by holding an aluminum shield up to the cat, which causes it to strike itself to death. Upon Cath Palug’s defeat, Julia’s Otherworld Tattoo began to glow, confirming some sort of connection between her and the Otherworld.
OWE - Otherworldly Eight
Jean-Marc finds Julia's interactions with Cath Palug very interesting. He then goes on to recap her strange appearance in 2019 and her being hunted down by Le Leyon, acting as a corporeal proxy for the Wicked. Jean-Marc theorizes that Julia must have had some sort of debt with Wicked that caused her to be the target of Le Leyon, but what that could be, he isn't sure. Felix later also theorizes about the strange connection between Julia and the Otherworld, honing in on the connection between the Otherworld and the temporal aspect of the universe. Felix concludes that when Julia went missing, she must have been moved into another cycle where something happened to her which tied her to the Otherworld. Towards the end of the month, Julia recounts an "otherworldly" dream she had. In the dream, she worked for an alternate cafe called "J's Cafe." While working for this strange Cafe, a mysterious woman came in and took her to a strange road with only one house in the middle of it. Upon entering the house, Julia saw various strange figures. Some of these figures' descriptions match those of Umbra, the Hat Man, the Mothman, the Red Man, Shaka of Zulu, and Indrid Cold. Then another figure entered the room, whose description matched with Complexico, who whispered to Julia in her dream, "Feel familiar yet, kid?" Then the figures in the house performed a ritual that gave Julia her tattoo and showed her a vision of each cardinal plane of the Otherworld. The next night, Julia has another dream of a white dog running through a forest near her hometown in Washington, causing the Cafe to go and investigate.
LEP - Little Evil People
Having captured a Coraniaid the previous month, the Cafe now has to deal with an army of small, nigh-invulnerable creatures trying to break out their imprisoned comrade. Felix has to take extra precautions to not reveal where the key to the Coraniaid’s cage is due to the Coraniaid’s ability to hear anything spoken. Additionally, Felix ponders how the swarm of Coraniaids managed to get to Long Beach from the UK. As the month progresses, Nikki gets rather annoyed at the presence of the Coraniaids in the Cafe and mentions that despite Felix’s secrecy—the Coraniaids were still able to figure out where he said he hid the key. Nikki also mentions that the only way to kill the Coraniaids is with some sort of bug juice, which her brother Nick later finds out to be crushed up ladybugs. When sprayed with a mixture of water and crushed Ladybugs, the Coraniaids burst into energy, similar to how Cath Palug died. Nick believes one possibility is that when a Myth dies, it returns to the Otherworld to continually perpetuate the myth it originated from. Becoming annoyed with Nick constantly experimenting on and killing them, the Coraniaids leave the Cafe and Diner. However, it’s never explained how the Coranaids could tell what the Cafe was typing…
OZBEB - Quartz Brain Electric Boogaloo
Jenny continues her search for what she has dubbed “Third Vision,” a way to see into the Otherworld. She receives a letter back from the head of the Society of Nom de Plume, Nine, under the pen name of John Doe. Nine claims to not know anything more about this Otherworld than the Cafe but promises to look into it. Interestingly enough, Nine also claims he wasn’t expecting to hear from Jenny until next year. Following the letter from Nine, Jenny recaps what she has learned from her various sources about Third Vision. Jenny compares the Otherworld to a storm at sea, which the Cafe has found itself caught in, though Jenny feels that either Jennifer or Joy would be better suited to looking into the phenomenon further. Joy takes things a step further and uses fire scrying to learn more about the Otherworld, revealing that the Otherworld is linked to Ouroboros Plane of the Otherside. This prompts Joy to suggest someone should go to Florida to track down her former co-worker Daichi the Serpent to get his thoughts on the matter. Towards the end of the month, Jennifer mentions that they’ve collectively hit a wall with the Third Vision research and have opted to have a sleepover with Joy, Julia, Victoria, Jenny, and Rachel to see if they can combine their various powers to tap into Third Vision. However, Jennifer doesn’t expect much from the group divination session and officially tables the case for now.
DBT - Devil Bear in Tahoe
Julius is alerted by a friend of the Cafe that a Demon Bear has been spotted on the California side of Lake Tahoe. Julius along with Travis and Zach head up to deal with the situation. Zach eventually figures out that the Demon Bear must’ve come through the portal at Donner’s Pass which happens to be linked to the Esterskald as the Donner Party's deaths were caused by an act of nature. Zach went into the Otherside briefly to ensure that the boundary lines were stable and while in the Esterskald he saw an Ozhog symbol on one of the buildings. Though it’s left unclear what the Ozhogs were doing, setting up shop in the Otherside itself at the far edges of the Buzzing Planes.
TCR - The Char Man Returns
The Cafe and Diner receive a strange and threatening letter addressed to "J" (which could be any of the managers, realistically). The letter's author wants to see the Cafe and Diner burn in fire and brimstone and claims that "blood pays blood and blood alone." Mikey does a Blood analysis on the letter and links the letter back to a Hauntaurskaldian demon, most likely the Char Man. The Char Man is described as one of Satan's more sycophantic boogiemen who was presumed to have been killed by Jennifer during the Fire Siege of 2003. Later in the month, a mysterious fire breaks out near the Cafe prompting Victoria to investigate. She confirms that the Char Man conjured the fire. But more concerning than that, there was Black Blood at the scene. Black blood is highly illegal and dangerous. Victoria suggested the Cafe call Ray, of Division X-Ray, to clean up this mess properly, even though it was only a few specks, but she'll wait for managerial approval. On his way out to Florida, Jericho stops by to assess the fire. He confirms that it isn't a fire caused by the Wicked's Blight, but when he arrived, the specks of Black Blood had pooled into a puddle. Jericho assumes some demon must be buried in the rubble and concurs that if there is one guy who knows how to clean up demon corpses, it's Ray. Jennifer later opens up that she has received over 20 more threatening letters from the Char Man. She also explains that the Char Man's terms are very explicit in that he can only come to the Flipside through a struck match between 3-4 AM, and he can only stay as long as the match is lit. So matches are banned in the Cafe, and if he tries it, Jennifer claims she'll take him to the IRIS Company herself. Nick then splits the Cafe into 6 teams. One to deal with high-priority issues and returning demons and cryptids, one to deal with Myths, one to deal with standard cryptids and demons, one to look into magical affairs, and one team mysteriously tasked with handling "Espresso Affairs." Though anyone is free to help with any case as they see fit. Nick also tabled the Char Man case as, so long as matches stay out of the Cafe, everyone should be fine.
KIF - Kansai in Florida
Jericho makes his way to Miami Florida where Daichi has decided to retire. Jericho mentions that Daichi, despite claiming to be nothing more than a Tsuchinoko, is actually the Serpent from Eden. Jericho also mentions that before he worked with Daichi in the Florida Cafe during Enter the Light, they worked together for the IRIS Company. When Jericho meets with Daichi the first time, Daichi asks if Jericho has finally come to settle his debts, though Jericho claims he plans to put those off for as long as possible. Daichi seems unaware of the Otherworld entirely and claims that he doesn’t tend to go to the Otherside all that often, as he prefers the warmth of Florida. Daichi does offer a deal of sorts to reveal what secrets he knows his mother, Belphegor, has been keeping. Daichi requires Jericho to attend a 60-minute timeshare presentation where upon completing it he’ll receive a free set of golf clubs. Jericho reluctantly agrees to this, and does end up buying a timeshare property in Florida. In return for the “free” golf clubs, Daichi reveals that there is no God. At least not since the universe was recreated on Thursday, August 6th, 1988. Daichi claims that God can be found “In and at the End” at that’s all he’ll say about it.
LUX - Lucifer's Untimely Exit
In a one-off receipt, Jean-Marc documents how he knew God was missing and that he was from a prior universe himself. Jean-Marc explains the more celestial concept of time-space, at least as those who work Topside see it. He explains that not everything is reset when the universe is remade and that it has been remade 16 times now. Jean-Marc explains that he was able to retain his memories of the past universe because, for a time, he worked as the right hand of God as the “Otherman,” an entity tasked with ensuring time flowed as it should. The other reason Jean-Marc has held onto his memories is that to create the new universe, he made a devil’s bargain with Mammon and Belphegor to use God’s universe-altering “Pocketwatch” (usually capitalized and spelled as one word, not two) to bring back everyone and all the Cafes. This essentially gave the Cafe and Diner a second chance to get things right after an apocalyptic event occurred in the prior universe. Until Crisis, the events of the 16th universe roughly matched with the prior universe, though some events happened sooner or later or with slightly different people. After Lucifer’s death, things took an unexpected turn. Jean-Marc then reveals that he, along with Felix, Nick, and Jennifer, have been working together in secret for years following the destruction of the First Cafe to defeat a group of Cold Elders, Fate, Wicked, and Secret. (And Phantom, though Phantom wasn’t regarded as one of the primary Cold at this time.) He claims that God must be hidden somewhere in the Otherworld, and they need to find him before either Mammon, or the Cold do.
February 2020
CWWA - Cŵn Annwn in Washington
Jackie arrives in Washington with Seth and Nick to investigate Julia’s vision of a Cŵn Annwn. However, it would seem that the Astoria 23rd Agency has also started investigating the Otherworld phenomenon, though the Cafe throws them off the trail by claiming they are looking into a sighting of a Tuscumbia Space Penguin in Missouri. Meanwhile, Jericho and Nikki are tasked with looking into a magical means of dealing with Mythic customers. Jackie manages to capture the Cŵn Annwn though she is worried that the Snow Moon might increase its supersonic death howl. Nikki and Jericho confirm that the Cŵn Annwn, and all the previous Celtic Myths, are indeed from a non-Otherside plane of reality. Seth takes the Cŵn Annwn back to the Cafe while Jackie and Nick stay behind in Washington to look into reports of another customer nearby in Auburn.
HHS - Haunted Hollywood Sign
Joy alerts the Cafe of reports of an alleged haunting at the Hollywood Sign by the ghost of Peg Entwistle. Upon arriving at the nearby sign on Mount Lee, Joy, Felix, and Rachel see no signs of anything out of the ordinary except for an increased presence of Astoria 23rd agents. Assuming that the Astoria 23rd Agency will be monitoring this receipt, Joy also implies a very real and very legitimate sighting of a Tuscumbia Space Penguin in Missouri in an attempt to draw away the Agency’s agents. Mikey later intercepts an Astoria 23rd Document for a 23Z level secret Project Lazarus. According to the intercepted document, a subject known as “KW” has started to show signs of success; additional test subjects are requested, alive or dead. A few problems have also started to manifest with “KW,” namely that her sense of self is slipping away and her aggression is rising. She has also stopped eating or drinking, and her heart rate has slowed considerably. She is presumed to perish in the coming days. Additionally, the intercepted document reveals that the Agency is aware of the Cafe and Diner’s presence and mentions in vague terms a “7N-Entity.” This 7N-Entity turns out to be a group of Black-Eyed Children, presumably sent by Division Zulu to keep the Cafe and Diner busy. Felix and Rachel handle the Black-Eyed Children, though they worry about strange cries from underneath the Hollywood sign. It turns out that subject “KW,” Katherine Wade, was subject to Zulu experimentation which killed her but then brought her back to life, turning her into a sort of zombie-like creature. To regain her sense of self, she was compelled to consume one of the Zulu agents, Dingane/Randall Rune. Upon eating Dingane, Katherine “temporarily” (we’ll get to that later) received his memories which gave her information about the Cafe and Diner and the Astoria 23rd Agency. She used this information to send out a plea for their help which led Joy and Julius to shut down Lab A23LAZP1. Joy and Julius discover that Division Zulu was using some sort of Black Blood (presumably acquired last month) to create a synthetic version of immortality. Additionally, Felix and Rachel learn from the Black-Eyed Children that there is a great amount of unrest currently in the Necropolis plane of the Otherside due to someone attempting to challenge Asmodeus for her throne. Joy announces that a service will be held for the test subject, Katherine Wade, who passed away… though… The Cafe also gained a new member, Employee No. 512.
FCLS - Faceless
While investigating the Cŵn Annwn, Jackie received a tip about a nearby Shadowfolk in Auburn known as the Faceless Roamer, last seen at the Auburn Environmental Park. Nick and Jackie were able to talk with the Faceless Roamer, who had been bound to the Flipside due to a vengeance spurred by Jericho, who apparently stole their face. Nick also heard the Face Roamer whisper something about the Everdark Pits, though he couldn’t quite make out what she was implying. Jericho fesses up to stealing the Faceless Roamer’s face back when he was dealing with Umbra’s sinister organization, The Dark. He claims to have lost it sometime around October 2018, but he is pretty sure it’s somewhere in the Necropolis or Morningstar. Seth takes Jericho and Julia to Morningstar, though there is no sign of the Roamer’s face meaning it was most likely in the Necropolis. However, the Cafe learns that one of the forces opposing Asmeodeus’ rule of the Necropolis is Umbra, who rightfully has it out for Jericho, Joy, and Julius after they stopped him from getting his hands on the Enochian Bible back in 2019, meaning the best option would be to just destroy the Faceless Roamer if they continue to pose a threat.
LFW - Looking for Wishes
Unsatisfied with having to potentially kill the Faceless Roamer over his own mistake, Jericho takes Nikki and Katherine to see one of his old mates, Hugo, a Kapre. Nikki is very annoyed by the whole affair as the humidity of the Philippines and the smell of Hugo was, in her words, “disgusting.” Nikki reveals the reason for visiting Hugo was so that Jericho could get his wishing stone, which Jericho was able to use to wish for the Faceless Roamer’s face. Felix comes to pick up Jericho, Nikki, and Katherine as Seth is still charging his warping powers. Though it’s revealed in a hidden Diner Diner receipt that Felix was also there to acquire a public key sigil to enter into Beezelbub’s Hollow in Esterskald, which Jean-Marc asked him to acquire so he could presumably meet with Beelzebub. It is further revealed that Jean-Marc used Jericho to reveal the location of Hugo, to get this sigil. Jericho finds out about this and is upset due to the risk involved in using Hugo’s wishing stone to find the Roamer’s face claiming that if the wish had gone wrong, it could have let the Cold into the universe. Despite his anger at Jean-Marc, Jericho wants in on their secret club, claiming to have the same mantle as Jean-Marc, if only a piece of a piece of it.
BMN - Bad Omen
Concerned by the appearance of the Otherworld, Jean-Marc plans to meet with the other two owners of the Cafe and Diner, Mammon and Belphegor, to discuss it. Meanwhile, it would seem that Amber’s warning has come to fruition as the Badb has paid a visit to the Cafe leaving behind a cryptic warning in the form of a poem. Jean-Marc implies that the poem left by the Badb is likely influenced by the mysterious Cold Elder known as Fate. The poem warns that the deal made between Jean-Marc, Mammon, and Belphegor is what caused the Otherworld to manifest. Jean-Marc then reveals his plan to steal the face of the Faceless Roamer to cause one of two outcomes. Either the Faceless Roamer will cause such an issue that Mammon and Belphegor will have to interfere, allowing him to meet with Asmodeus, or Jericho will lead Jean-Marc to a demon who can get him into the Hollow to meet with Beelzebub. In either case, Jean-Marc seems to have been courting favor with the other Princes of Hell. The Badb later leaves another warning poem describing the four cardinal planes of the Otherworld and implying that to find God at the End, the Cafe and Diner will need to trust their enemies. The Badb then leaves a third and final poem, now pointing the Cafe and Diner towards the first of four Antekeys which will open the Antechamber before the End. The poem implies that the Olympian Antekey has taken the form of a pearl which can be found in Felix’s hometown of New Orleans.
BAS - Big Ass Skeleton
Jennifer received a report of a troubling customer in Japan, specifically a Gashadokuro from Japanese mythology, implying the existence of a Japanese plane of the Otherworld. In keeping the Gashadokuro contained in the remnants of the Sogi Power Plant, the Cafe is joined by Princess Takiyasha, the apparent ruler of the Japanese plane of the Otherworld, known as Nightmarch. Once the Cafe could fully contain the Gashadokuro, Princess Takiyasha gave them a “single use ticket” back to the Nightmarch. The ticket led to the Inunaki Tunnel, which acts as a portal to the Nightmarch à la Spirited Away. Felix is able to deconstruct the single-use ticket, turning it into a sigil the Cafe and Diner can use to consistently travel to and from Nightmarch. Felix also ponders how the Otherworld is connected to the Flipside and how the residents of the Otherworld seem to have entire lives and memories spanning eons despite the Otherworld only existing for a few months. If the Otherworld influenced Flipside mythology, it certainly would have been around as long as the Otherside, but in a strange case, it seems the opposite is true; the Flipside somehow dictates the mythology of the Otherworld.