Supernatural S04E06
Episode 6 - Here Be Dragons Somewhere Montana (December 16, 2011) Is a monster swooping through Montana and preying on herds? Activity is increasing as the nights grow longer... This was in two playing sessions: most of the episode was in part one, ending with a cliffhanger, and then the resolution and planning was in part two.
Stories of strange animal predation are coming out of Montana, and the Hunters decide to do some research about it while driving to Chuck's to spend a few days around the Holidays before the weather turns. The weather in the northern Great Plains has been dry and cold, so driving around is still fine. The Hunters also take advantage of a route through New York, lower Ontario, and Michigan to stock up on fresh food, farmers' market goods, and real maple sugar.
With a first overnight somewhere in lower Ontario (not Ohio!) Jon, Scott, and Airy do some internet sleuthing to find that sheep, cows, and a horse, have all been found eviscerated. No one is blaming wolves here, which one might otherwise expect from ranchers. One person heard the horse fall, implying it was dropped. Two happened near Big Sandy, one in nearby Rocky Creek, one in Verona to the South, and the horse happened along Warrick road near Eagle Creek or Eagle Creek Lane where there is a ranch on an old homestead. They also get some other Chippewa legends, but no cryptid that matches what they might be looking for in the area.
Meanwhile, Marcus reads Busty Asian Beauties with it in another book, displaying incognito mode. Razzik, on the other hand, finds the graphic novel for the Remington Files, spun off from the book series about the Winchesters. It has a world and character credit to the same author, but the story and illustrations by someone new. He gets completely drawn in and reads most of the Green-Eyed Demon arc (i.e., Asag or Season 1). (Although he may have questions if there are discrepancies from how they've told these stories.) Details and appearances look spot on, though, and the revelation of the find is enough to distract the team from their research, prompting talk about cease and desist orders, or how who the schmuck is could know the details, like if he's psychic or something.
The Hunters stop at Chuck's for home-cooked meals, an actual safe dinner where they don't have to think about it, and advice on the case, including getting new, appropriate fake IDs. They settle on various Fish and Wildlife occupations as a niche they didn't really have before. Finding some blank templates, Chuck Savage is happy to do some pressing and laminating in the old "art studio" with some assistance from Scott.
It's a day's drive north from Laramie to Big Sandy. Once in Big Sandy, the Hunters head straight to the scene of the horse crime, hoping to talk to people at the homestead using their new Fish and Wildlife badges. The homestead is clearly successful from a green lawn, ornamental and fruit trees, and a nice, fairly new house construction. They are met at the door by Rhonda Keller, a woman in her mid 50's. She welcomes them in, but surprised to see federal agents and a team at that. Her living room is pristine, well-decorated, and ready to host for the holidays. She tells them that she saw the horse after, but her son is the real witness, and introduces him. Her son, Darren, 19, is lanky but could probably throw hay bales. With some questioning, Darren reveals that he saw a creature drop the poor animal, and saw leathery wings like a pterodactyl. He ducked and covered, so can't confirm all the details except it was huge, and possibly there could be a second, he's just not sure. They go out to the location where he says it happened and see that the way the bluffs are, it could be possible for a gliding or flying creature to drop the horse. It also makes sense why the police and news would take what Darren said more rationally, thinking that he meant the horse took a tumble when he said "fall." The Hunters immediately wonder if it's a dragon, hard not to wonder, even if they've never heard of whether or not they existed. They drive a little further up the road, towards Rocky Boy Reservation and the ski hill near the summit, wondering a bit about the terrain and if there is something hiding out or nesting in it.
The Hunters decide they want to see the remains of the animals, if they exist, and head to the animal control office at the Sheriff's office in Fort Benton, the county seat. They meet Sheriff's Officer Terrence Krause, one of two on animal control detail for the entire county. Jon leads on the introductions, channelling his skills with bureaucracy. Terrance is surprised by federal involvement, but is more than willing to show them what he's got since the case is more than just dead animals and in his opinion, not predation at all. He shares photographs showing similar damage, including burning, across the animals. Nothing is missing or eaten from the animals, although a couple of ranches are still missing animals. He takes the team to a storage unit out back behind the building that they use for holding any carcasses before removal. There is still one sheep that has a human sized burned hand print on one side and a searing burn and evisceration on the other. The ewe has a purple substance on her front hooves and muddy back hooves, telling a story of the encounter: she was approached, spooked and kicked back, and then grappled, burned, and slashed.
While Terrance steps out to take a call, Airy remarks about how maybe instead of a dragon, its a dragon rider. Scott muses back "How to Train Your Dragon?" Scott then steps back to listen in on Terrence's call, deploying him to pick up more animals. When he returns, he asks them if they want to come along since he's got another call of three sheep from a ranch he doesn't think owns any sheep.
The Hunters follow Terrance to the Price Family Ranch, and meet Carmen Price, a blonde woman in her 30's, who takes them around to see three sheep she claims someone dumped on her property. Something in her story doesn't quite add up, as the gate she points to as an entry point is not busted at all. As Terrance pointed out, the Prices do not own any sheep. Scott attempts to question her a little too flirtatiously and she rolls her eyes. Jon tries again, pointing out that she really doesn't want Feds to interfere in her life, but doesn't do their argument many favors. Razzik saves the questioning with a clearer approach and she finally confesses that they wouldn't believe what she saw, so there's no point in trying to tell them. Razzik persuades her to tell the truth anyway, and she confesses to them that she saw a dragon deposit the sheep and thinks it was trying to intimidate them. Fortunately, they convince her that they believe her, and that some things like this still exist that are rare and have been mostly kept away from the public. Terrance holds his own by the news, vowing to help because the sheriff and deputy won't believe it.
The Hunters do a little bit of research on dragons after this, returning to town. Scott looks through his father's journal, not finding anything at all. Marcus tries Zach, who is pretty sure that no one has heard of any being around for a wicked long time and that you do need a dragon slaying sword. He mentions Excalibur as a known one being traded on the relic market, and the sword of Bruncvik being another that the Winchesters have one half of, and the other is in the basement of a lady in San Francisco, an expert named Dr. Visyak. He names the Sword of St. George, Ascalon, andthe sword of the storm god Susanoo, Kusanagi no Tsurugi, which the Hunters returned to Japan, and says he can try to see if there's word about them. Meanwhile, Jon and Razzik search online and through some Hunter websites see that dragons are largely believed to be extinct, at least for six or seven hundred years. Marcus calls Val and gets similar information, and similar promises to ask around about Gram, Sigurd's sword, which she knows as a dragon-slaying sword.
Airy, however, gets the win by reaching out to some of his European contacts, which include contacts in the Men of Letters. He gets sent an article about dragons by Dr. Eleanor Visyak that explains how the dragons were created by Eve, mother of monsters, and placed into deep places of the Earth. However, they were too powerful and the dragons themselves wondered why there was not enough space for them, putting them in conflict with her other creations. One dragon, Hypolyes, went to Eve for answers. Realizing that the dragons were too powerful, reckless, violent, and a danger to her other children, Eve made the decision that they needed a way to be controlled or killed. Hypolyes sacrificed himself so that Eve could make dragon slaying swords either from or in his blood. Thus, the only way to slay a dragon is to have a sword that has already slain a dragon. The Hunters, attempt to reach out to Dr. Visyak, but learn she has died the previous year. (Ellie, actually a powerful creature of Purgatory, died after being tortured by Crowley and Castiel to give up how to open the gate to Purgatory. She and Bobby had a romance when he was younger. Her spirit is likely back in Purgatory.)
At a bit of a loss, and before recklessly running off to San Francisco for what remains of the Sword of Bruncvik, the Hunters opt to ask around town for any word of newcomers or travellers staying besides themselves to see if they can observe the dragons. They meet with success, and, as the town only has one motel, The Motel, they are staying at the same place. They try to go about their normal business to observe them, and see three people approach the motel: Jex Copper, a Jason Momoa substitute, big, tall, tan, and dreadlocked; Max Masser, who appears as a man with short red hair, dark stubble, and dead blue eyes; Brodie,a woman with long brown hair, chiseled face, and sharp eyes. The Hunters decide to try to (again inconspicuously) listen in on their conversation through the thin motel walls.
Before they are caught, they catch their names and hear Max asking, "Well, what does Elizabeth care about? If we figure that out, we hold it or them hostage, and maybe she'll be persuaded to finally see our point of view." Brodie interrupts, "Shh! Idiots! We are not alone!" as she hears even the sneakiest Hunter. But the other dragons heard Marcus, so he is the one who finds himself pushed up against the Motel wall outside by the two male dragons.
Cliffhanger!
Brodie disappears during the resulting encounter. Max and Jex intimidate Marcus, while Scott runs to the front of the motel. He gets their attention, but it doesn't have any real effect. Airy delays, waiting to see what will happen. Ciaran, Aine, and Jon all run to see what is going on. Razzik contemplates the moon phase and how easy or hard it would be to change.
Jex presses Marcus: "Who are you and why are you skulking around?" Marcus kicks him and Max laughs. Scott seizes the opportunity to convince them to let his idiot brother go, and they'll mind their own business. While there's a little bit of a threat, Max gets Jex to stand down because it isn't worth it, and some implications that it isn't what they are there for.
The Hunters regroup, breathing a huge sigh of relief, but not without any tension that the encounter could have gone south real fast. Although they discuss looking at more local lore, or revisiting the Price ranch, the encounter forces them to conclude that they need a way to fight the dragons if that is what it comes to. They put out calls to Zach and Val for any scoops on any of the legendary dragon-killing swords, and seriously consider if they need to go to San Francisco.
Both Zach and Val come back with the same piece of information, though in different ways: the sword Gram, used by Sigurd to slay Fafnir, is going on the market. Valkyrie knows that some corporate head is trying to get it because he believes he is decended from Sigurd and thinks it's cool. Meanwhile, Zach know about a regular event in the supernatural objects market called swap meet, and that a "disaffected collector" he knows of is putting Gram up for trade. He says they have just a couple of hours to decide, but he will put everything together and get them their if they are a go. They will also need to decide on what to put up for trade. Zach explains that there are always 13 spots at swap meet and the last one is open. Everyone brings something of value to trade, and there are other rules he can send them.
It doesn't take long for them to decide to go to the swap meet. The Hunters decide that an item they have been holding onto, a shroud of some type, might be of value and finally get Zach to appraise or identify it. Turns out, the cloth belonged to the Prophet Mohammad, an object with healing qualities. This makes sense as it was one of several objects pointed out by the Archangel Raphael to gather and use against the Demon of Disease, Asag, but they had not known what it was. Over its history, it had been used by rulers to create healing tonics for the populace - a practice halted as peddlers attempted to sell knock-off tonics for a profit.
Zach swiftly asks the Hunters how quickly they can get their things together and drive up to the airport near Havre, as he already has a private plane on the way for them. When they arrive in Havre, packing light, they find the Gulfstream G650 Zach has sent, along with a tailoring team: Zach acquired both suits and upscale day leisure wear for the entire team to blend in at the location for this swap meet. The Hunters learn they are flying to Dubai, and the swap meet will be at the Armani Hotel in the new Burj Khalifa. They have just enough time to do a same-day check-in and go to the swap meet in the evening. The G650 will only need a single refueling stop before crossing the Atlantic.
With that new knowledge, the Hunters board, considering what they might do en route and the set of rules and items up for trade Zach was able to forward them.