B is for Book
Setup - continued
The Initiative: Though officially disbanded, the government is still in the process of dismantling the facility under Lowell Hall. In addition, Graham and a few grunts have been dispatched to Sunnydale to look for the escaped Ethan Rayne, though they are under orders not to discuss this, even with Riley.
They are having a progressively harder time getting in or out of the Initiative facility, which leads to an involuntary lockdown situation as the day progresses due to the retinal scans not being registered correctly. The bulk of the troops are trapped below, and Graham and a few agents are ordered by phone and radio to get out and help maintain the peace — straighten out misunderstanding and the like.
They are to stay in civvies, split up, and limit themselves to hand stunners, but only if necessary. They can be used as mind control fodder later in the story.
The scientists trapped below run a number of tests, and provide additional exposition if need be. Via radio, they can give the gang a summary of the reflection effects, the mind control and suggestibility aspects, etc. In a pinch, they could even "triangulate" the reflection issue to map coordinates corresponding to the old school.
If Riley has not yet contacted the Initiative, the agent at the desk contacts him by phone with a heads-up regarding what they’ve discovered just before the gang decides to head to the Hellmouth. The agent is acting under orders left by Graham, as Graham and the other topside Initiative agents are now unreachable (actually mind-controlled and not responding).
If the players do not uncover enough information in research, or don’t correctly interpret the information, there are still other avenues to pursue. A trip to Willy’s Place might elicit remaining needed info as well.
Willy feigns ignorance, as usual, and may provide more than just useful information. Having heard of the Nelvock’s powers, Willy wraps his head in tin foil (and offer the same for his patrons — free of charge!) under the mistaken impression that this will protect him from "the mind rays that thing shoots out of its eyes." He also keeps checking the mirror behind the bar, paranoid when he sees anyone without a reflection (even Spike). His reflection is intact.
When it Raynes, It Pours: Ethan takes Giles’ place—using the demon’s power and an auditory glamour on his voice. If the others don’t suggest it, have Giles/Ethan indicate that whomever summoned the demon may be trying to distract them from the true purpose — opening the Hellmouth to insure the effects are set.
Ethan doesn’t want to open it so much as access a crack in the closed gateway to complete his enchantment. This isn’t just revenge — he’s hoping the resulting confusion will ensure his escape. He enlists the others in an attempt to "reinforce" the barrier over the Hellmouth.
In reality, he needs the group there to be sacrificed as the final part of the ritual. To that end, he has already paid a gang of vampires to act like controlled townspeople, cloaked in stolen reflections, and attack the group once they reach the school.
