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Do some research.
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May 16, 2024 02:05
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BraveLittleToaster posted:It's probably just a freaky thing that we don't need to pay much attention to, leave it at that and head back. Sure, seems harmless enough.
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May 16, 2024 02:28
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McSpanky posted:Sure, seems harmless enough. AJ_Impy posted:Do some research. BraveLittleToaster posted:It's probably just a freaky thing that we don't need to pay much attention to, leave it at that and head back. You sigh, and give a shrug.  JOSEI: You know what? We're wasting time out here. Let's head back inside, the dinner will be starting shortly. I'll do some research and figure out if a fairy is bugging us or if it's a ghost or something. IVAN: Mmh. I don't like mysteries. But perhaps it was nothing.DEXTERITY ROLL: 7 +2 PERK BONUS (DEXTERITY) = 9 VS DC 12. FAILURE. IVAN - DEXTERITY ROLL: 2 +4 PERK BONUS (COMBAT) = 6 VS DC 12. FAILURE. The pair of you turn to head inside. Before you can react, a bright flash of white light dazzles both you and Ivan, causing you both go temporarily blind. You hear him swear foully in Russian, and you join in when your assegai is abruptly seized out of your hand by an unseen force. You flail around, shouting that you're both under attack, when a woman's voice cuts in. She has a foreign accent that you can't quite place.  ???: No, you aren't under attack. You are just being tested. Unfortunately, it looks like you are both fools with the wisdom of a clod of dirt.You rub your eyes furiously, trying to make them stop aching and regaining your sight. After a few seconds, you can make out her form in front of you. It's a tall, brunette woman, wearing a hooded set of robes and holding a lantern. After a moment, you realize the shade of the lantern's light mirrors the light that you saw bobbing about the forest. The strange woman rolls her eyes.  ???: I have no idea what my husband saw in either of you.INSIGHT ROLL: 7 +2 PERK BONUS (LUCK, ODIN) = 9 VS DC 12. FAILURE. You stare blankly at her, your brain kicking at you to make a connection. You hear Athena whisper into your mind.  ATHENA: This is Katrina, Nike's wife. Shake the cobwebs out of your head. You're already making a bad first impression by standing there with your mouth gaping. JOSEI: Uh... Katrina, I presume?You quietly thank Athena, because deducing who the woman is seems to slightly mollify her. She makes a gesture, and your weapons fall back into your grasps. KATRINA: The one and the same. Your security is disgraceful. You were one step away from saying "It must have just been the wind."Character Sheets & Inventory BUSINESS USD ACCOUNT BALANCE: $1,716,800 USD ACCOUNT BALANCE: $74,611 SM ACCOUNT BALANCE: Ω1.55
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May 16, 2024 03:01
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At the moment it's just a farm, what kind of security should we have? A PMC on retainer? Your husband is operating a pocket dimension out of a hobby store!
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May 16, 2024 03:21
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How about telling Kyle to put the scary ghost on the phone next time it shows up? Absolutely absurd and it might even work. Apologize, that was quite unexpected. Welcome her and walk with her to the farmhouse. So she has a trained Wisp, that's pretty neat.
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May 16, 2024 03:49
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Blasphemaster posted:How about telling Kyle to put the scary ghost on the phone next time it shows up? Absolutely absurd and it might even work.
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May 16, 2024 03:51
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Blasphemaster posted:How about telling Kyle to put the scary ghost on the phone next time it shows up? Absolutely absurd and it might even work. Sure.
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May 16, 2024 09:41
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Apologies about the long hiatus. Lots of real life stuff and health issues intervened, and I had to take a step back for a while. I should be getting back to at least daily updates again!McSpanky posted:At the moment it's just a farm, what kind of security should we have? A PMC on retainer? Your husband is operating a pocket dimension out of a hobby store! Blasphemaster posted:How about telling Kyle to put the scary ghost on the phone next time it shows up? Absolutely absurd and it might even work. BraveLittleToaster posted:Seconding this. AJ_Impy posted:Sure. You feel the urge to make a sarcastic, biting comment. Unfortunately, while your brain hurriedly tries to override this urge, your mouth moves a bit too quickly. JOSEI: At the moment it's just a farm, what kind of security should we have? A PMC on retainer? Your husband is operating a pocket dimension out of a hobby store!Katrina stares at you, and narrows her eyes. KATRINA: Excuse me?You take a deep breath, and hold up you hands in what you hope is a placating gesture. JOSEI: Okay. You know what? I'm sorry, you're right. It's just that we weren't planning for hostile intrusions this early on with our whole little shindig. I feel like we got off to a bad start, could we try again from the top?DIPLOMACY ROLL: 17 +5 PERK BONUS (LUCK, DIPLOMACY) = 22 VS DC 12. SUCCESS! The sorceress gives you a frosty look, but then nods. She lowers her hands and both your assegai and Ivan's rifle float gently towards their owners' hands. You get the feeling she would have preferred to have chucked them away and let you try and scrabble about after them on the ground... but at least she has better self control than you do. JOSEI: ...anyway, uh. We're planning on having dinner together before we activate Rebecca's equipment to hopefully rescue her mom. Would you like to join us up at the house?She gives a sniff, but nods. KATRINA: The farmhouse? While Nike is the sort to enjoy a more quaint establishment, I'm more partial to urban luxuries myself.You can't help but be slightly put out by this, given how hard you worked to prepare the farmhouse for entertaining. Still, she does seem to have warmed up slightly with the offer, so you suppose it's good enough. You paste on a smile, and gesture for her to follow you. The three of you head back up to the farmhouse proper. As you walk, you decide to strike up a conversation. JOSEI: So... neat trick earlier. How did you do it?Katrina gives you a sidelong glance. KATRINA: Do what? JOSEI: The whole thing with the light. KATRINA: Ah.She taps the lantern. You blink a bit, and look more closely. You thought it was just some kind of arcane lamp, but it actually seems to contain some kind of orb that is bouncing against the sides of the lantern. KATRINA: It's a tame will-o'-the-wisp. Not particularly potent, but quite useful for reconnaissance. Ivan gives a nod. IVAN: Fae creatures. From what I understand, they like to lure people to their doom, no? KATRINA: Yes. After following one, you will typically end up mired in a swamp or quicksand. Then... they feast.She gives a grin, showing off her unnaturally sharp incisors. You gulp a bit. You thought that she was a former vampire. Then again, maybe being cured doesn't undo all the effects. IVAN: And... you trained this one? KATRINA: Trained implies some form of intellect on its part, which is simply not true. But it's conditioned, yes.With that, the three of you approach the farmhouse. As you are about to open the door, a portal opens up midair, and Nike tumbles out of it, looking more than a little frazzled. He draws himself up, and makes eye contact with you.  NIKE: Josei! I wanted to give you some advance warning-Katrina cuts him off with a tone of amusement. KATRINA: Your wife is going to arrive early to test his defenses? Already done, dear husband.Nike pauses, and groans, rubbing his face. NIKE: I really hope you weren't too rough on him.Katrina gives a shrug. KATRINA: In the old days I would have at least broken a bone for having security this poor. As you can see, they're both unharmed, so...Nike rolls his eyes. NIKE: Yes, I know, you are an expert in security, it's not like you had a secret passageway from a crypt leading right into your inner sanctum, with no defenses.Katrina huffs. KATRINA: That was different!Nike snorts. NIKE: Right, of course it was.He turns his attention fully back to you and, gives you an enthusiastic hand clasp that almost dislocates your shoulder. Nike is remarkably strong. NIKE: Hello again, Josei! I'm sorry this is very abrupt but I was concerned my wife might terrify you all upon her arrival. She's very choosy about those I call my allies. KATRINA: And by that, I mean that I have SOME standards, instead of none at all.You decide to be diplomatic. JOSEI: Hey, I mean... she has a point. I kind of did cock up your dungeon royally.Katrina opens her mouth, obviously about to conduct some kind of verbal riposte. She pauses, processing that you instead agreed with her, and gives a curt nod of acknowledgement. Nike relaxes a bit, and shoots you an apologetic look. He gives his wife's arm a quick squeeze. NIKE: Thank you, Josei. On a happier note, I did bring wine.He reaches to a small bag of holding on his waist, and retrieves two bottles of expensive looking wine from within it. One bottle is red, while the other is white. Nike waggles them slightly in offering. NIKE: Both are from the cellars of my wife's awful gloomy castle. She has a better taste in wine than in interior decorating, at least. KATRINA: Castle Borgov is not gloomy. You simply don't appreciate Gothic architecture. NIKE: Perhaps not, but your choice to decorate it with stone gargoyles does not help its case.You clear your throat, and accept both bottles. JOSEI: Thank you kindly, both of you. Now, why don't you both get situated while we get the table set, and so on and so forth?You usher the pair inside, and head to the dining room to drop off the bottles of wine, while Ivan goes to fetch Rebecca. To your surprise, Gorelax is already setting the table. He is surprisingly effective at doing it with his tentacles, which allow him to hold plates in two separate appendages while using yet more tentacles to set silverware in place. JOSEI: Whoa. Thanks Gorelax, I appreciate that. GORELAX: IT IS NO TROUBLE AT ALL, MY FRIEND.Katrina pauses, staring intensely at the eldritch being. A note of approval enters her voice. KATRINA: My goodness... Josei, how did you bind an Outsider to act as your personal servant? JOSEI: Er... he's not. He's just a friend. GORELAX: INDEED! JOSEI IS MY VERY BEST FRIEND, AS IS BECKY! AND IVAN! AND KIARA TOO, BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN HER MUCH LATELY.Katrina looks nonplussed. Nike shoots his wife a 'we'll talk later' look, and in that moment Charlotte decides to make an appearance.  CHARLOTTE: My goodness, more guests! You didn't mention...There's an odd moment as she and Katrina exchange a glance. Katrina pauses, and snorts. KATRINA: Ex-vampire. And you're a dhampyr, I presume? CHARLOTTE: Yes... yes I am.She gives you an elbow to the side. CHARLOTTE: Introduce me, Josei, since it seems like you've forgotten your manners.You jump a bit. JOSEI: Sorry. Uh... Charlotte, this is Nike and Katrina. They're lending a hand with the portal business I mentioned to you. Nike and Katrina... this is Charlotte Redmond. She's a doctor, we met, uh...You pause, trying to figure out how to explain your meeting. Charlotte slides in smoothly. CHARLOTTE: We met when Josei was completing a hit on my employer, an elder vampire.She gives a toothy smile, making eye contact with Katrina. The other woman blinks, and looks a bit impressed. KATRINA: Really? That sounds like a story. CHARLOTTE: Oh, I'm sure Josei would love to share it over dinner. But anyway... pleased to meet you both.As Charlotte exchanges greetings with Nike and Katrina, you can't help but feel a bit exasperated by how smoothly she turned things around. It's not normal for someone else to be as smooth as you. But then, you notice Nike giving you an amused look. He glances from Katrina, to Charlotte, who seem to be hitting things off. The pair have peeled away to converse together quietly, likely sharing stories about being sort-of undead or whatever. JOSEI: ...what? NIKE: Birds of a feather.You stare blankly. JOSEI: Because they're both not-quite-vampires?Nike stares back. NIKE: No, I meant... ah, it's not important. I'll just say that you'd do well to keep an eye on her, that's all.You are about to ask him to elaborate, when Rebecca and Ivan come down the stairs. Rebecca bounds over to Nike and gives him a violent hug, making the retired adventurer stagger slightly under the force of it. She then offers a much more restrained handshake to Katrina, who seems a little bemused. Gorelax waddles out from the kitchen carrying a large tray laden with fresh cornbread and a mixed salad that looks more like something a professional chef would serve, rather than a being made of slimy flesh and tentacles. He places the food down on the dining room table with surprising delicacy, and then vanishes back into the kitchen. JOSEI: Well, that's our cue to settle in, I think.The group of you sit down at the table. The meal itself is pretty relaxed and the group of you keep the conversation light. Eventually Gorelax brings out the main course, which is a hearty stew served with fresh baked rolls. Nike opens up the bottles of wine, and you all eat until you feel fit to burst. When all of you have finished eating, you decide it's time to figure out the game plan. JOSEI: Alright, so... I've mentioned that Becca here is gearing up to set things up to rescue her mom. We're going to gear everything up so that we open the portal in the basement, so it's easier to contain things.You glance at Nike. JOSEI: Nike, are you still good with helping? NIKE: Of course! I figured I could put down some wardings to assist with eldritch containment. Katrina was planning to do a ritual to try to conceal the proceedings from prying eyes.You can't help but look a bit surprised. Katrina snorts. KATRINA: While I have misgivings about your competency, I'm still supportive of my husband. JOSEI: Right. So Rebecca, are you going to be holed up in the barn to work the commitment?She shakes her head firmly, her ponytail whipping back and forth.  REBECCA: Nope! I've got everything set up to work remote. I want to be right on the ground floor - well, more like basement floor, but yanno.You nod, figuring that makes sense. She probably wants to be right at hand the moment her mom (hopefully) passes through the portal. You glance at Charlotte, realizing you never explicitly asked her to help - CHARLOTTE: I'll be on hand as well. I left some medical supplies and a gun in my car. JOSEI: Well.. thanks. I appreciate it.She just gives an elegant shrug. You glance at Ivan. JOSEI: You got everything you need? IVAN: Da. In addition to the rifle, I'll be setting up a machine gun to give covering fire, just in case.Rebecca puffs her cheeks out. REBECCA: Just don't hurt my mom!Ivan shrugs a bit, and makes a vague gesture at the ceiling. IVAN: Not unless she attacks us first?Rebecca's eyes bulge, and you cut in to forestall An Incident. JOSEI: Which won't happen, because I'm sure she's a kind and reasonable person, just like Becca.With that... you have everything set up, you think. You were planning on leaving Goodboy upstairs. You figured he might just get in the crossfire, and even if he's an immortal dog, you'd feel terrible if he got shot or something. > Is there anything else you want to do to prepare? Questions can be asked, as well. Once a consensus builds, we will move forward. Character Sheets & Inventory BUSINESS USD ACCOUNT BALANCE: $1,716,800 USD ACCOUNT BALANCE: $74,611 SM ACCOUNT BALANCE: Ω1.55
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May 20, 2024 02:45
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JessAlias posted:Apologies about the long hiatus. Lots of real life stuff and health issues intervened, and I had to take a step back for a while. I should be getting back to at least daily updates again! No worries, just glad to hear everything's okay! It's just a game, always take care of yourself first. No suggestions or questions, let's get this show on the road.
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May 20, 2024 03:29
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Let's get things trucking along already, open up the hole. Let's not overprepare for this, trust our associates and the process.
BraveLittleToaster fucked around with this message at 07:48 on May 20, 2024 |
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May 20, 2024 03:35
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How many grenades/mines/claymores do we still have? Booby trap the hell out of the portal zone with remotely detonated explosives, just in case.
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May 20, 2024 03:41
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Nike, Katrina, does the whole 'summoning circle/ring of salt' thing actually work? Since we're talking contingencies. How big is this basement? Can we rig up a drop net with a quick release?
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May 20, 2024 05:18
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Trust our associates and let’s do this.
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May 20, 2024 07:39
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Aesculus posted:How many grenades/mines/claymores do we still have? Booby trap the hell out of the portal zone with remotely detonated explosives, just in case. Due to selecting "Just make sure people are in position. (This option excludes all others.)," we didn't stock up on IEDs. Ivan does have some grenades that he could improvise into a bobby trap. It won't blow up the basement, but at least it will spread around some shrapnel. Blasphemaster posted:Nike, Katrina, does the whole 'summoning circle/ring of salt' thing actually work? Since we're talking contingencies. KATRINA: Against some forms of demons and the uncanny, yes, a ring of salt or summoning circle is helpful to keep the summoner from becoming devoured or corrupted. KATRINA: But if we have some kind of unplanned intrusion, it would likely not be effective. But you're free to set one up if you wish... who knows, maybe you'll get lucky.quote:How big is this basement? Can we rig up a drop net with a quick release? It's a decently sized one at 1000 square feet. Yes, Ivan can set up a drop net easily. EDIT: With no new suggestions coming in, I'm going ahead and working on the update. JessAlias fucked around with this message at 23:00 on May 20, 2024 |
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May 20, 2024 13:57
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You turn to Ivan, and he glances back at you. IVAN: Yes? JOSEI: Could we do some last minute prepwork? I was thinking we could set up a booby trap with some frags, and maybe even have a net trap in case of some eldritch beastie coming through. Nike glances between the pair of you. NIKE: Maybe don't blow the basement up. Just in case it has to be used for a regular reason. JOSEI: But frags wouldn't be like setting off dynamite, right? It's a concrete basement. IVAN: Josei is correct. It would be more of an anti-personnel device. Yes, I can rig something up quickly just in case things go south.And with that, the group of you grab your gear, and solemnly file down into the dusty basement. Rebecca sets up her laptop on top of a dusty crate, and boots it up before remoting into her lab equipment set up in the bar, while Ivan jury-rigs a grenade boobytrap near the door. Nike sets about putting his wards down around the edge of the basement walls, and Katrina looks around the basement for a few moments. You contemplate asking Gorelax to come down, but he seemed completely disinterested in the whole adventure, so you leave him to clean up the dishes. You decide to make yourself a little useful, and spend some time loading the Illuminati cyberpunk rifle. You still haven't figured out who to bind the dang thing to, but you might as well have it ready, just in case. You take a moment to make sure it's keyed to target eldritch beings, since that's what you're expecting to show up if things go badly. After making a circuit of the basement, Katrina turns and starts heading up the stairs. JOSEI: Whoa, hey, where are you going?Katrina gives you an irritated look. KATRINA: I'm going to be doing a ritual so that the Illuminati don't pick up on your unsanctioned dimensional travel, remember? Idiot.Your face colors a bit at her verbal rebuke. Rebecca stares at you both, wide eyed. You feel a bit embarrassed. JOSEI: Well. Alright. Have fun.She sniffs, and heads upstairs. Nike pauses in his own preparations and gives your shoulder a pat. NIKE: Sorry about that. She'll warm up to you eventually.You huff a bit, and fold your arms, watching the preparations in progress. As you contemplate what's about to happen, you feel a tap on your shoulder. You turn your head to meet Charlotte's gaze. CHARLOTTE: Looking pensive, darling. JOSEI: Just a little annoyed.You look her over and notice she's carrying a medical bag under one arm. CHARLOTTE: Yes well, I don't think there's anything wrong with having a doctor on hand.You shake your head, and give a grin. JOSEI: Wasn't critiquing your decision to lend a hand, just feeling annoyed at Katrina.Charlotte gives an elegant shrug. CHARLOTTE: She's an old vampire. Or was, anyway. Slow to trust, quick to anger. It will take time.You nod silently at this assessment. Nike finishes setting up his wards and heads up the stairs himself, leaving just you, Ivan, Rebecca, and Charlotte in the basement. He pauses at the threshold. NIKE: Do you mind if I stay on call while supporting Katrina? I'll run down the stairs if there's any trouble. I just REALLY don't want us to draw the attention of the Council of Merlin. JOSEI: Sure. Go ahead.He gives you a nod, and finishes heading up, leaving the door ajar. You turn your attention to Rebecca. JOSEI: So... I guess you're just gonna have a portal appear here, and your mom will step through?Becca screws up her face and wrinkles her nose. REBECCA: Not quite. I'm going to be activating the equipment back in the Leland Vault, remember? The stuff I put a backdoor in?You adopt a patient tone. JOSEI: Yeah, I wasn't being literal. You're going to be activating your mom's old lab, and that acts as the beacon, then your equipment in the barn will activate... making a portal here, right?She tilts her head. REBECCA: Closer. I won't be making the portal, though, I'll just be weakening the threshold of reality. It's up to Mom to punch through. We can't just leave a yawning hole open after all... who knows what could walk through?You nod, feeling a bit unsettled by the mental image of something like Gorelax's mom deciding to manifest randomly. JOSEI: Alright. Well... guys, are we ready?Ivan gives you a thumbs-up, he's currently leaning on a .50 cal machine gun that he had already mounted in the basement. Charlotte leans against the wall and crosses her arms, arching an eyebrow at you. CHARLOTTE: I suppose? As ready as one can be.You exhale a bit, and give Rebecca a nod. She starts keying in commands on her laptop, and a pensive, thoughtful silence descends, only occasionally broken by the clacking of her keyboard. ***  OPTIONAL MOOD MUSIC: Downstair In the depths of the Leland Vault, buried deep in Archive X, the abandoned, stolen laboratory of Veronica DeVir receives an encrypted command from Rebecca DeVir. Monitors flare to life in a wash of white static, casting shadows across the room in the faint illumination given off by the monitors' backsplash of light. Lights flicker into life and glow brightly as electricity is restored to the laboratory after years of sitting dormant. A worm activates, penetrating the network security of the Illuminati's power regulation systems, and promptly begin rerouting power from the Vault's grid into Veronica's lab in Archive X. In a way, the program is a simple one. Rather than the sophistication of attempting to create a portal to transport the laboratory to another location, or even a person within the lab somewhere else, instead, the goal is simply transmitting energy on as wide a band as possible, acting like an interdimensional lighthouse. The level of the power surge causes lights to go dark across not only the Vault, but the city of Palo Alto as a whole. This is something that is obviously not sustainable... but it doesn't need to be. *** You fidget from foot to foot, as Rebecca continues typing. Then she grins broadly. REBECCA: Got it! The beacon's running. The only way that mom'd miss that is if she was blind.You can't help but feel a bit nervous. JOSEI: ...and they won't trace it to here, right?She snorts. REBECCA: Of course not. It's shining so bright that anything we do here would be invisible by comparison, unless like... mom just decided to set off a big bomb, or tear a whole to liminal space between realities. Anyway...Before you can ask what 'liminal' means, she's typing furiously again. REBECCA: Weakening spacetime now... hang on, guys!Nothing visible happens, but you can hear a very faint rumble coming from the direction of the barn laboratory. Then you notice something. It's almost like the feeling right before lightning strikes nearby... the hairs on your arms stand on end, and your scalp feels odd. Charlotte narrows her eyes. Ivan whips his head around, scowling. Rebecca continues to type frantically... REBECCA: Come on, come on, come on... CONTACT! Guys, shield your eyes!You flip your sunglasses down onto your nose barely in time as a flare of bright white light fills the basement as a ragged slash appears midair. The unnatural light fades as the portal stabilizes into a circle the size of an armchair, connecting two separate points in space and time. For a brief moment, it widens into a larger oval as the figure of a woman steps through...  The portal narrows again, and the light dims a bit. You can see the woman is carrying an unfamiliar, technologically advanced rifle in one hand and pistol in the other. She's wearing some kind of futuristic exoskeleton bodysuit, which is form fitting enough to make out her body underneath the outfit. Her hair is styled in an updo, and her bangs frame a face that looks unusually young, considering that this is Malcolm's wife. But you can recognize her features from the family photo you saw, long ago. Floating behind Veronica is an orb about the size of a beach ball. It's gunmetal gray, with a green ocular glowing at its center. You wonder if it's some kind of combat drone, when Rebecca breaks the silence by leaping up and letting out a loud, joyous shriek. REBECCA: MOM!!!She leaps at her mother, and Veronica's weapons fall out of her hands as she stumbles back from the force of her daughter's enthusiastic hug. The grown woman seems a bit stiff at first, but awkwardly returns the hug. A smile breaks out over Veronica's face as she takes in Rebecca's presence... you're reminded that she probably hasn't seen her daughter since she was barely in middle school. You can't help but grin as well, and you notice that even Ivan has the world's smallest smile. You decide to stay silent to let them enjoy the moment, when suddenly, Athena's whisper echoes in your mind. ATHENA: JOSEI! Something terrible is going to happen. I- I can't tell what, there's something that is obscuring my foresight...The smile on your face congeals a bit as you try to process what Athena is saying. As you stand there, Charlotte glances at you and looks curious. CHARLOTTE: What's wrong?> Make a choice. Do we yield the basement, or do we stand and fight? Or we can try to talk things out or do something else, but somehow, you feel like there isn't much time... A) RUN! B) FIGHT! C) SOMETHING ELSE! Character Sheets & Inventory BUSINESS USD ACCOUNT BALANCE: $1,716,800 USD ACCOUNT BALANCE: $74,611 SM ACCOUNT BALANCE: Ω1.55 JessAlias fucked around with this message at 00:12 on May 21, 2024 |
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May 21, 2024 00:04
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AC. When Athena says it's GTFO time, you GTFO. Tell Charlotte to go alert our Mordavian pals of the incoming. Ask the DeVir ladies to please run to the barn and shut that thing down nowza. Grab our raven talisman and give Odin and Thor a courtesy prayer to see if they want in on possibly fighting a GIANT Shoggoth as we help Ivan run his LMG up and outside. Yell for GORELAX THE HUMAN to run.
Blasphemaster fucked around with this message at 00:58 on May 21, 2024 |
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May 21, 2024 00:52
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REBECCA back away now!
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May 21, 2024 06:32
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Ghost Armor 1337 posted:REBECCA back away now! You thinking this is something nasty wearing mom's skin suit? If so, I don't think the Eldritch work with robots.
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May 21, 2024 13:49
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Blasphemaster posted:AC. When Athena says it's GTFO time, you GTFO. Tell Charlotte to go alert our Mordavian pals of the incoming. Ask the DeVir ladies to please run to the barn and shut that thing down nowza. Grab our raven talisman and give Odin and Thor a courtesy prayer to see if they want in on possibly fighting a GIANT Shoggoth as we help Ivan run his LMG up and outside. Yell for GORELAX THE HUMAN to run. BraveLittleToaster fucked around with this message at 20:49 on May 21, 2024 |
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May 21, 2024 20:03
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A) EVERYBODY OUT NOW!
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May 22, 2024 02:24
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OK, that's enough of a consensus for getting the heck out of dodge for me. Working on the next update.
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May 22, 2024 03:22
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Ghost Armor 1337 posted:REBECCA back away now! Blasphemaster posted:AC. When Athena says it's GTFO time, you GTFO. Tell Charlotte to go alert our Mordavian pals of the incoming. Ask the DeVir ladies to please run to the barn and shut that thing down nowza. Grab our raven talisman and give Odin and Thor a courtesy prayer to see if they want in on possibly fighting a GIANT Shoggoth as we help Ivan run his LMG up and outside. Yell for GORELAX THE HUMAN to run. BraveLittleToaster posted:Seconded. Get the DeVirs out of there first though, let's not get either of them snatched. McSpanky posted:A) EVERYBODY OUT NOW! You raise your hands, and pitch your voice to carry. JOSEI: Guys, I hate to interrupt the family reunion, but we've got to pull back. Right now. Something awful's about to happen.The two DeVir women pause, and Veronica abruptly disengages from her daughter, leaving Rebecca looking a little crestfallen.  VERONICA: Right. I figure we can do introductions and everything later. You're worried about an eldritch intrusion? JOSEI: I don't know what it is, but it's something bad enough to obscure the sight of a goddess of wisdom.Veronica takes this in with a surprising level of calm. You have a feeling she been around the block a few times. VERONICA: OK, simple enough. Becky, where's the Tanaki Field Stabilizer Array?There's an awkward silence as Rebecca gets a hunted expression. REBECCA: Um...The older scientist clicks her tongue. VERONICA: Right, I guess I shouldn't assume everything escaped my departure unscathed. OK, how about the Hawking Inverter? You were using that to tune the interdimensional beacon, right? We can sew this up right now.The floating drone suddenly pipes up.  ???: Cap'n, I'm not picking up on any of your equipment nearby. They must've set up the beacon remotely.You cough. JOSEI: Yeah, all your lab equipment is in California.There's a pause as Veronica processes this. VERONICA: Somewhere secure. I hope. JOSEI: Uh... I guess? It's held by an, um, a hostile faction. Er.The elder DeVir takes a long, steadying breath, and exhales. She speaks in a tight voice, obviously on the edge of losing her temper. VERONICA: So you're telling me that the beacon that I'm using as a waypoint to help tune my Field Stabilizer Array in the OTHER dimension I just left, is in the hands of someone who can just choose to turn it off at any time. Along with all my other lab equipment.Ivan, who apparently is picking up on the subcontext of the conversation, is already dismounting his LMG and rushing upstairs. He bellows up towards the living room. IVAN: KATRINA! THE PORTAL IS COMPROMISED-The lights in the room flicker, and the lightbulb hanging from the basement's ceiling suddenly bursts in a shower of glass shards. The formerly featureless white portal behind Veronica suddenly takes on an ugly, purplish shade. ***  Vi was burning the midnight oil, working on that whole Black Org hit job from about month ago. She was always an insomniac at the best of times, and having a loose end like that one was something to worry at rather than angrily staring at the ceiling from her bed. As always, she hit nothing but dead ends. The green-haired angel grumpily lit up a fresh coffin nail, and decided to get up to pour herself another glass of scotch. Right as she did this, the lights in the room flickered. She paused, hand outstretched, feeling on edge. Then the lights went out completely. "loving Hell, another electrical fault..." As her eyes adjusted, she realized that the room was eerily dark. She turned her head and looked out her window of her upper-level penthouse. The familiar skyline of greater San Francisco was dark as well. SOMETHING had knocked out the regional power grid. She rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a pen light, and idly checked her mundane cell phone. No bars. Yeah, this was gonna be a shitstorm. She tapped her sunglasses and checked the Illuminati network... since it ran on an isolated power infrastructure, that means it should be still active. Hopefully. Happily, it was still online... though it was being a bit sluggish, which was worrying. She could get through to the security team from her glasses no problem, though, and issued a lockdown order. Then she decided to go to the best person to troubleshoot whatever the gently caress just happened. "KRYSTAL! I need to talk to you." She stood there in silence, her lips pressed into a thin line. No response. This wasn't like the AI. Sure, she was sardonic, but she was always punctual. "Earth to Krystal? Hello? For gently caress's sake, don't tell me they got to you-" Suddenly, the hardlight avatar of the Leland Vault's resident AI popped into existence, the blue glow of her body illuminating the dark room slightly. Victoria gave a sigh of relief. "The hell took you so long? Were you on a date, or something?" Rather than an eyeroll or snide remark, the AI got a weird look on her face. "Er, what?" "What?" Vi stared back blankly. She filed this under 'weird poo poo to worry about later,' and decided to plow on with what's important. "Anyway, I need a sitrep. The gently caress's going on?" "Ah. Er. Yes." Krystal's uncharacteristically frazzled expression smoothed out into its' usual bored neutrality. "It appears that the Black Org that struck the Leland Vault previously installed some manner of back door into Veronica' DeVir's confiscated laboratory. The lab is active, and was able to access our emergency overrides with the muncipal power grid, to send a large amount of power into her lab." "Oh gently caress me to Hell." Vi resisted the urge to either strangle Krystal, or break down into cursing up a storm. "What's it doing? Summoning an eldritch god or something?" "Nnnno... it seems to just be taking the energy and, er, blasting it out in an uncoordinated fashion, as a form of... broadcast? Possibly a beacon?" "...which is tearing hole in the fabric of reality?" The AI shook her head. "No. It's more like someone turning on a really, really big neon sign that says, interdimensionally, We Are Here, Hello." "An interdimenionsional neon sign," Vi said, flatly. "Yes?" "So... an interdimensional neon sign, that, you know, Interdimensional Police could see." Krystal paused. "Yes. Indeed. The IDPD would have to blind to not notice." Victoria groaned, and stared upwards at the ceiling. "gently caress me sideways, why." "Quite." Vi picked up her drink, and drained it in one gulp, wincing at the burn. "Shut it all down." "...excuse me?" "I said, shut it all down. Cut the vault off from the muncipal power grid, and turn off all the generators. I am NOT having those fuckers do another audit, you hear me! Shut it DOWN!" *** JOSEI: OK. That's enough talking. Ladies, let's get the gently caress out of here. REBECCA: But-Veronica cuts Becca off by grabbing her daughter's arm and hauling her towards the stairs leading out of the basement. Rebecca cries out in protest but does not attempt to shake off her mother's grip. The small drone scoots past them and follows their lead, and Charlotte pulls her weapon from its holster before following Veronica and her daughter up the stairs. You bring up the rear, shouting for everyone, including Gorelax, to start running for the barn, when you hear the sound of wind whistling. Which is strange, considering you are in a basement. Against your better judgement, you turn around slowly to look at the rift. It's widened to a worrying extent, and you notice it is steadily growing. And occupying the entire expanse of the rift is a monstrous, eldritch eye, peering into the room at you. A rumbling, humming, chittering voice speaks, from within your head.  ???: Ṋ̈́Ẽ̻S̫̎S̴̡A̩̔N̠̊D̟ A͖̍M͙͑M̝ I̶͜Ṯ̛H̱͒ ̵͔O̤͗UTH͠ ͎͌C̰̋R͈͗E͉̊A̛͂T̀ I͝ͅR͢S͓̆E͟ŔU̝̕You wisely decide against having a conversation with the eldritch, mind-numbingly terrifying entity, and instead arm the improvised grenade trap and beat a hasty retreat up the stairs. As you run, you rub your raven brooch and offer up a big prayer to Odin, Thor, and the whole drat Norse pantheon that well, if they want to hunt a REALLY big monster, this is a good time to do it. It's complete pandemonium upstairs. You notice that there are a series of runes that Katrina had drawn in chalk, on the hallway floor by the basement entrance, complete with candles. They are flaring brightly right now, almost painfully so. Katrina is ignoring them completely, because she's too busy having a screaming argument with her husband. KATRINA: Nike, I TOLD you this was a fool's errand, you can't seriously intend to stay! NIKE: Katrina, I'm not leaving a friend in danger!Katrina's cheeks are flushed with emotion, and she looks positively apoplectic. KATRINA: AND YOU'RE DOING THIS AT THE RISK OF OUR LIVES-They're interrupted by a clatter of pots and pans. You all three slowly turn and notice that Gorelax is currently wedged in the kitchen window, frantically trying to squeeze himself outside. Rebecca is struggling to free herself from her mother's grip, and Ivan is right behind them, having stopped in his tracks when he saw Nike and Katrina arguing. You take a breath, and shout. JOSEI: WE NEED TO PLAN A DEFENSE. How long do we have? Katrina, Veronica, anyone? I saw a giant evil eldritch Eyeball of Doom staring at me down there, and it started talking inside my head.Gorelax makes a whimpering sound, still halfway out the kitchen window. GORELAX: IT IS A LESSER ASPECT OF THAR'GUL, THE DEVOURER OF STARS! JOSEI: So... a god?He turns his face along with several eyes at you. You notice his toothy mouth is turned downwards in the largest and most worried frown you've ever seen Gorelax have. GORELAX: NO, WORSE! HE'S MY FATHER! GORELAX: HE WILL SEND SPAWN TO DEVOUR US ALL! ONCE SUFFICIENT LIVES HAVE BEEN CLAIMED TO ESTABLISH A CONNECTION TO YOUR REALITY, HE WILL MANIFEST HIMSELF WITHOUT PRECEDENT, AND DESTROY THIS WORLD!That's not good news. You take a deep breath. JOSEI: G-gorelax... dude... is there any way you can like, call him off?Gorelax responds by making a burbling, wailing sound. You realize that he's crying, which is both disconcerting and kind of pathetic. GORELAX: OH BY ESH'LON, WHAT A GRACELESS BEING I AM. I CAN'T DO THAT JOSEI, I'M SORRY.Veronica's voice cuts in, surprisingly calm and decisive. VERONICA: Right. Your tentacled friend is overreacting. We simply need to close the rift as quickly as possible. I'm assuming you two are mages?She points at Katrina and Nike, who exchange glances. Nike nods, and Katrina just stares at her. Veronica takes their silence as acceptance, and continues. VERONICA: We need to access Becky's equipment out there. We can use that to improvise... something, to get that dimensional tear closed. There's two things to consider.She holds up a finger. VERONICA: One, we're going to have eldritch beasts pouring through to try to either kill us or delay us.She holds up another finger. VERONICA: Two, we need to dampen the signature of the rift enough that the IDPD don't come crashing in and haul us all off to jail.She turns to face you fully, folding her arms. VERONICA: I'm not familiar with the team you have here at all. I need your help, mister, to allocate resources. Oscar, here-She gestures at the drone, whose ocular flashes a bright green. OSCAR: That's me! VERONICA: - can either help me directly in the lab with either dampening the signature or closing the rift, or I can reconfigure him to act as a sentry turret. The rest is up to you.> Submit suggestions for how to allocate resources. We have three statistics to consider, which are all at 100% currently: DEFENSE: How well we can hold out against physical threats. Eldritch monsters are going to pour out of the rift, trying to attack us. If they overwhelm us, it will harm our other efforts, along with the drawbacks of... you know, dying. If this falls to 0%, the party has a high chance of wiping. STEALTH: This measures how well we are keeping ourselves concealed from various authorities, like mortal ones, the Illuminati, and of course the IDPD. As this falls, the long-term risk to our anonymity increases. If it reaches 0%, the IDPD will arrive to lock down the rift... and will probably arrest everyone. RIFT: We need to prevent this from dropping by closing the rift. If it falls to 0%, the story ends. Here are our assets, and their strength at supporting these stats. We can only assign a person to one task - either DEFENSE, STEALTH, or RIFT. Any character except for Oscar and Gorelax can also equip the Illuminati Anti-Abnormality Rifle, which will add four (4) pips to their defense stat, but will expend the entire magazine of ammunition. JOSEI DEFENSE: ++++ STEALTH: + RIFT: - CHARLOTTE DEFENSE: +++ STEALTH: + RIFT: - VERONICA DEFENSE: +++ STEALTH: ++ RIFT: +++++ OSCAR DEFENSE: +++ STEALTH: +++ RIFT: ++ REBECCA DEFENSE: + STEALTH: +++ RIFT: +++ IVAN DEFENSE: ++++++ STEALTH: + RIFT: - GORELAX DEFENSE: + STEALTH: - RIFT: + NIKE DEFENSE: ++++ STEALTH: +++ RIFT: +++ KATRINA DEFENSE: ++++ STEALTH: ++++ RIFT: ++ Character Sheets & Inventory BUSINESS USD ACCOUNT BALANCE: $1,716,800 USD ACCOUNT BALANCE: $74,611 SM ACCOUNT BALANCE: Ω1.55 JessAlias fucked around with this message at 05:20 on May 22, 2024 |
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May 22, 2024 05:04
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Rift: The DeVirs, Oscar, and Gorelax. Stealth: Nike, Katrina, and Charlotte. Defense: Josei + the gun, Ivan. Keep people who work well together, well, together.
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May 22, 2024 05:45
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DEFENSE Josei w/Illuminati Rifle: ++++++++ Ivan: ++++++ TOTAL: 14 STEALTH Oscar: +++ Katrina: ++++ Charlotte: + TOTAL: 8 RIFT Veronica: +++++ Rebecca: +++ Nike: +++ GORELAX: + TOTAL: 12 Everyone on Stealth and Rift duty are in the same room, just on different tasks, so I put (nearly) everyone where their strengths lie. Charlotte is shoring up Stealth since it's a little low. McSpanky fucked around with this message at 05:51 on May 22, 2024 |
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May 22, 2024 05:46
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Sami is going to be soooo mad at us for this, considering she fought off GORELAX'S parents in the past. We should probably send her a quick video recording of the eye, then to us being worried, then to the eye and back rapid fire followed bya text. "How did you fight this guy and his dudes before?". She's gonna know anyway.McSpanky posted:DEFENSE Yyyyyyup.
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May 22, 2024 14:32
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McSpanky posted:DEFENSE Good spread.
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May 22, 2024 23:54
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McSpanky posted:DEFENSE
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May 23, 2024 00:04
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That looks like an overwhelming consensus to me. Let's see the consequences of our choices.
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May 23, 2024 00:51
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You've increasingly improved at thinking under pressure, and after looking at the group, and thinking about the monstrous horror you encountered in the basement... MORALE ROLL: 16 +1 PERK BONUS (LUCK) = 17 VS DC 12. SUCCESS! You master your fear, take a deep breath, and open up your Bag of Holding. You draw out that Illuminati Anti-Abnormality Rifle, and power it on. As always, it asks for the passcode. You see Veronica give the gun an intrigued look. You can't help but feel a bit proud, it looks just as advanced as her own energy rifle. JOSEI: Becca, I remember you cracked this thing. Mind helping me enter in the passcode?Rebecca nods, and bounds over to you before punching in a few keys on the holographic interface projected from the rifle. It gives a happy beep, and she steps back from the firearm, giving you a wide smile. You shift it around in your hands before getting into a low stance, the buttstock against your shoulder. The gun adjusts in your grip, fitting you like a glove. It speaks in a smooth female voice. "Calibration complete." Almost instantly, you feel the gun start tugging towards Gorelax, obviously trying to aim at him. You firmly point it down at the ground and remove your finger from the trigger. JOSEI: Alright. Ivan, you and me are gonna hold off the woggily creatures. Veronica, I think you, Becca, and Nike are the best choices to help close the rift. Gorelax, can you lend a- a hand, too?Gorelax heaves a burbling sigh. GORELAX: YES, JOSEI. I HAVE A SMALL AMOUNT OF INSIGHT, THANKS TO THE HERITAGE OF MY PROGENITOR. JOSEI: Thanks. Everyone else, can you work on doing whatever you can to keep the IDPD and other folks from noticing that we just hosed up? Oscar and Katrina, I figure one of you can handle the electronics angle, the other the magical one. OSCAR: Covering our tracks from the IDPD? I've practically written the book on that one! KATRINA: Hmph. I am... uncertain about being paired off with a machine. JOSEI: Sure, which is why Charlotte's going to help.Your dhampyr girlfriend pauses, blinking. CHARLOTTE: Excuse me? I was planning on tagging along with you and Ivan. JOSEI: We'll be fine. Trust me.Charlotte's green eyes meet yours, and for a moment, you see a flash of rebellion. But then she registers how deadly serious you look, and huffs. She gives a jerky nod to you, and strolls over to stand by Katrina. VERONICA: Right. 'Josei,' I hope you two are quite competent. If one of you is downed, the other one is going to be surrounded.With that vote of confidence, the terse scientist-cum-interdimensional-terrorist-slash-fugitive marches out the door, towards the barn. Nike gives the group an awkward grin. NIKE: Well... let's go?You exchange a final glance with Charlotte, then take position with Ivan by the basement entrance. After a moment's thought, you lean very carefully down to peek in the basement. The rift is still there. If anything, it's gotten bigger. You snap a picture of the terrifying eye, and send it to Sami. Then you write a brief note. "I think I hosed up. How did you fight this guy and his dudes before?" Sami responds within seconds. First with an animated GIF of a guy facepalming. It takes you a moment before you recognize him as Captain Picard. Then, she sends back a succint response. "Kill the big ones first. They provide direction to the others." There's a brief pause. "Don't get eaten." There's another pause. "I am also loving pissed, because I'm probably going to have to ask my sister for help, but we can talk about that later." You gulp audibly, and Sami sends back a final message. "But in any event, Josei, good luck. Do your best to clean up this mess as quickly as possible. Last thing you want is this spreading across dimensions." Ivan cuts in as he sets his LMG on a tripod. IVAN: Are you done loving around with your phone? JOSEI: Uh- I was messaging Sami, Jesus. IVAN: Ah. So what did Jesus say?You roll your eyes, though secretly you appreciate the deadpan humor. Then you hear the tinkling sound of breaking glass coming from the basement. You peek downstairs again, and your eyes widen. Dozens of tentacled beasties, each the size of a huge dog, are tumbling out of the unstable rift, and several are already at the bottom of the stairs. It looks like they were only barely small enough to fit through the opening, but they're rapidly swarming up the stairway. Your fancy rifle immediately starts tracking them in a holographic HUD, and a warning appears saying that you have low ammo. While Ivan's LMG will probably hold them back, eventually he's going to have to feed a new belt into his LMG. And when that happens, you suspect you'll be overwhelmed. > Many options, like beating a tactical retreat are available. Don't forget that Josei does have a large Adventure Game Protagonist-sized inventory of random crap... DEFENCE: 100% STEALTH: 100% RIFT: 100% Character Sheets & Inventory BUSINESS USD ACCOUNT BALANCE: $1,716,800 USD ACCOUNT BALANCE: $74,611 SM ACCOUNT BALANCE: Ω1.55
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May 23, 2024 01:45
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*mad cackling*. The super soakers have their time to shine, since the ipecac while not a contact poison can nigh-instantly induce uncontrollable nausea and vomiting when ingested or inhaled even in miniscule quantities. Assuming GORELAX THE HUMAN being a descendant of EyeBall gives us a baseline indicator, his attraction to cooking indicates that these shoggoths' digestive capabilities (when physically within our bit of the multiverse) involve the ability to process earth biomass in such a way that provides the ability to taste and as such, should be vulnerable to the ipecac! The super soaker will directionally aerosolize the substance at the hungry slavering shoggoths while also drenching them in 90 proof alcohol assuming a 1:1 ipecac to Everclear mix ratio. If they're unaffected by the chemical effect they'll be primed for being set ablaze by 7.62x54(39?) tracer rounds from Ivan probably! Maybe we lose the farmhouse in the fire but that's better than having our eternal souls devoured. Pull one out and prime it, pass to Ivan. Prime one for ourself. We should use the sci-fi gun for the big ones like Sami suggested and use our spear and super soaker for the others.. Didn't we also pick up the good gas masks? Maybe the map, too. Don't know if there's sentience in these shoggoths, though. Probably, if our Eldritch pal is an indicator. We can pull it out like a cease and desist letter if we're pretty much doomed. Amulet of paralysis will be a useful proximity defense to pop if things get real bad. Already sent the Norse Pantheon a spiritual invite to the scuffle. Athena did the scouting on this one. Don't know what else we have will apply here. Good thing we got that return enchantment on our assegai. Blasphemaster fucked around with this message at 03:16 on May 23, 2024 |
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May 23, 2024 02:37
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I don't think we got the map back yet, but the other stuff sounds good as anything.
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May 23, 2024 04:00
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Blasphemaster posted:*mad cackling*. The super soakers have their time to shine, since the ipecac while not a contact poison can nigh-instantly induce uncontrollable nausea and vomiting when ingested or inhaled even in miniscule quantities. Assuming GORELAX THE HUMAN being a descendant of EyeBall gives us a baseline indicator, his attraction to cooking indicates that these shoggoths' digestive capabilities (when physically within our bit of the multiverse) involve the ability to process earth biomass in such a way that provides the ability to taste and as such, should be vulnerable to the ipecac! Sounds good. Can we have borrowed Rebecca's stasis gun or is that impractical? Freezing the egress from the rift to set up a traffic jam early could be really helpful.
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May 23, 2024 10:32
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