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 Wadjet Eye Games posted:One year ago, a demon possessed you; forcing you to tear a trail of bloodshed through New York City. Your salvation finally comes in the form of the Unavowed – an ancient society dedicated to stopping evil. Unavowed is a 2018 point-and-click adventure game published by Wadjet Eye Games and set in the Blackwell universe. Previous games in this setting include the Blackwell series and The Shivah. Those games are all great and I recommend playing them (except for The Blackwell Legacy which is a bit buggy and contains some uncharacteristically annoying puzzles, but I Let's Played that one years ago so you can just read that instead). Playing those games is not required in order to understand this one though. There are references to things from those earlier games but if you haven't played them then you won't even notice. It's a stand-alone story set in the same universe, not a direct sequel. Content warnings: This game contains depictions of violence, gore, murder, suicide, and possibly other unpleasant things that I'll add if and when they come up or as I remember them. Please let me know if I should add anything. Table of Contents:
The game opens on a stormy night: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vus7GsuIszY Tiggum fucked around with this message at 14:51 on Nov 11, 2020 |
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Nov 10, 2019 11:51
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 We see three figures on a rooftop. Two of them are holding the third prisoner, and unfortunately that third one is us.   May you be snatched away from this place! You shall no more dare to deceive, persecute and torment! As smoke is driven away, as wax melts before the fire, so shall you be driven away, unclean spirit! "Where am I?" we ask. SILENCE! Now answer true: Are you demon, man or woman?"What the hell are you talking about?" drat it. NO. Just answer!"Do as he says. Unless you want a broken wrist," advises his partner. "I'm a demon," we say. NO YOU ARE NOT! ANSWER ME TRUE! Are you a man, woman or demon?We give our answer and suddenly we can see clearly. The night is not as dark as it seemed.  Demon! Your power over their mind is waning! Release them now. Release them before I am forced to destroy you. REMEMBER! You are HUMAN. REMEMBER!He hits us with another bolt of lightning.  Tell us! Before the demon regains control. Your name. Tell us your name!We tell him. Did you hear that, evil spirit! They know themself! They are yours no longer! Now your past! Tell me something about your past. Your profession. Quick!"I'm not telling you anything!" we exclaim.  NO!He zaps us a third time and his partner speaks again.  Answer his question. We do not want to destroy you along with the demon. But we will if we have to.But what is our profession? This game is actually significantly affected by player choices and we have a few to make right off the bat here. I'll be using the same voting method I use in my Lone Wolf thread which is to put everyone who voted's name in a hat and draw out one name for each decision to be made. That way more popular options are more likely to be picked but even if you're the only one voting for a particular choice you'll still have a chance of getting your name drawn. The idea is that it should encourage people to participate rather than just seeing several people vote one way and deciding that their vote doesn't matter. Anyway, we have three things to decide right now. Please highlight your votes in bold.
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Nov 10, 2019 11:52
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SystemLogoff posted:Woman Rocket Baby Dolls posted:Paige Turner ultrafilter posted:Bartender ANSWER ME TRUE! Are you a man, woman or demon?"I'm a woman," we say.  Demon! Your power over her mind is waning! Release her now. Release her before I am forced to destroy you. REMEMBER! You are HUMAN. REMEMBER!He hits us with another bolt of lightning. Tell us! Before the demon regains control. Your name. Tell us your name!"My name is Paige Turner." Did you hear that, evil spirit! She knows herself! She is yours no longer! Now your past! Tell me something about your past. Your profession. Quick!"I'm not telling you anything!" we exclaim. NO!He zaps us a third time and his partner speaks again. Answer his question. We do not want to destroy you along with the demon. But we will if we have to."I'm a bartender. Let's all sit down and talk about this!" YES. She is beginning to remember! Night after night, you pour drinks and help people forget their troubles. You give them the strength to push forward. To prevail. Now it's your turn! Take your own advice! Fight it! Remember who you are!Another bolt of lightning triggers a memory. REMEMBER! Sammy's bar. Our place of employment for the last seven years. The sign was just recently installed. It's the only new thing about this place. The graffiti goes up faster than we can clean it off and teenagers like to throw beer bottles off the bridge. The tree across the street often does double-duty as Sammy's second bathroom and the sanitation department is late picking up the trash again. There's a car parked in the tow zone; the world loves an optimist. The diner down the road is a great place to get food after Sammy's closes. Maybe we'll head over after work.  Hey. Wait. Uh. Hey. Long time no see."Logan? What are you doing here?"  I shouldn't be here. I KNOW. But... I need your help. It's my brother. You remember Jonah? He's... in there. He's bad. Badder than me on my worst day. Your boss called me to take him home, but..."I understand. I'll get him out." Thanks. Really. I thought I could go in myself, but I don't think I can. The first thing they tell you is not to enter a gin joint if you can avoid it. I've gone four years. I can't lose them. Not even for him."I'll talk to him." Thank you. You have no idea. Just talk to him, okay? He practically lives in this place. You know him better than I do. And... don't tell your boss I'm out here? I don't think she likes me too much these days.We could have been... less nice to Logan, but I didn't see any reason to be. So inside we go.  It's still early in the evening. The crowds don't come in until later. The booze is not exactly a top-shelf collection, but we're working on it. The pictures came with the bar when Sammy bought it; she has no idea what they are. Sammy put a few stickers up years ago; somehow they multiplied. The jukebox is just here for ambience; it hasn't worked in ten years. The bar is covered with countless glass stains; nobody uses the coasters we brought in. The stools are held together with duct tape and a prayer. There's a list of names behind the bar: people who are banned. Jonah's name has been recently added. Sammy LaGuardia is our boss and friend. She's looking more frazzled than usual tonight.  Oh thank God you're here."Are you okay?" Do I look okay? I swear the things I gotta deal with. *sigh* gently caress this. After tonight, I'm done. I quit."Is Jonah here?" Is Jonah HERE? Yeah, Jonah's here. And I'd like that to stop. I thought Logan was a mean drunk, but Jonah? He's worse. He came in here all twitchy and looking scared. He asked for a whiskey and I gave it to him. Then he started crying. Then he started screaming. Now he's locked himself in the drat bathroom."So what now?" I don't know. To tell you the truth, Jonah scares me. But maybe... Look. Maybe you can get him out of there? He's always listened to you."Just how much did he drink?" Honestly, I'm surprised he's still standing. Look. Just get him out the door. He can scream at the rats in the park for all I care. I'll just... wait here.Nothing to do but knock on the door.  Go AWAY, Sammy."It's not Sammy. It's me, Paige Turner." Oh... it's you. I just... I just can't. No. No! Shut UP! Just stop. I'm sorry. It's not you. You've always been good to me. I know you tried. It just didn't work. Just... leave me alone."What didn't work?" Them! They just... won't LEAVE. Shut up shut up shut up! I can't. I CAN'T! Not till... not till... NO!"Come out, Jonah. Talk to me." drat it. NO. Just go AWAY! Get OUT! What did I tell you?"Poor Jonah. We've got to help him." You want to cuddle him, do it when you're not here. But take my advice and stay away from guys like that. I know it's not good for business, but some people just shouldn't drink. Crap like that runs in the family. I should have barred Jonah along with his drunk rear end brother.The bathroom key hangs behind the bar. Oh. The key? Yeahh. I guess that'll work."You seriously didn't think to use the key?" Don't look at me like that. You want the truth? I didn't use the key because Jonah's scaring the hell out of me. I was gonna give the key to Logan, but he's a no-show. I guess you'll have to do.Into the bathroom we go. It's unisex but there are urinals right there in the open. Classy. The words "help him Please" keep appearing and disappearing from the mirrors.   I locked that door for a reason."Jesus, Jonah!" Believe me. Jesus has nothing to do with this. They keep talking to me. With their begging and pleading and crying. Can't you hear them? They are so LOUD."I don't hear anything." You are so lucky. I just want silence. It was bad enough with just her. But now? There are so many. So so many. I close my eyes, they're there. I try to sleep, they're there. I tried to drink. They are STILL HERE. It got so bad my boss fired me. ME! Just like they fired my brother. It just keeps getting worse. I can't make them go away."Jonah. Give me the gun." No. This is my only way out! You wouldn't take that from me, would you? I can't stop them. All I can do is join them."Join who?" The dead! The army of the dead! They want me to join them."Jonah. There is no army of the dead." That's what I thought too, when I saw the first one. About a month ago. The first ghost came. A little girl. She told me I was chosen. Then I started seeing more. And more. Everywhere. They won't leave me alone! If I have to die to make it stop, then so be it."You can get help, Jonah. There are treatments. Drugs." What? You think being locked up in Bellevue is better? Locked in Bellevue with these... dead things? I've thought about it. Asking for help. I can't live like this, but... I don't want to die, man. I... I don't want to die. Why is this happening?"Just hand over the gun." Right. The gun. Here. Just take it. Thanks. You and Sammy, man. You've always been good to me. And this book. You can take this too."Book?" Yeah. I thought it would help. It's about... spirits and ghosts and stuff. It had techniques to make 'em go away. But I think it's just... made it worse. Take it, will you? I don't want to look at it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMOigON4_K8 He hands us the book and everything goes black.  And then the world comes back. Right. Let's go. I owe Sammy an apology. Jonah falls to the ground and we calmly leave the bathroom. Was that a gunshot? Did Jonah... Without even bothering to respond, we execute our second victim and leave the bar. The memory fades to white and we are once again on the rooftop in the present day. Your chosen vessel remembers! You are no longer welcome, wicked spirit. The hands you control will no longer do your bidding! In the name of myself, my witness, and the soul whom you hold captive... I CAST YOU OUT! The wicked spirit is drawn into the staff and then dissipates into the air.  Gotcha!The man in the hat cries out in pain as he is struck by a bolt of lightning and falls to the floor. Eli!The woman rushes to his side, leaving us to fall to our knees. Next: A moral dilemma. Tiggum fucked around with this message at 14:31 on Nov 12, 2019 |
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Nov 12, 2019 08:15
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We stand up and look around. Judging by the view, we're somewhere in Brooklyn, quite far away from Sammy's bar in the Bronx. We take a step towards our... captors? Saviours? Whoever they are. Stand BACK! Jeeze, Mandy. Put that sword AWAY. The spirit is gone. That lady is harmless!He stands up and gives us a chance to respond. "Could you put that sword down and tell me what just happened?" See? She doesn't even remember how she got here. It looks like her memory got scrambled during the exorcism. Scrambled. What? It happens."Mandy" sheathes the sword.  I... apologise for the threat. It has been a long night. Please. Come with us and we will explain everything."You just THREATENED me. With a sword." That is correct. It is also correct that we just saved your soul. Do as you like. Look. She's... WE'VE.. had a rough night. Go easy on us, okay? Just come on downstairs. When you're ready. We'll explain everything. We're the good guys. Honest.Well, in any case, there's only one way off this roof so we don't have much choice but to follow them.   Do take your time. Soak it all in.The man at the foot of the stairs is slashed in several places. We can only hope he went quickly. The woman behind us has been impaled through the heart and is hanging like a rag doll. An old woman lies crushed under the table. A large mass of debris blocks the front door. At least the rain is keeping the crowds away. The man in the hat, apparently named Eli, looks slightly green. He is obviously uncomfortable being here. We can relate. If the woman with the sword is affected by the carnage around her, she gives no sign.  So. Do you remember anything? Anything at all?"What the hell happened here?" Your answer is within your question. Hell, indeed, happened here. These innocents. Innocents of this city who I have sworn to protect. Were destroyed. By your hands."I couldn't do this!"  I'm afraid you could. And, um, you did. You were possessed. By some kind of demon. It... made you do things. You do not remember? One year ago? You murdered that man Jonah in cold blood. And that bartender."I thought that was just a dream..." No dream, but it was a nightmare for some. The story was top news for weeks! Every district in the city was searching for you. As were we. And it is... fortunate that we found you first. These people on the floor? Torn apart using your bare hands. The rain washed away most of the blood from your hands, but it will always be there. Whether you can see it or not."This is horrible." It is good you think this way. The demon who possessed you? It would not. Listen to me. These feelings you've got right now? The guilt? The anger? Hold onto that. It mans you're human. You'll need that going forward. Speaking of going... Yeah, we need to scoot. Did you put up a veil, Mandana? I did. And it will confuse the police long enough for us to get away, but we should not tarry.The front door is blocked but the emergency exit is clear so we make use of it.   Fresh air at last. A padlock. Of course. Can you pry it off? I am tired, Eli. My strength ebbed hours ago. Perhaps she can help us? Could you find something to pry this off? Yeah. Anything big or heavy should do.A deep puddle fills the cement floor of this alley. Rainwater is pouring out of the leftmost drainpipe. A dumpster is open and exposed to the elements. There is an electrical cable connected to a power box on the far wall. The insulation is worn thin, exposing the wire. Sparks are flying off it. Better not touch. A thick and sturdy lever juts out from the power box. It's in the "on" position. A pipe, corroded but sturdy, is lying on the other side of the dumpster. "Anything big or heavy," he said. That pipe should do. We'll just grab it. Wait, what's that on that air conditioner?   *sniff* *sniff* *snifff* You've got to be kidding me.The creature leaps to the ground. Its body is made up of sinew and ligaments. No skin that we can see.  This place. Much has changed. Creature! Who are you and what is your purpose here? Purpose? You invited me. You are mistaken. I was summoned across the void. By you. I say again. You are mistaken. You know I speak the truth. I know what you are, Jinn-child. I know you can not speak false. Nevertheless. A beacon appeared. A path was formed. I merely followed it. Nobody here has done such a thing. Um. That might not be entirely true. Eli? On the roof. I used a LOT of power. Probably enough to call the attention of... well, something like this. Neophyte mage. Playing with forces you don't understand. I'm mage enough to burn you into a greasy smudge! You lie. I know a falsehood when I hear one. I can smell your power, mageling. You have none left. You are nearly spent. And you, Jinn-child, are so fatigued you can barely stand. That may be true, but stand we shall. Since we're being so honest with each other, you don't look too healthy yourself. The... journey here was long and difficult. I used much of my energy getting here. Ah. So you are just as tired as we are. That's called a "stalemate," friend. I do not wish to fight. I have no quarrel with either of you. I am merely HUNGRY. Feed me, and I will return home. That is all? What type of food do you require? On this plane of existence? Human flesh is all that will sustain me. Of course it is. That's not going to happen. Sorry. Agreed. We can not allow that. Depart in peace. There need not be bloodshed. I need to feed. I will die otherwise. The lady asked you to leave. You give me orders? I summoned you. I do have that right. If you have the will to enforce it. Right. So. Leave! I command it! Return across the void from where you came!... Eli. He's not leaving. I can see that. Mageling. You created no summoning circle. No spells of binding. No means of holding me. Look. It was my first exorcism, okay?So here's the game's first real puzzle. We could actually have done it already and skipped most of that dialogue, but who would want to do that? First thing we need to do is flip that power switch to "off", because why would there be a lever there if we weren't supposed to use it? Then we'll take a look in this dumpster - you never know what you might find.  There are exactly two items we can take here: a large spool of copper wire and a heavily stained tablecloth. There's not much to interact with in this scene so the solution should be fairly obvious. We first attach the wire to the worn cable we noticed earlier (good thing we turned the power off) and lay the other end in the puddle of water. We then stuff the table cloth into the drainpipe, causing the water to flow on to the second drainpipe to the right, flooding the area on which the creature is standing. Finally, we turn the power back on.   That was... creatively done. Um. Yeah. Nice work."What the hell is this thing?" We cannot say for sure. This creature is from across the void. There are so many that they defy categorization. It's a ligamental. A what? It's made up of ligaments and sinew. It fits. Very well. This creature is a... ligamental. Uuughhh. Such... agony. What manner of pain is this?"I couldn't let you harm anyone." I am merely HUNGRY. I... *sniff* That stench! It can't be. You. A Demonspawn. On THIS plane?"Are you talking to me?" I can sense the corruption within you! Why do you come here to torment me? There is no demon. I got rid of it. You are a fool. The corruption lingers. Creature, you are at our mercy. Return home through the void at once. You know I cannot. I used all my energy to get here. I will not survive the return journey without food. I must feed. On human flesh. In this world, nothing else will sustain me."This thing eats people?" Only on this plane of existence. I do not believe it has a choice."Maybe we should let it go?" No! We stand against chaos. We do not inflict it."What about the dead bodies inside?" What? That's... eeugh. Does the demonspawn speak true? There is meat? Inside this building? Yes. Yes there is. Slaughtered only hours ago. Fresh meat! That is perfect! Let me consume my fill and I will leave you in peace. I... I do not think I can do that. It would draw too much attention. The police are bound to notice. Not to mention the victims inside are innocent. They have families. Loved ones. They'll want closure. I am innocent too, Mageling. You summoned ME. I merely answered. Would you kill me just for that? ... It speaks true, Eli. What is your decision? Wait. You're putting this on ME? Yes. I... I'm not the one who has to cut that thing's throat. I can't decide that for you. It was your magic that brought it here. The choice is yours. You're the one with the sword. You are the one who summoned it. You've got seniority. Then I delegate this choice to you. Oh? NOW you suddenly trust my judgement? I always do. You wouldn't let me make toast this morning! I grow HUNGRY while you bicker! Quiet! Eli. We must be quick. Tell me to kill him and I will. Since when do you need my permission to do anything? I cannot kill a creature in cold blood! So we'll... what? Let him chew up the bodies inside? No. We cannot do that either. CHOOSE! Quiet!As before, we could have interrupted that back and forth at any time. Despite the fact that we're well out of our depth and these two presumably got by relatively well without us before now, we're the player character and that means we get to make the choices. Do we let him feed or just kill him?
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Nov 13, 2019 06:23
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berryjon posted:Feed. This is the same choice I made when I played through this game the first time. Those people inside are already dead and this guy's not. I just can't really see how killing one more person helps anyone here. Polaron posted:Dammit, I was working on doing an LP of this very game
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Nov 17, 2019 09:27
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"Let him feed." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boT3GXGecbM Yes. It is the most... practical solution. Ugh. I'm going to be sick. Rise, creature. Eat your fill and begone.Back inside the building.  *burp* Are you finished? Please please please be finished. Yes. I believe I can make the return journey and survive. Thanks be to you, Jinn-child. Mage. ...Demonspawn. I shan't trouble you again. It is done. It is over. Thank god. Let's get out of here. All in all... this was eventful. Yeah. Eventful. We did fine work this night. We ALL did. Agreed. You showed immense fortitude. Especially for one in your... situation."So can I go home now?" Ah. Yeah. About that... Let me. One year has passed since your possession. You are wanted by the police for many violent crimes. You certainly can't go back to that bar of yours. Indeed. Although I could certainly use a drink after tonight. The demon that infested you? That creature we just defeated? Mere taste of what is out there. And they just keep coming. We need manpower. Look. You saw us in action tonight. It's obvious we need all the help we can get. Just as it is obvious your old life is gone. But we can help. We can give you a new identity. A new life. A new purpose. Normally there's a vetting process, but you more than proved yourself tonight. So... what say you? Will you join us?"I will need to think about it." At least sleep on it. We have suitable arrangements at our headquarters. Sleeping sounds GREAT. By the way. My name's Eli. This is Mandana. Welcome to the Unavowed, my friend. Trust me. Your life will never be the same. We're too tired and overwhelmed to really take anything in tonight. We follow these strangers back to their "headquarters" and fall asleep, fully dressed, in the guest bedroom. We sleep like a rock and wake up the next evening.  Outside, we can see the hustle of downtown nightlife on the street below. A whole pot of espresso sits on a small table. It's still hot. There's some ... eclectic ... reading matter in the bookcase. A faded old poster of a heavy metal band, 'Axis of Weevil' hangs above the tiny twin bed. A scratched-up violin and bow hang by its foot. The silver crucifix might be useful if vampires are real. The rusted sword over the door, on the other hand, looks like it might break if we coughed loudly. There's an empty, stained old sea chest and a little brass elephant with 'A Memento of Siam' written on the underside just near the doorway, and a framed photograph hangs on the wall near the bed.  As tempting as it may be to stay in this room and pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist, we should probably head downstairs and find out a bit about where we are. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wQ8CgmIpVM   The bottle looks incredibly ancient and is engraved with indecipherable characters. And some smoke just came out of it and turned into Mandana. She immediately draws her sword and begins swinging it at the practice dummy. The dummy is covered with deep scratches. Mandana moves with practiced precision. There's not a drop of sweat on her. Sharp little knives dot the surface of the target on the wall.  You are awake. Did you sleep well?"You... just came out of a bottle."  This astonishes you, after all you have experienced? I suppose I should have seen this coming. Introduction to the supernatural world can often have... unpredictable effects on the mundane mind. It may take some time for you to process it all."Who are you calling mundane?" Forgive the term. No insult is intended, I assure you. After your actions last night, the word "mundane" hardly applies to you. I think you are going to make this transition just fine. And this is good, because there is so little time to waste. My father Kalash is waiting to speak to you in the room beyond the red drapes. When you are ready, seek him out. In the meantime, relax and explore the facility. I will be here if you have any questions.The helmet by Mandana's bottle has been buffed to a gleaming shine. That helmet is cursed. Any warrior who dons it would find their head squeezed until it breaks. I would be wary of touching it.Vicious-looking weapons decorate the walls. Please do not disturb those. It took centuries to arrange them just the way I like them.Let's just have a closer look at that bottle... Do not even consider it.OK, well then, let's see. If Kalash is past the red drapes then Eli must be downstairs? The old stone steps are black with... is that soot?  Yep, here he is. Hurling fireballs from his hands at a target on the wall. There are fire extinguishers all over the room - a wise precaution - but there's not a single mark on Eli's fingers or hat. The blackboard contains some precisely calculated fireball trajectories. A note is hanging above the desk; a scrawled list of obscure formulas. It's all Greek to us.  Hey! Don't surprise a Fire Mage like that. Bad idea. Anyway. Hi. You settling in okay?"This place is kinda weird." Hah. Yeah. You get used to that. "Weird" is now just part of your everyday life. I mean... I'm throwing fire and you're not even batting an eye. But seriously. It took me awhile to get used to this stuff. It's not going to happen for you overnight. But you'll get there. Faster than you think. Anyway, I'm sure you want to walk around. I'll be here if you have any questions.Actually, we do have some questions. "Eli, what does the Unavowed do?" Well, we're sort of... supernatural police? Sometimes there's a threat that only we can handle, and we go handle it. Well I say "sometimes" but lately it's been a lot more than that."More threats? How much is 'a lot more'?" Let me put it this way. There are seven hundred and thirty-two percent more threats than there used to be. Give or take point five. A year ago, we'd usually be called out once a month, if at all. Now it's almost every day. And me and Mandana? We're the only ones dealing with it. Until now, anyway."How long has the Unavowed been around?" Gosh. A really long time? Sorry. If you're looking for a history lesson, Mandana or Kalash are the ones to ask. As far as I'm concerned, we do good work. That's all that matters."How come I've never heard of you guys before?" You know, I wondered the same thing when I first joined. I mean, we're careful. We use veils. I don't throw fire around Times Square or anything. But the real secret? Nobody NOTICES us. It's kind of uncanny. Mundanes go through crazy mental tricks to pretend we're not there. So maybe the mundane world isn't ready for us yet. But they will be. They won't have a choice, the way things are going."I'm curious about yourself. How long have you been with the Unavowed?" Since the Nixon administration. I'm, uh, older than I look."Just how old are you?" If you must know... I'm 92. It's the magic. It keeps me young. No surgery required."You're 92? Really?" Yeah. It's... it is what it is, okay? I'm a Mage. We live long lives. End of story."Why do you live down here?" Why do you think? Fire Mage here. I can easily burn this place to the ground if I'm not careful. I needed a place to practice, and a room insulated with stone was the obvious choice. Besides, I don't feel the cold. So it's quite cozy down here."So you're a... wizard? Ooh. Never use the word "wizard". It's a social faux pas or something. I'm a Mage. With a capital "M". The capital is also important. At least... that's what the books tell me. I've never actually met another Mage to find out."Doesn't that fire... hurt?" Nope. Kind of tingles, but that's it. It's kind of like playing with light. At least when it touches my flesh. Clothes, though? I can burn 'em clear off and I won't even notice. Took about a decade and a dozen indecent exposure arrests before I managed to make my clothes fireproof."About last night..." You had time to process it? I know I have. To be honest, I'm just glad the exorcism worked. It took four days of concentration to prepare that spell. I gave it everything I had."Four days?!" Well, yeah. When you deal with demons, you don't leave anything to chance. Not to mention LIGHTNING. If I hadn't prepared, I could have fried you. Not to mention ME. I just wish I hadn't summoned that... thing. I know the creature was technically blameless, but I'm still not sure we made the right call. Still. I suppose it's too late now."A photo appeared on my wall. Do you know how it got there?" Heh. You too, huh? Wasn't long after I joined up that my first photo appeared. Scared the hell out of me. It's something to do with this building. It... wants you to remember who you are. Who you were. Don't think about it too hard. I've been here fifty years and I still don't know how it works.That's all he has to say right now. It's probably enough. An old color photo of Eli and Mandana hangs halfway down the staircase.  Above the bookshelf is an old photo of a quaint, suburban house.  Below the shelf is an old photo of Eli and a woman in a wedding dress.  On top of the desk is a black and white photo of two young girls.  And in the corner is an old black and white photo of a man at a desk.  Eli's given us a lot to think about, but we could use another perspective. Let's head back upstairs. "Mandana, what does the Unavowed do, exactly?" We are... peacekeepers. We protect the mundane world from the threats of the supernatural. We help who we can. We destroy ones we must. And recruit those who are willing. With you, I suppose we did all three."How long has the Unavowed been around?" As a whole? For thousands of years. But the New York branch is only four hundred years old. As long as there is a need of us, we will be here."How come I've never heard of you before?" We do not exactly advertise our presence. We prefer it that way. But the truth is, the last century has seen a... diminishing need for our services. Things have certainly changed."Changed?" Yes. Supernatural threats have been escalating. It happened so suddenly, we were caught unprepared. We had become complacent. We have not been recruiting. You are the first new recruit in decades. The first of many, we hope."So you are a... genie?" The term is Jinn. And yes. On my father's side. And no. I do not grant wishes."How long have you been with the Unavowed?" When was this city founded? 1624? Yes. I was just a child, but it was around that time."You are four hundred years old?" Four hundred and eighteen. No nineteen. My birthday was last month. It is difficult to keep track, but Father always remembers."Can you tell me about Eli?" Eli is my partner and a dear dear friend. We have saved each other's lives more often than we can count. You and he have much in common. He was once mundane, like yourself. I would recommend asking him about his transition. It might help with your own."About last night..." Last night. Yes. You gave us quite the chase. We know nothing about the demon that was inside you, but it was a wily thing."I wish I could remember." Be grateful that you can not. It was... taunting us. Dancing just out of our reach. Slaughtering whomever it could. But we got it in the end. Regardless of what happened next, we stopped it. We can all take comfort in that."There's a photo of me in my room. Who put it there?" I do not know. I am not being facetious. I honestly do not know. This building has housed many agents over the centuries, and they too have been given... gifts. Photographs and portraits of loved ones. Precious possessions long since lost. We do not question it. We merely... accept it. And be thankful for it.So, Eli was once "mundane" like us? Let's ask him about that. "Hey Eli. Mandana told me you used to be mundane? Like me?"  Someone's been telling tales out of school, huh? I used to have a... pretty normal life. Then one day I set my office on fire. With... my mind. Then stuff happened and Mandana found me. She brought me here. The rest is... well, history.Fair enough. There's now only one room we haven't visited and one person we haven't spoken to. Mandana's father, Kalash.  A ship in a bottle hangs in a place of honor above the door.  A colorful painting of a mother and child hangs above the couch.  An ornate lamp is glowing gently in the middle of the room. On the central table, a blue-green crystal is glowing with a mysterious inner light. By the bookcase is a cupboard containing a fine selection of aged spirits, mostly Scotch. The bottle on the mantelpiece emits a faint hum. Smoke dances up the chimney from the warm embers of the fire. And an impossibly old, impossibly muscled, and impossibly blue man gazes into the fire.  Hm? Oh. You're the new one, aren't you?"It was either this or get arrested." Yes. Free will. It can be more trouble than it's worth. As for me, I am Kalash. I am a Jinn of the Ancient Kingdom, and I run this branch of the Unavowed. And you? You were possessed. How'd you let that happen?"It was a book. I touched it, and then..." Sloppy. Sloppy. Such a thing would have been unthinkable once. In my day, even a newborn babe had wits enough to leave books of demonic evil ALONE! Mundanes today. Don't know they're born. The world has gotten soft. Needs toughening up. How tough are you, new girl?"I got hit by lightning yesterday. Several times!" The demon inside you took the brunt of that. You don't have a scar on you. No. No. You have yet to experience your true crucible, but it will come. Oh yes. It will come. At any rate, we have much to discuss and much to do. Settle in. Talk to the others. Get the lay of the land. I will call our meeting when you are ready.That appears to be the front door. Perhaps we'll just step outside for some fresh air... I don't believe I gave you permission to leave.OK. Well. We still have a few questions. "Kalash? What does the Unavowed do?" We're the wall against the darkness. The protectors of the mundane world. We might not be what we once were, but we are here. And that is all that matters."How long has the Unavowed been around?" Nobody knows for sure. Not even I. But this branch is exactly three hundred and ninety three years old. I know because I founded it."You founded this place?" Yes. This city was becoming a force to be reckoned with, with the supernatural forces to match. There was important work to be done. I volunteered. And here I am still."How come I've never heard of the Unavowed before?" Hmph. That's gratitude for you. Used to be, you mundanes would beg us for help if a cat looked at you funny. But yes. I won't deny it. Supernatural threats became fewer and further between over the last century. There was little reason for mundanes to think of us at all. But things have changed."Changed?" Yes. Supernatural threats have risen. Exponentially. It's been difficult to contain. We need to fill our ranks. You are the first in a long line of many, I hope."You mentioned a meeting?" Indeed. The time for waiting is past.  Father. You met our latest recruit? Yes. I admit she doesn't look like much, but we'll see what this life makes of her. We were all neophytes once, Kalash. Most of us, Mage Beckett. Most of us."..." I have read the reports on your last mission. Mage Becket. Is it true you summoned a void creature? Yes. By accident, I swear. Irrelevant. Magic is unpredictable. I understand this. What I don't understand is why you let it feed on human corpses! What will the mundane authorities think when they find toothmarks on the victims, hm? The creature was both a danger and an innocent. We reached a compromise. That is all. WE'LL be the ones compromised if you two aren't more careful."Don't blame them. It was my idea." That may be, but you had no authority over them. It was their choice to make. Father. Regardless of our choices, the void creature is gone. We have a more pressing concern. Yes. You let the demon escape. Your mission was a failure."Wait. The demon is still out there?" Yes. Just waiting to find another hapless victim. No disrespect. Sir. She was a big help. Help you would not have needed if you had achieved your primary goal. ... I... almost did. I was so close. I had it contained... but it was stronger than I expected. I see. This is becoming... distressingly commonplace. Nevertheless. Eli speaks the truth. We underestimated the threat. Then that will have to be sufficient. And now to the next item at hand. Your next mission."..." You don't say much, do you? Well, that needs to change. Starting right now. I have detected void activity in the East Village. Somewhere close to Astor Place. You are to travel there, determine the cause of the disturbance, and neutralize it."Void activity?" Activity from beyond the void. Do try and keep up. Are you sure she's ready to go out into the field so soon? These are dangerous times. Dark forces are coming. We don't have time for traditional training. If she isn't able to handle it immediately, we might as well kill her now. Trial by fire. Sink or swim. Do or die. You want to prove yourself to the Unavowed, new girl? Now is your chance. Meeting adjourned! Well. I guess that settles that."So who's in charge?" None of us. Yeah. We're a team. Try not to forget that. Anyway, we're ready when you are.Our inventory now contains these Mandana and Eli icons, which we can use to have them interact with things.   I have not been to the Village in a long time. I am eager to see it again.Next: Void Activity in the East Village
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Nov 18, 2019 05:51
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 Eli is engrossed in a book. Mandana counts the cracks on the subway floor. Looks like the K train is down. Again. Eli. The K train was discontinued in 1988. Was it? I could swear I took it to the Museum of Natural History not too long ago. You did. In 1986. ... Oh. So I guess we won't be taking the K train. No. We will not. Looks like this building site was abandoned not too long ago. The Alamo Sculpture - A.K.A. "The Cube" has been here as long as we can remember. Mandana is relaxed but moving with purpose. Her eyes are alert for any sign of trouble. Eli casually takes in his surroundings, pausing occasionally to glare at the graffiti.  Hm. Still raining. At least nothing's here waiting to kill us. Well. The night is young."What do you know about this area, Mandana?" You call this neighborhood "The Village". I came of an age when that term actually applied. This street? It was a long dirt road. Homes were palatial estates, and were few and far between. This city was larger back then. And yet so much smaller. But let us not dwell on the past. Time marches on. We must march with it or be left in the dust.Talking to Eli and Mandana serves both as a way to get to know them and as a hint system if you get stuck. In this instance, if asked what to do next, they'll basically suggest that we look around. "Eli. How are you staying so dry?"  Ancient Fire Mage secret! Well, no. Not really. I just make the water evaporate before it hits me. It's a simple trick, but handy on nights like this."Do you know anything about this area?" Kind of. I used to work about ten blocks north of here, back in my mundane days. It was just factories and warehouses back then. Not the university student mecca it is now."You used to work around here? What did you do?" Oh. Er. Nothing important, really. You wouldn't be interested. Let's focus on doing what we came here to do.Now we get a special dialogue option based on our chosen origin. I'll underline these to make them obvious. "Oh come on. What did you used to do? You can tell me." I was an accountant. Maybe later I'll tell you all about it. But for now? Let's just keep going, okay?Good suggestion.  This building has been reduced to cinders. Quite recently, from the look of it. We've poured many drinks for cops over the years. This one looks like he doesn't touch a drop.  You seem troubled. Is something the matter?"Shouldn't I be wearing a disguise or something?" Whatever for? You have nothing to fear. Not with the veil in place."Did you... do something to me?"  Don't worry. It's totally harmless. Well, mostly. It just disguises your identity. Anyone looking at you sees slightly different features. You are not the first new recruit to arrive with... complications in the mundane world. The veil prevents awkwardness all around."So nobody I know will recognize me?" Nobody in the mundane world, no. The veil only works on mundanes. Supernatural beings and the void-touched can see through it easily. But that law-enforcement officer? He will pose no threat."Normal folks won't recognize me, but supernatural folks can. Got it." Good! Let's keep going.I suppose the "void activity" we're looking for may have something to do with this burned down building? Or perhaps that cop's seen something unusual?  Evening ma'am."Rough night to be out." Yeah, you could say that. Wouldn't be here if I had the choice, believe me."What happened here?" Who wants to know?"Just making conversation. You look like you could use some." Yeah. No kidding. This job can really take it out of you sometimes. I'll tell you one thing. You see a lot of bad people in this line of work. But it takes a special kind of nasty to torch a homeless shelter."This was a homeless shelter?" Yeah. A neighborhood full of corporate chains and they attack THIS place. Was anyone hurt? A few people killed. A lot of people with second or third degree burns. That is... horrible. I won't argue with that. I was here when the rescue team arrived. They were carted off to Beth Israel Hospital, but the people here? They don't exactly have medical insurance."Are you sure it was arson?" That's how we're treating it. Until we know otherwise, we're treating it like a crime scene. Which means stay back."I'd better get going." I don't blame you. See you.Heading further from the station... Just near here a manhole cover is firmly attached to the street. There's a bar around the corner. Images of Sammy and Jonah flash through our mind. We'll never look at a bar the same way again. There's another fancy clothing shop on the other side of the road. They seem to be popping up all over this area. The entrance to Tompkins Square Park is just down the street.  Hey, are you all right? You look a little... As we collapse, the world around us seems to fade away and we find ourself... in the same place, but somehow different?  "W-where are you taking me?" asks the man. "This building is a safe place," we say. "I'll do whatever you want. Just... help me. Please." "Just go through this door." And then we... wake up?  Did you... see that? I... did. Neuromorphic projection! I've read the theories, but never thought... I think she's coming out of it. Are you all right?"I'm not sure." You SEEM okay. I mean, you didn't hit your head or anything. You had a vision. We saw it as well. A vision from your past. Well, your demon's past. Technically. This area must have kickstarted your brain into remembering. There was some psychic spillover. We could see it too."That gave me a nasty headache."  Sorry. For what it's worth, I feel completely fine. As do I. See? Bright side. This building the demon entered. It used to house the Village Eye. The newspaper? Didn't it go out of business a few years ago? Indeed it did. What was your demon-self doing here?"Let's get in and find out." Agreed. We are wasting time. Right. Enough jabbering. Let's go.The door, predictably, is locked. *sigh* Well, that just figures, doesn't it? It is done. Be aware that if law enforcement questions me, I am compelled to tell the truth. The papers on the walls are covered with illegible scrawls. Colorful graffiti explodes off the walls. If there were ever CPUs attached to the monitors in the corner, they are long gone. A sign on the door reads "Jordon". Eli wrinkles his nose at the state of the place. Mandana looks happy to be out of the rain.  Mmf. It smells very... human in here. Looks like people were squatting here. Half a dozen at least. Wasn't there a homeless shelter around the corner? Why live here? It could be pride. Or perhaps they gathered here for a specific purpose. I'm guessing it wasn't a slumber party. That is... doubtful. The computer is dark and silent. The worn desk drawer has seen a lot of use. Rain streaks down the window, obscuring most of the view. An old, beat-up cabinet is shoved against the wall. The graffiti behind it spirals into itself. Trying to follow it makes our eyes water. The water-stained mattress has seen better days.  Hm. Only one bed in here. Yes. This room was designated to separate one individual from the rest. Someone of importance, most likely. Or someone undesirable. So this room either belonged to a cult leader or a prisoner. Most likely.In the cabinet is a single piece of paper with "PW = ♡" written on it. There's a fuse in the desk drawer and a photograph in the cupboard.  The laptop won't turn on. Either it's broken or it needs charging.  "Was that a..." Do not be alarmed. That was just a lost spirit. What you would call a ghost. They are harmless."Harmless?" Yeah. They can't exactly DO anything, can they? They have no physical form. We cannot interact with them, nor they with us. It is best to leave them be."Can't you exorcise it or something, Eli?" Er. Maybe? If I had four days to prepare? And even then, a human spirit is no demon. A human spirit requires a more... delicate touch. Death is part of the mundane world. We do not get involved. Let us move forward.Coincidentally, we are actually going the same way as the ghost anyway - downstairs.  The meagre light barely pierces the gloom down here. Mandana's eyes try to pierce through the gloom. Eli waves his hands around in the darkness, trying to feel his way.  Ow! drat it. Are you hurt? No. I'm fine. I tripped over... I have NO idea. I can't see a drat thing. That's weird. Come ON. Is there a problem? The darkness. It's... fighting the light. It always does. I'm being literal! Whatever's down here, it's interfering with my magic.Fortunately we can see a small fusebox against the wall. It looks like a fuse is blown. And we have a spare.  A tree stump grows out of solid concrete. Its surface is covered in... is that blood? Beside it, a blanket is covered with moss and lichen. Eli's fingers twitch, sending out barely-visible tendrils of smoke. Mandana treads carefully, her senses alert for any kind of trouble.  Color me gobsmacked. It's a forest. A forest in a basement. Well. That explains why my fire is so weak down here. Probably a natural defense mechanism for... whatever this is.Under the blanket is...  Whoever this was, their face has been eaten away by some kind of moss. Well. THIS just got a lot more complicated. Male. Early-to-mid sixties, I believe. The cause of death is... difficult to determine. He's got VINES growing out of him."What could do this?" I can not say, but I believe the answer lies with you. Your vision. You were familiar with this building. Whatever happened here, you were involved. Or at least your demon-self was. You don't remember anything? No other visions spring to mind?"No. I don't remember anything." Well, it was worth a shot. No doubt your demon covered its tracks well before leaving your mind. So who is he? He has no distinguishing marks. He carries no identification. Whoever this is, it remains a mystery. "Is this body yours?" It is a lost spirit. It can not communicate. Are you SURE about that? It does appear... agitated. Let us leave it be.Yes. Let's head back upstairs. Do these drawings on the wall mean anything to you, Mandana? I can not decipher their meaning, but I do get a sense of... reverence? Reverence? Like worship? It is only a feeling.Let's check the back room again. This wall drawing means nothing to me. Eli? Me neither. Although it's different from the art in the other room. How so? Outside it was more... vibrant. Colorful. More creative. It had passion. The art here is just... patterns. Patterns. You can see them if you know how to look for them. Interesting. I do not know what that means yet. But interesting.With the fuse replaced, the laptop is now working. There's a file labelled "Journal" on the desktop but it's password protected. And it's not "heart" or "love". And that seems to be all there is to see in this building - not that it wasn't a lot. But now we'd better head back outside and carry on searching. Surely someone around here must have some idea what's been happening? We'll try the park.  The woman on the ground has her eyes closed and is softly humming to herself. The middle-aged man is mumbling to himself and glaring at anyone who approaches. The woman under the roof of the Temperance Fountain glares at us from underneath her filthy hoodie. She looks kind of familiar... That photo we found? "This picture. It's you, isn't it?"  Where... Where did you get that?"We're trying to learn what happened at the Village Eye." The Village Eye? I don't know what you're talking about. That is an obvious lie. Do I look like I care? Just leave me alone. I might not look it, but I'm fine. Tell everyone that Wendy is fine. You don't need to come out here and... Wait. It's you, isn't it? You've come back."Come back? From where?" Oh no you don't. You almost fooled me, but I can tell. You're the master."No, Wendy. You've got me confused with someone else." You really think I'm stupid, don't you? You've done... something. To your face. You changed it somehow. But I can tell. It's you. Curious. She can see past the veil. She must be void-touched. WHAT touched? Void touched. It means- I don't give a crap what it means. And I don't give a crap about YOU either, "master." Just leave me alone. I already know you're good at that."Wendy. Could you tell me what happened at the Village Eye building?" Why should I?"You seem really troubled. Telling me might help you feel better." Look. Maybe you care and maybe you don't. But it doesn't matter anymore. Not after the way you left us. So get out of here. Take your new followers and go. Wait. Followers? You heard me."I've lost my memory. I don't remember anything about you or anyone else." You... what? You're serious. Aren't you? You didn't just leave us, you forgot about us. It's a bit more complicated than that, but yes. We're trying to pierce together what happened. Can you help us? No. It's done. It's over. If you've forgotten about it, then maybe I can too. Just leave me alone."We found a dead body in the basement of the Village Eye building..." You can't prove a drat thing! I mean... whatever. Dunno a thing about it."Who is the guy in the picture with you?" ... You really don't remember anything, do you? You've even forgotten Jordon? Your precious protege? Well, he's gone. No thanks to you."Could you tell me about Jordon?" He and I were... a thing. Kind of. I don't know. We're nothing anymore. He's gone. He left soon after you. He's probably dead. Not that you care."I'll leave you alone." Please don't come back. Just so we are clear? We are not calling you "Master."Fair enough. And we do at least have one useful piece of information. If that laptop belonged to Jordon, and his password reminder was a love heart, the password is probably "wendy".      Blood rituals used for healing. That is perverse. And wrong. It may be wrong, but it does explain the forest downstairs. It's unspent life energy. It created excess life. Beauty can hide all manner of evil, Eli. You know this more than anyone."I sense a story here, Eli."  Oh. It's... nothing. Just a little run-in with a golem and succubus that got- A story for another time? Right. Ahem. Blood rituals. Dark magic. Bad stuff. Yes, Eli. Bad stuff. If I understand that journal right, the ritual stopped working when the, ahem, "master" left. Which means that only you - or rather, your demon - could perform it. Then why leave Jordon in charge? That's... a good question. One more reason to track it down. In the meantime, I really want to know more about this ritual.Let's have another talk with Wendy. "We read Jordon's journal." poo poo. I knew I should have tossed that computer. Well, the cat's out of the bag now. You proud of yourself, "Master?""Whatever you think I did, it wasn't me." Oh really. Then who taught us those blood rituals? Because it sure wasn't the tooth fairy. You took us all in. You... saved us. I guess. Maybe? Every month you'd do the ritual. You'd... cut one of us. W'd bleed on the altar. Then you'd say those words. And we'd heal. Better. Stronger. Faster than before. It was like a drug. Life energy. That's what you were being fed. That explains the wildlife in the basement. It must be residual life magic. Whatever it was, it felt... good."What happened next?" It all ended, is what happened. Jordon was so happy when you put him in charge. He tried. He really did. But he just got too sick. But whatever you did to us. The healing. It stopped working when you left. So he put me in charge. ME. And I just made things worse."You need to tell me what happened. Now." I... didn't mean for anything like this to happen. I just wanted to HELP everyone. Not... I cut with the knife. I said those words. Again and again and again. It didn't work. So I had to try... harder. The murdered man. In the basement. You took the blood ritual too far. It was an accident! I swear!"Did it work?" No it didn't work. Would I be out here in the rain if it did? I put him on the altar. I took the knife and I... I killed him. By accident. I must have been nervous. I thought that was the end of it, but then... His spirit. It came back. It... was horrible. We couldn't stay. Every time it saw us it would... scream."And then?" I came here. I didn't want to be around people anymore. You... speak the truth. You believe me. Hooray. It is not a matter of belief. I simply know what truth is. Thank you for sharing it with us. Well, there's no point in lying anymore, is there? The "master" here was just as mch involved as me. And something tells me you aren't going to turn her in."Where's that knife now?" You think I'm an idiot? I tossed i down a stormdrain. What? Why did you do that? Why do you think? It's probably half way to Jersey by now. And good riddance."You said you needed healing. What was wrong with you?" ... Cerebral palsy. On my left side. It was bad before. I could barely handle sewer duty. It's much worse, now."Sewer duty?" You seriously don't remember? The pipes in the building leaked. Overflow from the sewer. It was disgusting. We couldn't exactly call a plumber, so you made us go into the sewer and drain it from there. We went down there so much, Jordon had to swipe a key to the control panel."Where's the key to the sewer control panel?" You serious? You never wanted to bother with that before. But whatever. It's to the right of the control panel. Behind one of the pipes."Good bye Wendy. And... good luck" If I was lucky, I never would've met you in the first place. She threw the knife down a stormdrain. drat it. I can't blame her, but drat it. Magically imbued tools take WEEKS to make. I really hoped to study it.Well, we don't have any other obvious leads, so we may as well see if we can open up that manhole cover outside the Village Eye and have a look down there for that knife. Are you lifting with your knees? Yes!... Bracing. Fortuitous that I have kept up my training. The water in this pool is boiling like a raging tea-kettle. Hot steam is pouring out of that pipe like a geyser. A valve is attached to the nearest pipe. The metal is practically glowing in the heat.  At least the rain is washing away most of the smell. If not the heat. I am positively sweltering. I admit that my knowledge of sanitation systems is... lacking. But should this water be boiling? Um. No. I don't think so. No. Then indeed we have a mystery on our hands.I've got to admit, my knowledge of sanitation system may also be lacking, but I'm not convinced they're usually this clean and spacious, either. In any case, the key Wendy mentioned is behind the two pipes on the far side of the pool. And since Eli is immune to extreme heat, he can easily turn that valve.  Eli Beckett. Mage, accountant and plumber. And sometimes all three!This shuts off the steam and reveals a control panel. A small sign reads "EMERGENCY DRAINAGE SYSTEM: For flood conditions only!" Using the key allows us to drain the pool. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOY81E1Vwp4  Next: Man on Fire Tiggum fucked around with this message at 10:40 on Dec 21, 2019 |
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Nov 22, 2019 12:13
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 Turn it on! For the love of God, TURN IT BACK ON!"What the hell are you?" Wait... Master? Master? Master is that you?"Maybe I was once, but I'm not anymore." No. You just can't leave me. Not again. Not yet. Please. I know... I failed you. I couldn't lead them. I was too weak. I tried. I tried so hard! But it was just... too much."You're Jordon, aren't you?" I... I was, yes. But I'm not sure who I am anymore. Do you remember, Master, how you found me? Frozen half to death on the street? I almost died. You saved me. You healed me. Brought me back from certain death."I have forgotten almost everything. I'm sorry." You've... forgotten? How could you forget? You were so kind. You showed me how to heal. We were going to heal the entire city! But I couldn't do it without you. When you left... the power left too. The chill. The cold. It came BACK. I couldn't stop it. It just got worse and worse. I couldn't heal myself, let alone anyone else. So I left. I had to find something - ANYTHING - that could help me get warm again."And what did you find?" I'm so sorry, Master. You said that spell was dangerous. I didn't listen. But I was so desperate. I was freezing to death. The bed in that homeless shelter wasn't warm enough. You taught me a spell that would "let warmth into my heart." So I spoke it. Then... this happened."You were INSIDE the homeless shelter when you cast the spell?" Yes! They were the only ones who would take me in. No. You misunderstand. The shelter. It burnt to the ground. ... Was... was anyone hurt?"Yes, Jordon. People were hurt. I... didn't mean for this to happen. Help me, Master. I know I don't deserve it, but please. Help me. Before I hurt anyone else."A knife was tossed down here. Have you seen it?" The knife? You mean YOUR knife? Yes I saw it fall down here. I took it. I hid it. Just in case you ever came back. Could you get it for us? I'd love to study it. I... suppose? After you help me."We spoke to Wendy." ... I didn't want to leave them. Wendy least of all. She leads them now. She's keeping them all safe."Wendy killed someone on the altar." She... she WHAT? Why would she do that? Standard escalation. More blood, more power. I want this to end. Please, just let it all end!"Eli, can you do anything to help him?" I've been trying. But the fire... it's different. It's... self generating. Self sustaining. Even submerging himself in WATER couldn't snuff him out. I've never seen anything like it. I need to know more about his condition before I can even attempt a cure."Good bye, Jordon. We'll be back." Thank you, Master.We'll leave the sewer for the moment and see what answers we can find. Poor guy. He played with powerful magic he had no business using. He hurt dozens of innocents. He was desperate. He made a human mistake. In that, we are in agreement.Perhaps there's something to be found in the burned-down homeless shelter? It's where Jordon cast his spell, after all. Evening ma'am."Is there any chance I can take a look around back there?" Um. No? In case it wasn't clear, this is a crime scene. Which means stay back."You need to let me back there." Oh really? Give me one reason.Is it such a big deal? You don't seem like you really want to be here. ... Well no. I don't. What makes you say that?You are obviously upset about something. And it's not just the rain. The rain isn't helping, that's for sure. You ever feel... helpless? Powerless? Like there's too much poo poo going on and you can't do a drat thing about it?"All the time, these days." Then you know what I'm talking about. I'm an office of the law. I'm supposed to be out there. Doign something. Not stuck behind a desk. Or HERE. Doing guard duty. I know I could make a difference if I was just given a drat chance."Then do something. Let us take a look around. We can help." What? Just let you through? You're serious, aren't you? Yeah. You are. You really think you can help. Jesus. I must be crazy. I must be INSANE. But... something. I don't know what. Something tells me I can trust you. Get inside. And quickly. I'll give a shout if anyone comes by."Thank you." Just get the guy who did this.  I begin to understand why you were hired as a barkeep. Yeah. You had him eating out of the palm of your hand. You have an... enviable gift for empathy. We will discuss this later. Let us find what we came for.Charred walls stand unsteadily against the night sky. A lone locker stands intact amidst the ruins. "This locker's frozen solid." Huh! Interesting."What do you think caused it, Eli?" There's something cold in there. Something that is generating a LOT of cold. A self-generating thermo whirplool spell maybe? I've read about those. So you believe this is magic-related? Are people still saying "duh"? Because, well, duh. Hm. I cannot say I am impressed with the mundane authorities. They should have noticed this when inspecting the site. Not necessarily. That officer said this place burnt down about a week ago? I wasn't raining then. Which means that no ice should have formed. Hmm. Perhaps you are correct. And perhaps this was meant to be. If there is danger here, we should be the ones to face it.Once again Eli's abilities are the obvious solution. Come on. MELT. Is everything all right? Everything's fine. It's just something inside is... fighting back. THERE. Nicely done. That's me. Eli Beckett. Enemy of ice.A thick ice block has formed inside the locker. A faint shape is visible inside.  Well. That's definitely our cold source all right. Hm. Now that it's out in the open air, and the warm rain is coming down, I SHOULD be able to... Jesus! Look at that. Not a burn mark on him. The ice protected him from the fire? It also froze him to death. But if you want to get technical? Sure. It protected him from the fire."What could cause something like this?" Well I might be going out on a limb here, but I'm gonna say magic. Indeed. This cold is not natural. Neither is the smell. Ugh."Does this body look familiar to you?" Um. Maybe? It's hard to tell. You know. With all the... frostbite. And things. I admit, he does look slightly... recognizable. But as to who, I cannot say. "This is Jordon, isn't it?" I... think it is? It's definitely the same guy in that picture you've got. The evidence is undeniable. Jordon sought a way to remove the cold invading his body. It appears he... failed."So what did we see in the sewer? Another ghost?" No. We would not have been able to converse with it if so. We spoke to Jordon. Not a lost spirit. At least, not one in the traditional sense. His soul transmuted. Escaped his body and became something else. He is alive. Just no longer human. He's become a fire elemental. A spirit bound to a body of flame."Why would he do this to himself?" He was a desperate, dying man. Those in such a position rarely consider consequences. Regardless. We can not allow a fire elemental to run loose in the city sewers."Eli, you're the fire expert. Any thoughts?" Thoughts? I have plenty of thoughts. None of them nice. Let me mull 'em over for a bit, okay? We should hear Jordon out before deciding anything, anyway.We'll leave the crime scene now. Whatever you found in there, don't tell me about it. Deniability and all that. Just... find the guy who did this.And head back to the manhole. Eli? You are scratching the buttons of your coat again. With your fingernail. I am? Yes. You are not even aware of it, are you? Um. Why is this a big deal? It indicates a loss of control. It is minimal, but... Right. I know. I'll work on that. Thank you.And back down into the sewer. Master?"We went to the shelter, Jordon." You did? What did you find?"How do I put this? You're... kind of dead." I'm... WHAT? I'm DEAD? No! Not exactly. You're a fire elemental now. You're alive. You're just... in a new body. A body made of flame. That's why the flames are self-sustaining. You aren't ON fire. You ARE fire. So... there's no cure? Oh. Um. No. Your human body is dead. There's no getting around that. But you're kind of immortal now. That's something, isn't it? You mean I have to live like this FOREVER? Um. Yeah? You should have left me in the cold, Master. You should have left me to die."We won't abandon you, Jordon. We'll think of something." Thank you, Master. Look. We do have one option. I'm a Fire Mage. I can control and channel fire. Given enough time I can... remove the fire from your spirit. Eli, what you are proposing... Will be incredibly painful. I KNOW. Painful? It will feel like being skinned alive. But it WILL kill me? ...eventually. Then I'll do it."Are you sure this is the only option?" No. No it is not. I will not allow you to do this. Not when there is another way. Another way? There are others of your kind. Fire elementals. A whole world of them. Yeah, in another dimension across the VOID. How do you propose to get him there? Jordon is a creature of spirit now. Which means he can traverse the void. I can lend him the energy required, and show him how to open the way. So he can... what? Spend eternity with fire people? Wait. Eternity? It is a one-way trip, Jordon. Life there will not be easy, but perhaps you can find a home there. A life. But what kind of life would that be? One that continues. Sure. On an alien world. In an alien dimension. All alone. There will be others of his kind. In time, they might accept him. And if they don't? He'll be stuck there forever. So the alternative is to murder him? It's MERCY! If I was in his shoes, I'd want the same. But you are not in his shoes. You cannot make that choice for him. And neither can you. That is... true. Jordon? What say you? I... I don't know! Do you really want to live like this? Better a life like this than no life at all."It's your decision, Jordon." I... I can't. This is all too much. Master I know you've done your best. Whatever you decide... I will do.Should he choose death or banishment?
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Nov 25, 2019 05:04
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Shei-kun posted:I'm voting banishment only because we're being forced to choose, and that's the one decision that doesn't permanently exclude the other option, however slim the chances may be. The decision is locked in and the next update should be some time tomorrow. This is again the same option I chose when I played the first time, for essentially the same reason Shei-kun gave. I don't feel like Jordon's had enough time to really consider it and choosing death at this stage seems impulsive and premature. If he still wants to die later on I'm sure he'll have opportunities. Forever is a long time, after all.
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Nov 28, 2019 05:48
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 "Jordon? You should go across the void. You'll be happier there." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk6oTY5z5A4 Yes. Yes, Master. You are right. Maybe this is what was meant to be. Maybe you saved me that night for this very reason. Maybe I have some purpose to fulfill in this new dimension. Okay. I am ready. You two should wait above ground. I will help him transfer across the void.Back out to the street. I guess he's on his way now. Off to his new life. Assuming you can still call it life. You think we did the right thing?"He has a chance out there. More than he would here." A chance is better than nothing? Maybe. But to live through eternity without seeing another human being... I couldn't take it. I know that much."It might be nice to live in another world." I've seen pictures of fire dimensions. They look like Hell. Literally. I know what I am. I'm not entirely normal, but I know that I'm human. I know that I'm ME. If I lose that, then I lose everything.Mandana arrives from below. So. Is he... Yes. He has gone through the void."Is he... okay?" I believe he will be. Eventually. Only time will tell. He did retrieve the ritual knife for me before he left. Well, that's something. I'll study it back at the lab. I know the routine. I shall call ahead and have pizza delivered. It's like you read my mind.So it's back to our new home to sleep another day away. Good. You are awake. I was hoping to talk to you."Is it about our mission last night?" Yes. And... no. You have completed your first field mission. You must have... thoughts. I am curious as to what they are. What are you feeling at the moment?"I'm still a bit overwhelmed, to be honest." It would be foolish not to be. You have encountered many changes very quickly. I believe we made the right choice with Jordon. When he disappeared across the void, he seemed... content? Less conflicted. More determined. I am sure he will make a life for himself there. For some of us, the Unavowed is a calling. For others, a duty. But for you... I have seen you in action. I have seen you react under pressure. You were clearly meant for this life."All I know is pouring drinks." You misunderstand me. Your old life - your life as a barkeep - prepared you for this. Your empathy. Your ability to connect to others... They are qualities we need. Quite badly, I must say."You all seem pretty empathetic to me." We are an ancient institution. We need new energy. New minds. New hearts. The Unavowed has been without that for a very long time. At any rate, I detect no falsehood within you. You spoke the truth to me. Thank you."Can you really detect falsehoods? Yes. Lies and falsehoods make Jinns... uncomfortable. We cannot abide the sensation. Of course, the ability to detect a lie is often useful in the field, so I have... accepted it."I grew up on Mars, and I am 120 years old." I did mention that a lie makes a Jinn very uncomfortable?I would have thought that that shouldn't count since no one could be expected to believe it. Does this mean that Jinns can't stand jokes or fiction? Is watching an actor on TV just continuously saying things that aren't true like a form of torture? Think of fingernails on a chalkboard, but inside your brain. Jinns cannot abide to SPEAK a lie, let alone listen to one."So you can't SPEAK a lie either?" Indeed. No Jinn could. It gives us physical pain. Of course, this means that jinns resort to mindtricks and verbal trickery."Mindtricks and verbal trickery? You're saying I shouldn't trust you?" You can trust me to tell the truth. I have no desire to trick you or anyone else. My purpose is to serve the Unavowed. Nothing more. Nothing less."But if tricking me served the Unavowed...?" *sigh* This is why nobody trusts the Jinn. One always looks for hidden meaning. Mindgames and wordplay are... silly. I find them tiresome. So I have focused my efforts elsewhere. I hope you will grow to trust me. And that is the truth."I don't know you well, but I think I can trust you." Thank you. That is... appreciated."So where'd you learn to use a sword?" Like with most things, I learned it at my mother's knee. Well, not literally. She was usually cutting off OTHER people's knees, but the metaphor holds. I will return to my training now. Eli stares into the flickering fireball. The pizza is cold, but that's probably not a problem for Eli. Oh. Hi. Didn't see you there. I was just reading some old texts with Fire Sight."Uh huh. I don't know what that is." Oh. Of course. Sorry. It's a fire magic trick. Let's me read any book that was consumed by a flame. It's a bit of a strain on the eyes, but beggars can't be choosers."So what are you reading?" It's an old Sumerian text about death magic. Really long. Really boring. But I used to read books about S-corp tax code for fun, back when I was an accountant. I can handle boring."Any thoughts on our last mission?" I don't know. I just keep thinking about Jordon. Wondering if he's OK. I'm going to live a long time, but even when I'm dust in the wind; he'll still be out there. I only hope he's... still himself."Could I ask you about some of the pictures on your walls?" Sure, I guess."What are you and Mandana doing in that photo by the door?" We were feeding the birds. What? You expected something else? There's nothing special about it. Just an ordinary day."If the picture is nothing special, why are you smiling?" I... am? Huh. Yeah I guess I am. The picture was taken in... '77? '78? Around five years after my powers kicked in, anyway. I'd buried myself down here. Studying old books. Experimenting with spells. Trying to come to terms with everything. Then Mandana dragged me out to the park. We fed the birds. It was... nice. Normal. Ordinary. I felt human. And I can never forget that. Not ever."The house. The mailbox says 'Beckett.'" You know what they say. If it's yours, put your name on it. But yeah, that's my house. Well, fifty years ago it was my house. Had to leave it behind when my powers kicked in. And the worst part? I was only five installments away from paying off the mortgage."You mentioned being an accountant." That's right. Back in my mundane days. Back before my powers kicked in. I worked at the firm Wiesel, Meltzer and Sherman. There used to be a "Beckett" somewhere in the middle of that but, well, you know. I was drat good at it, too. I made partner in five years. Worked at the firm for another twenty. You had to KNOW things to be an accountant back then. No computers to do half your job for you. And to make partner? You had to crunch numbers in your sleep. Me? I ate them for breakfast."You make being an accountant sound so exciting." Well it WAS. For me, anyway. Lining up numbers in my head, making them dance and do what I want. My boss used to say it was like magic. Turns out the old man was being literal. Who knew? Throwing a fireball or preparing your tax return. Tomayto tomahtoh. It's all just numbers. And I'm REALLY good at equations and numbers. Always have been."That picture of you at the desk." Yep. That's me. Hard at work. I can even remember the account I was working on. This dress manufacturer in midtown. Booming business. Lots of numbers. Tons of paperwork. Took me months to sort through it all. I loved every minute of it."Well, I'll leave you to it."  Kalash commands attention even when standing passively in a room. He is staring at the big blue crystal. It's talking to him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mlv-6e-KTqc ...to send you aid would leave our own domains undefended. You know this, Kalash. Undefended against what? Ours is the only domain under attack!Your charter is quite clear. Recruitment is your responsibility. You accuse me of negligence? Just how many agents are currently in YOUR employ?That is precisely the point. We have no agents to spare. I am sorry, Kalash. So am I, Aralax. New York is getting overwhelmed. When that happens, they will come for YOU.Then we must be ready when it comes. Aralax out. May Jahannam swallow you whole!He turns and sees us standing in the doorway. Ah. You... heard that, did you?We could lie to him here, but given what we've learned about Jinns that seems like a bad idea. "You said we were getting overwhelmed?" Certainly. No doubt about it. It is no secret that threats have been escalating. I had hoped to appeal for aid and fill up our ranks. Alas, we are on our own. I respect Lady Aralax, but I should have known better. Never ask a dragon for anything. You will always regret it."What is that crystal? Some kind of magic phone?" A magic phone...? I suppose that is one way of describing it. There are shards of this crystal in every branch of the Unavowed. It allows us to... communicate. For whatever good that does."And did I hear right that you were speaking to a dragon?" A dragon at the head of the Dublin branch of the Unavowed. Yes. She is... old. Stuck in her ways. I suppose the same could be said of most of us. I have appealed once more for aid. It has been rejected. Huh. This is my surprised face. Why do you bother with these cowards, father? Show some respect. They are correct. Stubborn, but correct."You think they shouldn't send us help?" I didn't say that. I said there are rules, and they are following them. Each branch is responsible for its own defense and recruitment. In this respect... I have been negligent. So have ALL the branches, Father. A sudden rise in threats would have caught any city unprepared. And we're that city. Lucky us. I shall appeal again, rest assured. In the meantime, let us go over last night's events."I almost got crushed by a giant ice block." You... seem fine to me. As for the others... Daughter. I trust you have recuperated from your ordeal with the fire elemental? I have. There do not appear to be any other... ill effects. So you aren't entirely positive? I took all the necessary precautions, but one is never entirely positive. Then I will have to accept that. However, I am DEEPLY CONCERNED that this mundane was able to acquire such a powerful spell in the first place."I gave it to him. Or rather, my demon-self did." Yes, but WHY? Why would a demon do such a thing? Why do demons do anything? To create havoc, obviously. Why else? No. This was too focused. Too targeted. We are not dealing with a mindless spirit, bent on chaos and destruction. This demon had a plan. A purpose. We need to learn what it was."And how do we do that?" Funny you should say that... Ah. I know that look. You did as I asked, Mage Beckett? Yes I did, sir. And it worked. Well, working. It's not quite done yet. What are you referring to? Oh. The ritual knife. I did a thaumaturgic scan on it."What did you find?" Hold on. I'm getting to that. The knife was imbued with a very specific energy signature. Your demon's energy to be precise. It's connected to you and you alone. That's why you were the only one who could use it properly. Which means... we can track it."So you know where the demon is?" Um. No. Not exactly. The demon's out of your body now. Its energy signature has changed. I can only track where it's been when it was in your body."So where did the demon take me?" It was... busy. I'll say that much. It was all over the map. I'm trying to narrow it down to the areas of greatest activity, but it's slow going. So far the scan's got you pegged in two places. The Bronx, around Gun Hill Station. And Staten Island, by the ferry terminal."The Bronx? I hope I don't run into one of my old customers." The veil should take care of that. Don't worry.We saw how well the veil worked on Wendy... Very well. Check both areas for void activity, and any sign of the demon. We'll show those idiots on the council what New York is made of! Meeting adjourned.Mandana is smiling slightly to herself, eager to discover what lies ahead. Eli appears to wait patiently but the steam wafting from his fingers betrays his eagerness. The Bronx AND Staten Island? Good thing I refilled my Metrocard last week. The hour grows late and the trail grows cold. Let us be off.Where should we go first? The Bronx or Staten Island?
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Nov 29, 2019 05:54
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Edit: Accidental double post. Whoops.
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Nov 29, 2019 05:58
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Polaron posted:Hey Tiggum, do you mind if we talk about stuff that happens in the other origins when it becomes relevant?
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Dec 2, 2019 14:47
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Mraagvpeine posted:Staten Island
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Dec 4, 2019 05:53
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 Eli. You are tapping the edge of your book. I am? Yes. It is quite... aggressive. Huh. Mind must've wandered. Sorry about that. I'll stop. ...Thank you.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7BRHGwh_to Eli is still bone-dry, despite the rain. Mandana's gaze keeps drifting toward the water. She is smiling slightly.  *whistle* I know that song. That's "Lowlands Away" isn't it? Yes. An old shanty. Being at sea just... reminds me of younger days. Well, don't let me stop you. We could use a bit of cheer on a dreary night like this. No. I shall not lose myself in the past. Let us proceed.We head off to the right and... fall down.  Another of our demon's memories.   Summoner! You have made a grave error. Return me to my world immediately!"Or what? You are in my control." Release me! Send me back! You summoned me in the middle of BATTLE. I am the General Commander. Without me, my soldiers are doomed to failure!"They were doomed to failure anyway." It matters not. They are under my command. It is no secret our efforts are going poorly. Perhaps even futile. They poison our waters. They destroy our resources. Our homes. Our LIVES. So we fight. Outnumbered and outmatched, but what choice do we have?"Would you rather complain, or would you rather win?" We don't want to win. We want to LIVE. If you have counsel to offer, I am listening."This is going to be FUN."   Was that...? One of the mer-folk? I... can not say for certain."Ow. Ow. Ow." Woah. Take it easy. Yes. Try and get your bearings. You can lean over the rail if you need to, you know, throw up. I guarantee nobody will notice the smell around here.We stand up. You seem all right. Good."Did I hear you right? That was a mermaid?" One of the mer-folk, yes. The demon... summoned it. But... how? To open such a path takes tremendous energy. Energy that a demon alone should not possess. Such a thing is impossible. And yet, I spoke it. So it must be true."So mer-people exist." Yes. And the less you express surprise at every supernatural encounter, the faster we can get on with things. Speaking of, let us venture forward. We will learn nothing standing here in the rain.The spot where our demon summoned the merman is just to the right of here but there's nothing to see there now. So instead we'll carry on down the road. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34M5EKu9Z6Y  There's a woman talking to a cop. The cop is barely out of his teens. He is entranced by his phone.  That's crap and you know it! Keep your voice down. Oh. I'm sorry. Wouldn't want to EMBARRASS you. Jesus, V. It's not that. You can't be here. Everyone already looks at me funny. Can't you just... stop? People are dead. How many are gonna pile up before you DO something? ... It's a tragedy, Vicki. That's all this is. ... Right. Sure. I'm getting a drink. See you around, Donny. Bye.She leaves. Wonder what that was about? Let's go ask. Huh? Sorry. I was a bit... distracted."I couldn't help but overhear that argument you were having..." Nobody. You didn't see me with anyone."Sorry to tell you, but I did see you arguing with someone." poo poo. I mean. Crap. drat it, Vicki. Why do you have to screw up everything? Don't tell anyone, okay? I'll never hear the end of it."Is there some kind of problem?" With Vicki? There's ALWAYS a problem. And that's all I'm gonna say."OK. So you're waiting for the bus?" Yep. Saving up to buy a car, but until then I ride the bus with the plebs. Could be worse. At least cops ride free."You look pretty engrossed on your phone there." I guess I am. You ever play Trollgate? It's like digital crack. I created a character when I was like 16. They got me hooked for life."See your around, officer." Right. See you.The Trollgate theme music (originally from the Blackwell series) is actually audible here whenever Donny is looking at his phone. It's not important but it's a neat bit of consistency in the setting. We'll head left from here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JLB35K6vTo  Vinny's - the best cop dive on Staten Island. There's nothing quite like the warm glow of a bar window in the early evening. A friendly-looking door leads inside. A rattling old air conditioner drips moisture onto the damp street. The door to the storage facility is unlocked. A dark alley snakes its way between it and the bar.  Vinny, come ON. You and me. We go back. You think I don't know that? But you keep bothering people. You keep bothering ME. She was your WIFE, you rear end in a top hat. It... was a tragedy, Vicki. That's all it was. ... You're serious. Dead rear end serious. Now leave, Santina.He ducks back inside and shuts the door. Well screw you too, buddy.She leaves.  Did you hear that? Again with the "Just a tragedy." Yes. The deadpan delivery. The blank expression. Something is definitely amiss.  Hey! New faces. All right. Come on in. Dry yourself off.Vinny is smiling pleasantly. He looks eager for some company. There are a wide variety of local beers on tap and not a bad collection of drinks, although your assortment at Sammy's was better. The blackboard reads "The drink of the month is Vinny's Vodka Martini." Sounds tempting. There's a poster on the wall for a horror film about a nightstick possessed by a serial killer. Not bad. Someone left a flyer for a psychic hotline on one of the tables and a used matchbook with the name of the bar on another. Mandana looks over the wine collection, expressing both approval and dislike. "Nice wine collection. Is that a Silas Merlot '99?" You know your stuff! Most folks around here don't know their wines. I was saving it for my anniversary, but... ... It was... a tragedy. That's all it was."Did something happen to your wife?" ... It was a tragedy. Yeah. It was a tragedy. That's all it was."A tragedy? What happened?" ... It was a tragedy. That's all it was."That's all you have to say about your wife?" ... It was a tragedy. That's all it was."So... this your place? My name's on the sign. Ah. So you are Vinny. You're a sharp one. So I have been told. Hah. I like you guys."Who were you arguing with outside?"  Oof. Sorry you had to see that. Vicki and me, we go back. I help her out where I can, but there are limits."Why does Vicki need help?" ... If you don't know, I probably shouldn't say. You guys are obviously not from the neighborhood."Bartender's creed. I get it. But I'd like to help if I can." Sorry. Can't do it. Like you say, it's part of the job description. Vicki's an old friend. And a good cop, once upon a time. I ain't betraying that. Even if she HAS become the neighborhood nut."Neighborhood nut?" You've seen her around. You know what I'm talking about. She skeeves everyone out. The cops want nothing to do with her. Even her own family is ready to write her off."Her own family won't talk to her?" I said enough. Sorry. Um. Hey, hat guy. You okay? I'm fine. It's just... what you said. To turn away from your own family. It's the hardest thing in the world. Could be. Vicki made it easy for 'em, I'll say that much."Well, see you around." I ain't going anywhere.We'll move on. That man. Vinny. Did his emotions read a bit false to you? You're not wrong. His wife died. He's been brainwashed not to think about it. He should be grieving. He NEEDS to be grieving. It's just... what you do.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CYHFsghqJU  The September 11th memorial. It overlooks the spot where the Twin Towers once stood. There's a body covered by a mildew-stained tarp, and a cop standing at attention, struggling to retain her dignity in the pouring rain.  So he's like the others? There are no others. Janey. This is rotten, and you know it. It's a tragedy, Vicki. That's all this is. ... God drat it. Forget it. I'm going for a walk. Come talk to me if you wanna do your drat job.And once again she's off before we can speak to her. The cop addresses us as we approach.  Sorry, miss. You shouldn't be here. You need to leave."But there's a dead body here. Should we be scared?" No. There's no reason to be scared. This was just a... tragedy. A senseless tragedy."What kind of tragedy?" It's... a tragedy. Just a tragedy. A senseless tragedy."Can you be a bit more detailed than that? What kind of tragedy?" It's... ...a tragedy. That's all this is."Let's try this again. What happened?" It's... It's... Lemme guess. A tragedy? ...a tragedy. That's all this is."Who was that woman you were arguing with?" Vicki? Nobody. Stay clear of her, if you know what's good for you."Is it true Vicki's family won't speak to her?" Yeesh. Word gets around, don't it? You think it's easy for the Santinas? They're a cop family to the bone. Going back a hundred years, at least. Getting suspended like that had to be a blow. It doesn't matter. You don't turn away from your family. I won't argue there, but in Vicki's case, I think it was mutual. Her folks had their anniversary barbecue last month. Vicki was there. Things went down. Wasn't pretty. I don't know what went down, but the neighbors had to call the cops. Which, as you can imagine, made things a bit awkward at the next briefing meeting."Is Vicki really the 'neighborhood nut'?" Neighborhood NUT? You been talking to Vinny? Look. She's... going through a rough patch. No question there. But you can't talk about cops that way. Suspended or not. It's about respect. You did not seem very respectful when you spoke to Vicki yourself. ... That's different. I'm a cop."Right. I'll leave. See you around." Sure. Please try and stay clear.Continuing past Janey we discover that we've done a loop and we're back at the ferry terminal. No sign of Vicki; we've lost her. Next: It's a tragedy. Tiggum fucked around with this message at 10:40 on Dec 21, 2019 |
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Dec 5, 2019 06:01
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When we left off we'd been all the way around the block but there were a couple of places we hadn't visited yet. The first is the police station. We went past but we never went in. The wall is covered in old timey photos of cops and cop cars. The plant looks plastic. An officer is taking advantage of the quiet night to get some paperwork done. She sits at the desk, engrossed in her paperwork, and has a steaming mug of black coffee to ward off the cold of the rainy night. Mandana waits patiently in the police lobby, her sword brazenly visible.  Yes? What is it. Are... ... Sorry. I thought you looked a bit familiar. But no. It was just a trick of the light."I just have one of those faces."  A useful skill to have, in my line of work. In any case, while I'd love to chat I have a mountain of paperwork to get through. Unless there's something else I could help you with?"What do you do here?" Captain Joy Harrison, at your service. Filling out paperwork a specialty."I saw a woman named Vicki arguing with a cop outside." *sigh* Is she bothering my officers again? That woman just can't let things go."Could you tell me about Vicki?" What's to tell? She used to be one of my finest detectives. Now she's not. I feel for her. I really do. But until she gets the help she needs, she needs to stay out of our way. Now, unless that's all...?"Vicki needs help? What kind of help?" MENTAL help. The kind you need a Ph.D. to prescribe medication for. She refuses to get it. And it's only making her condition worse. Heaven helps those who help themselves, as they say. It's out of my hands.I can't tell if Joy's dialogue is badly-written or if it's supposed to be characterisation, but a lot of the stuff she says doesn't really seem to match up well with the player's dialogue choices - and you can't prescribe medication with a PhD. Anyway, we didn't get much from her so it's time to move on. Maybe that cop outside knows more than he's said?  Evening ma'am."Is Vicki really the 'neighborhood nut?'" Who said that? Was it Vinny? loving Vinny. *sigh* Course, he's not wrong is he?"Is it true Vicki's family turned against her?" Turned against her? Who said that? I haven't turned against her. Wait. You're related to Vicki? ... Fine. Now you know. She's my sister. I'm not trying to make a big deal out of that, okay? Vicki's been nothing but trouble ever since she got shot."Vicki was shot?" Right in the shoulder. It was during that nightclub shooting last year. Vicki was the only one to get out alive. That kind of thing is bound to mess anybody up, but Vicki... isn't Vicki anymore."Vicki is... 'messed up?' How?" That's just it! We don't know. She just got WEIRD. Angry all the time. Twitchy. Paranoid. She keeps bothering people with questions. Trying to solve cases that we closed a long time ago."What cases did Vicki try to reopen?" ... Just tragedies. That's all they are. Each of them. Just a tragedy."What kind of tragedy?" Like I said. It's just a tragedy. A... tragedy. That's all it is."So a brother and sister are both cops?" All of us Santinas are cops. Our dad, our grandpop. My two big brothers. It's a family thing. At least, until now."If Vicki is such a problem, why don't you stop her?" She's a Santina. That name still carries some weight around here. At least, until she takes it too far. Which she will, the way she's going. You sound almost ashamed of her. Your own sister. Hey, man. You think I haven't tried talking to her? Tried to get her counseling? Whatever? She won't LISTEN. I feel bad for her, but she's gone somewhere none of us can follow. I'm not getting dragged down with her. And that's a fact. If she wants to live in Vinny's crap basement, that's her business."Vicki lives under Vinny's bar?" Yeah. Since her severance package ran out, that's all she can afford."We heard something about a family barbeque?" See? That's the kind of crap I'm talking about. My parents do a BBQ every summer for their anniversary. All the neighborhood cops go. So of course Vicki has to show up and cause a scene. Gets into a screaming match with Captain Harrison. I mean... the CAPTAIN. They almost threw hands. I get that Vicki went through... a lot, but you just don't do that."See you around, officer." Maybe we should ask the Captain about that screaming match. Yes? What is it. I'm quite busy here."Is it true you and Vicki got into a fight at the family barbecue?" *sigh* Everyone's a gossip, aren't they? Yes it's true. It was my fault. I shouldn't have risen to her. But Vicki was a... way. She gets under your skin. Needling you until you snap. Useful on the job. Not so much in civilian life. What did you argue about? *sigh* You might have noticed she's been acting... erratic. So she was asked specifically not to come to the party. She came anyway.  She took a handful of the party invitations and burned them on the grill. I've never seen anything so petty in my life. So I tried to make her leave. She was looking for a fight. I almost gave it to her. I should have known better.Well, that's that, I suppose. We did also learn that Vicki lives in Vinny's basement though. Could be a lead. Eli? I have been meaning to ask. How are you coping? Huh? I'm coping fine. Why? Until recently, we have only entered the field once or twice a month. Now we are out almost every day. I was worried it might be a... strain on you. You kidding? This is great. I'm WORKING. I'm doing something. I'm not just stuck in my lab. So don't you worry about me. I'm fine. Heya."I heard Vicki lives in your basement?" Yeah. I never use the room, so I rent it out sometimes. The door's got a keypad lock, but since I let the renter choose the combo there aren't any problems. Having Vicki down there is awkward as hell, but what can I do? Let her live in the street? As long as she uses the alley entrance and doesn't bother my customers, we don't have a problem."Is Vicki home?" She's never home. She only comes home to sleep. What she does all day is her own business."Can I take a look around Vicki's room?" Um. No? What a thing to ask. Why would I let you do that?"I'm just trying to help her out. Surely you understand?" Course I understand, but it's a matter of trust. I mean, what would the world come to if you couldn't trust your bartender?Well, we really couldn't have expected that to work. I must say though, Dave Gilbert seems to have an absurdly idealised impression of what bartenders are like. Not specifically here but just generally in the dialogue options open to us with that origin and the way people react to them. Anyway, we might as well have a look around the alley behind the bar. Is this what the old days were like? The... old days? You know what I mean. Going into the field every day. A new monster in every shadow. For fifty years, you and Kalash talked about almost nothing else. I suppose it is easy to romanticize the past. There is a vile-smelling heap of oozing trashbags by the wall. A heavy metal door, pitted with rust-marks, leads into the back of the bar. It's locked. An old and weathered keypad is embedded next to the door. A heavy cinderblock has been abandoned on the ground. If Mandana is uneasy abut being in a dark alley, she gives no sign. The sword probably helps. The ghost is fuzzy and indistinct. It stares blankly ahead, barely noticing you are even here.  Another ghost. And in a back alley, no less. Whoever this was, they are beyond our help. I know. Ignore the ghost. I get it.Well, chances are this is related to everything else going on here, but since there's absolutely, definitely, no possible way for the living to communicate with the dead we'll just have to try something else. The door is made of metal. My sword will not move it.I guess we can't just get past every locked door the same way, but I'm not sure I buy that excuse. Maybe Eli can do something though? What about that trick he showed us back at the house? "Could you fire read something for me, Eli?" Sure. What do you need?"Vicki burned something at the family barbeque. Can you see it?"  Sure. Just a sec. Seems pretty typical, as these things go. I used to host a bunch of backyard barbeques myself, back in the day. Course these days I wouldn't even need to buy fuel.I don't like this puzzle. I think the solution is dumb. We know that Vicki set the door code, and we now know that the anniversary barbecue was on June 18. From this it's not too hard to figure out that, in the context of an adventure game, the door code is probably 0618. But in reality that's, like, a one in a billion shot - not only that she used her parents' anniversary as her password but also that the barbecue was even on the exact day and not the nearest convenient weekend. It breaks suspension of disbelief a bit. But that's how we gain access to Vicki's current place of residence. Oh, and the date is randomised each time so you can't sequence break.   Mmf. The smell. Quite... unpleasant.Dozens of empty beer bottles litter the room. The "bed" consists of rumpled bedclothes on a soggy air mattress. Clothes and personal effects spill out of damp cardboard boxes. Eli's nose is wrinkling with distaste. If Mandana is bothered by the cramped room, she gives no sign. On the desk is a dull-but-solid butter knife. It has a coating of white dust on it. We'll just take that - because we can, and therefore it must be useful. Above the desk is an official-looking document, peppered with bullet holes.  A red post-it note is lying next to a clutch of empty ale bottles.  A neatly laid-out bulletin board describing a series of murders hangs on the wall.  On the far wall someone has chalked the message 'You are not crazy.'  Every brick on this wall has a unique descriptor (pitted, old, rough, red, etc.) which, along with the knife we just picked up, makes the solution to this puzzle pretty obvious - but again, only to someone who knows this is an adventure game. There is no reason for Paige, Eli or Mandana to suspect that one of these bricks is loose and conceals a hidden cache. There's no visible sign and no hint pointing to it that I'm aware of. But finding it is the key to moving on. I found the right brick by just clicking on each one in turn till I got it. It was the "tough old brick". Inside is a small blue keycard. A label on it reads: "J&M Storage: 102". Note: The key card is actually grey.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JeIY2PCduk Urf. What a way to live. You live in a basement too, as I recall. Yeah, but mine's cosy. And my neighbors are less, uh, dead.  Don't move. Any of you. Ok. Now turn around. Nice and slow. ... Holy poo poo. It's you. The one who shot up the bar in the Bronx. Gimme one reason why I shouldn't put a bullet in your head right now."You can't shoot me. There's a police station around the corner!" You kidding? After what you put the cops of this city through? They'll pin a loving medal to my chest. I've been watching you. You've been sniffing around. Asking about me. And... you were talking to that THING behind you. It's not a thing. It's human spirit. You think I don't loving know that? Marlene DeMarco. Missing for a week. Then found dead in this alley. Arms and legs chewed to pieces. There's been no investigation. Nobody even wants to talk about it. Not the cops. Not her husband. Nobody. Nobody except you. So tell me. What. Is. Going. ON?"We're trying to find out. Maybe we can help each other?" Didn't you hear? I can't help people anymore. Had to give that up along with my badge. Last year I was in the hospital. This guy named Morino went crazy. Started shooting everyone. I took him out, but I took one in the shoulder. Spent a month in recovery. Things were fine. But when I got out? Everything was... weird."Weird?" Yeah. WEIRD. Shut up and listen. Twelve years I've been a cop. You think that'd mean something. No. I'm out on my rear end. Everyone thought I was crazy. ME! Bodies piling up all over town and I'm the crazy one. Nobody cared. Not the cops I used to serve. Not even the victims' families. It was like they didn't even NOTICE. I thought I was the only one. But you guys notice, don't you?"That's why we're here. We want to help." Bullshit. Why should I believe a word you say? No. Here's what's going to happen. We're all going to march down to the police station. Then you're going to tell the captain everything. Tell her what you can see. Convince them I'm not crazy. Get them to give me my badge back."That's a really horrible idea." You're in no position to argue. You and your... murder groupies are coming with me. Murder... groupies? This woman was possessed. She was guilty of no crime. I'm sorry. WHO are you? I am Mandana. Look, Madonna. I could care less WHAT you guys are. We're going to the station. No. We are not. Stay right there!  For real? Please lower your weapon. We wish no harm upon you. This has gotta be a joke. Drop that thing before you hurt yourself. I am a servant of the Unavowed. We are the wall against the oncoming darkness. Final warning. Lower. Your. Weapon. Now. We have vital duties to perform. You are in our way. You asked for it.Vicki fires. Mandana parries the bullet. You've gotta be loving kidding me.Vicki fires again.  We need not be enemies. Please. Join us. Help us. Perhaps we can help you in return. I want... I just want.. I wanna be NORMAL. I don't want... THIS. You wanna help? Stay the hell out of my way. And stay the hell away from me.Vicki leaves. *sigh* Her eyes and mind are closed. She could be a valuable asset, if she would but open them.We have the key card, so we may as well see what she's storing.  We could have come here any time, but there was no reason to until we had the key. Vicki's stuff is in unit 102. The door closes behind us as we step inside.  You guys must think I'm stupid, don't you? Breaking into my apartment. Going through my stuff. I might not have a badge anymore, but I know a class B felony when I see one."Come on. Open the door."  Sure. I'll get right on that. Right after the cops get here."We still want to help you, Vicki. Don't do this." You can help me by being good citizens and surrendering peacefully. Then tell them everything you know. This will not end well. Trust us. Bullshit. There are laws. There are rules. You guys are... spitting on them. Donny! You got my call. Thank Christ. Hello, Vicki. Christmas came early, baby brother. I got three perps in there. Gift-wrapped just for you. They're armed. So you should call for backup. Just make sure you get credit for the collar. Um. Donny? You gonna move your rear end or what?  Donny? Donny! What the holy gently caress? You were killed here. Unknown shooter. It was a tragedy. That's all it was. Donny. No. A tragedy. Just... a... tragedy... Donny. This isn't you. Snap out of it! Just... a... poo poo. I don't want to do this, Donny! Countless notes, files, and documents fill the room. Too bad there's no time to go through it all. The sign on the wall reads "NO SMOKING! Sprinkler system in effect!" The ceiling has several sprinkler valves embedded in it. A maintenance panel is embedded in the wall, held in place by a few screws. A large ventilation duct connects this unit to the next. Eli's eyes dart around the storage unit, searching for a hidden exit. Mandana's eyes remain calm, but her hands clench with impatience. Once again Mandana is unable to open the door with her sword. She can't open the ventilation duct either. But we can open the maintenance panel with our butter knife.  The solution here is simply to connect the alarm trigger to the door open circuit and then have Eli produce a flame. I don't mind this puzzle as much as the previous ones, but it's not good. I mean, there's no way to open this door from the inside? That's a clear safety issue. And this panel is just really convenient given our resources and what we need to do. It's all very artificial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyQ8jAYEPuM How did you... Magic! Whatever. Just stay back! You'll get yourself shot! Oh ye of little faith. Guns. So combustible. It's safe. You can all come out, now. You too, Vicki. Is... is he okay? <groan> He'll be fine. I... poo poo. What a mess."We're on your side, Vicki. Can you see that now?"  I... Yeah. I guess I can. I... I'm sorry. You saved my life. Thank you. It's been... a long year, but that doesn't excuse anything. I was a Grade A jerk. Your eyes are open to the truth, now. That is all we can hope for. The truth. Right. Were you really possessed when you killed all those people?"Yes. It wasn't me. It was... something else." It was. Wasn't it? This is all crazy, but... I believe you. So are you with us? Someone brainwashed my brother to KILL me. You don't mess with two Santinas and get away with it. Vi... Vick... Donny? It... was Harrison. Harrison? CAPTAIN Harrison? She told you to kill me? How... why...? It's okay, Donny. But you're sure? Joy Harrison? THAT Captain Harrison? She said... meet her... on her boat... when it was done... Said... it was a tragedy... Just a tragedy. Harrison, huh? Stay safe, Donny. Your sister has business to take care of. You guys coming with me, or what? Um. Shouldn't someone stay here with Donny?Someone should. Despite Eli's confidence, I'm not 100% convinced that the guy who just had a gun blow up in his hand is going to be fine. So do we want to leave Eli or Mandana behind to look after him?
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Dec 10, 2019 03:51
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IMJack posted:Edit: Was the brick with the hidden stash not the one "under the Crazy"? Because that would make sense from an "escape room" hint.
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Dec 11, 2019 02:27
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fluffyDeathbringer posted:leave Mandana. Eli can protect us from bullets and prevent people from shooting the bullets at the same time, she can't The decision is made. Update some time tomorrow.
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Dec 16, 2019 11:37
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"Mandana, stay here and watch him." Very well. I will make sure he is safe. ... Right. Thanks. Let's go.  She's getting away. Move it! Stop the boat, Harrison. That's Captain Harrison. You Santinas. Never any respect. gently caress respect. Stop the boat. And the language. You get that from your father. Although your mother isn't much better. Stop. The. loving. Boat. Whatever you say. Just lower that gun.She stops the boat. There."You're behind the brainwashings? And the murders?"  Oh. It's you. You're the shooter from that bar in the Bronx. Aren't you? You've eluded us for months. I should be impressed. I can't exactly judge you. Not after everything that I've done."What exactly have you done?" Nothing that matters much longer. He is coming. Who is coming? The General. I met him out here. On the water. He gave me this... power. To manipulate minds. ... I used it to further my career. Convinced old Lapuda to take early retirement. I should have known there'd be a... price."What about all the murders?" They weren't murdered! They were... conscripted. For the General, you see. He needs soldiers. His people can't fight on land, you see. He needs us for that. That was the deal. He gave me this power. I would send him... people. For his army. People. Yes. He would send them back eventually. In pieces, usually. Pieces. Then I would use my new power to... cover it up."You sacrificed people, then brainwashed the police to ignore it?" Not just the police. Friends. Family. Anyone who would question that status quo. He gave me no choice. He would have killed me otherwise. But... it could have been worse. The General wanted hundreds. I only gave him a dozen! Yeah, you're a fricking hero. You made me think I was crazy. You made EVERYONE think I was crazy. So tell me, you gaslighting bitch. Why single me out? I... don't know. I didn't want to, believe me. But I can't touch your mind. The General's power... you're immune. I'm what? It's because she's void-touched, isn't it? Your power won't work on her. Or us. I knew that as soon as you walked into my station. I knew then I'd have to take... action. You sent my brother to kill me. I thought you'd leave, Vicki. That you'd just move away in shame after everyone shunned you. But no. You just dug in deeper. Instead of moving away, you moved down the block! Typical Santina. Like a dog with a bone. You. Just. Won't. Let. GO!  What the FU- SILENCE! Summoner. You have returned at last. Do you intend to fulfill your promise to me?"I'm sorry. You have me confused with someone else." I admit. Something about you is... different. And yet, you have the same face. The same scent. The same voice. No. You are the summoner. You instructed me to bond with a human. One with ambition. And they would bring me an army. I have done so. And yet I still wait for an army worthy of the name. So I ask again. Where is my army, summoner? My people continue to get slaughtered by the hour!"Whatever deal you made, it wasn't with me." Lies. Why do you LIE? YOU are the one who summoned me here. YOU are the one who promised me an army. But you just toy with me? Why?"I don't know! I was possessed at the time!" You don't KNOW? You play with the lives of my people. And you don't KNOW? Right. Enough of this.She starts the boat. There is only one outcome here, summoner. Your death! The blood of my people demands it!The General is huge, fast, and covered in a layer of slime. Not to mention angry. Harrison's gaze remains fixed on the water. She avoids looking anyone in the eye. Vicki is calm. Almost stoic. Whatever happens next, she is ready for it. Eli is holding his ground. If he's nervous, he gives no sign. The boat's solid, metal flagpole looks pretty sturdy. The Staten Island flag flaps in the wind. There's only one thing we can interact with here and it's the boat's console.  That's a bottle of spare fuel on the right. The boat controls work, but are of no use to us. We simply take the petrol and hurl it at the General, then have Eli ignite it. If you try to burn him without using the petrol it doesn't work due to his protective layer of slime.  What is this... STENCH?  urg... huff huff Was this your plan? I should have known. To bait me into battle. To fight me. To kill me."We never wanted to fight you." Yes. I... I can see that. This world. I do not understand it. Then understand this. You can go back to where you came from, or you become char broiled. You give me the choice? You show me mercy? You were given a bum deal. We get that. But no more people die. That's final. I see. Very well. I accept your terms. I will leave and never return."What about Harrison's brainwashing abilities?" Yeah. Good question. Joy Harrison and I are bonded. She will share my power as long as... ... Speak up. Can't hear you. ...as long as I am alive. Right. Right. The bond between you and Harrison. That ain't going away. You could - theoretically - come back whenever you want, right? She is my anchor in this world, yes. But I have accepted your terms. I will, honor them. Right. In that case, break the bond. That way there's no issue. I cannot. It is permanent. It remains in place until either I die... ...or she does."What if you took Harrison back with you?" Then her anchor will be in my world. I will be unable to return here. And we'll be free of her brainwashing rear end. What? You must be joking. I'm the INNOCENT one here. Innocent? You accepted my offer. Quite eagerly, I might add. Harrison is no innocent, but she's still human. She doesn't belong on your world. She doesn't belong on THIS one either. Not after the crap she's pulled. So... tell me what you wish. Joy Harrison would make a fine soldier.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKh9b42K3wk It seems a bit odd to me that Joy recognised us at this stage but not in the police station. It definitely seemed like the veil was working there, but it's clearly not now, and she must already have been void-touched ever since she got the General's mind-control power. Three options this time. Do we kill the General to make sure he can never come back and to take Harrison's power away, banish Joy Harrison to fight and die on an alien world, or send the General home alone, risking the possibility of Joy continuing to use his power and/or the General returning?
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Dec 17, 2019 06:34
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Black Robe posted:Incidentally, what happens if you leave Eli behind and bring Mandana? Can she do anything to light up Scaly here?
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Dec 17, 2019 15:57
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Rockopolis posted:Banish both Decision is locked in, update should be some time tomorrow.
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Dec 21, 2019 09:47
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"Take Harrison back with you." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRoAAlUn9QY What? No! Move it. Whatever happens over there, it couldn't happen to anyone nicer. The bargain's been struck. I will have one new soldier for my efforts this night. drat you all. Screw you, General. And screw your war! I hope your people die. I hope they CHOKE.A gunshot, followed by a splash.  Jesus! The bond is broken. When I return home, I will have no path back here. Then leave. For God's sake. Just LEAVE. There's been enough bloodshed. Yes. My people need me. With or without an army. Good bye. I pray we will not meet again. ...and then twist, leading with your elbow. Aim for the solar plexus. And I could subdue you that way? No. But someone else? Perhaps. There she is. Vicki!  Vicki! Is it true? Did Harrison order me to kill you? You don't remember? I'm... not sure? Last thing I remember I was talking to Harrison. Then I'm waking up in the storage room with a splitting headache. Came here to the dock and found this lady. She told me to wait here for you. What... happened? Where's the Captain? She's gone. She's not coming back. I... I don't know why, but I think that's a good thing? You have no idea. Right. The less I know, the better. But I do know one thing. I'm sorry. For... everything.Donny leaves. So do you guys have a wizard clubhouse or something? We have a headquarters, yes. How do we get there? Magic carpet? No. The ferry. And then the subway. Yeesh. Well, let's jet. The 10:05 ferry's leaving any minute.Fade to black. Good evening. I trust you are rested after last night? I admit that I am... jealous. To be out at sea again... well, it would be like old times."I should have brought you along." Apologies are unnecessary. Besides, setting sail would be different without my mother present."Was your mother a Jinn as well?"  She was... not. Formidable, but merely human. I do not often dwell on the past, but I dare not forget it. I am the daughter of the Pirate Queen of Ulster. And her legacy lives through me."Your mother was a pirate?" I did not say pirate. I said pirate QUEEN. She had a whole fleet of ships. She ruled the waters of half the old Irish kingdoms before she was through. Her portrait hangs in the study. She was... a formidable woman. But, in the end, merely human. Though it has been centuries since she passed, I still remember her. Every time I swing this blade on my back."How's Vicki settling in?" We have spent the morning conversing. She seems quite... eager. Anxious to prove herself. I have seen her sort before. Recruits like her are the first to throw themselves into danger. And are the first to get themselves killed. I have grown fond of her. I hope that does not happen."Any thoughts on that last mission?" Harrison's death was... not your doing. Do not blame yourself. All her choices were the result of selfishness and greed. They caught up with her. That is all. Hey there. You're awake. That was quite the harbor cruise last night. Most people would pay good money for that."I didn't do much sight-seeing." You mean you didn't glance once at the Statue of Liberty? I guess you're a real New Yorker after all. But seriously. The brass ones on that guy. Showing up in the middle of the harbor like he did. Supernatural creatures used to be more... skittish. They worked in the shadows. They're getting BRAVER. Bolder. Flexing their muscles in front of mundanes. And if that goes unchecked... Well, we know where that leads. Don't we?"No I don't. Where does it lead?" People rising up. People falling down. ... Sorry. I'm not making a whole lot of sense, am I? Many centuries ago, there was a Fire Mage. His name was Aldin. He got bold, too. He killed people with his power. Whole villages. Armies. Nobody could stop him. He was my great-grandfather. So yeah, I know where this leads. And it's never anywhere nice."Why did the General make you think of him?" Because the General attacked us in the middle of the HUDSON RIVER. It was a small thing, but that's how it starts. Someone with power using it where they shouldn't. Aldin got too bold and too powerful. Someone had to do something about it. So the families of his victims got together. They made a deal with the fae of the Unseelie Court. How they did it, I don't know, but they turned themselves into... hunters. They were dedicated to one purpose and one purpose only. Stopping and killing Aldin by any means necessary."Fae? As in fairies?" Fairies. Elves. Whatever you want tot call them. They're trouble with a Capital T. And they infused the Hunters of Aldin with unimaginable power."You don't look happy about that." I am and I'm not. Aldin needed to die. He was... well he was insane. No question. And after a long, bloody battle, they did it. Aldin was dead. But the Hunters weren't done. Not by a long shot. They decided ALL Fire Mages had to die. And they've been doing it ever since."Can they be stopped?" No. When my power... manifested, they were drawn to me like a homing beacon. They wanted to kill me. Mandana and Kalash found me just in time. They... helped me fake my death. Threw the Hunters off my trail. And I've been here ever since. So yeah. Monsters working out in the open never leads to anything good. People WILL fight back. One way or another. And innocents have to pay the price. Every time."How's Vicki adjusting?" Surprisingly well. Better than I did, back in the day. Of course, I was setting fire to everything I touched. So... there was that."Any thoughts on our last mission?" Harrison was a nasty piece of work. But honestly? If I was faced with the same fate, I might have done the same thing. I don't judge you for making that call. You tried to avoid bloodshed. It backfired. It... happens. Vicki peruses the liquor collection.  So this place is real. It's all real. You know, when I got up this morning, I thought I dreamt it all. But everything's changed. People are... remembering. Remembering that people died. I heard Vinny crying all night. He doesn't understand. How could he? I wanna tell him, but... that would be a really bad idea. Anyway. I'm ready to get to work."You're settling in okay?"  I'm fine. Just show me the monsters and I'll take em out."How's Donny doing?" Donny? He's super pissed. He's not sure what happened, but he knows he was tricked. He's doing his best to make it right. Not that it really CAN be made right."What's happened on Staten Island since we left?" The station's a madhouse. All the victims' families are flooding the place, demanding answers. The cops don't know what to say. You'd think I'd feel a bit of... I dunno. Vindication or whatever. But I just want to move on. I can't change what happened to all those people, but if I can stop it from happening to anyone else? I'm ready and raring to go. I have been reading the reports of your last mission. It has been a long time since I have seen one of the mer-folk. To hear they are so... changed distresses me greatly."If you need to talk, I'm a good listener." I thank you for that. The past and the present are sometimes... difficult to... reconcile. The mer-folk once lived in harmony with humanity. This is several thousand years ago, of course, but... They were peaceful. Playful. Loyal to their allies. All they asked in return was to live in peace. Now I hear they are fighting for their lives Fighting wars? Building armies? *sigh* I suppose our world is not the only one that has evolved. Regardless, one must not live in the past. If you are ready, we will start the meeting. I am glad to see you made it, Detective Santina. Uhh... you don't need to call me that. I'm no detective. Not anymore. My daughter speaks the truth. For a full year, you were on a mission to ferret out the truth at great risk to yourself. Is this correct? Yeah. Who else was gonna do it? Then it is settled. You are a detective. "One who detects." Speak no more of it."What about that giant sea monster? Can we speak of that?" Yes. I was just getting to that. The jinn were great friends of the mer-folk once. I remember them quite fondly. I am grateful you let the General live, but not at the expense of Joy Harrison's life. Not by our hand. She killed herself, sir. Sometimes a nasty perp does you a favor and ices themselves. Saves paperwork and manpower. Not to mention lives. ... What? Pulling that trigger made things better for everyone. I ain't gonna pretend otherwise. That was... harsh, but truly spoken. Darn right. You all did good work last night, considering the circumstances. But my question still stands - why? Why is the demon doing this? What does it have to gain? We, um, still don't know. Have you investigated the Bronx as instructed? No. Not yet, father. Then perhaps you will find our answers there."Maybe we missed a clue in the Village Eye. A clue only a cop could see." I don't see any cops. So I guess you'll have to settle for me. You all know your duty. Report back when you have new information. Meeting adjourned. Yeah. you get used to that.Eli appears to wait patiently. The steam wafting from his fingers betray his eagerness. Mandana is smiling slightly to herself. Eager to discover what lies ahead. Vicki is coiled up tighter than a cobra. Ready to spring at a moment's notice. Anytime you're ready. The hour grows late and the trail grows cold. Let us be off. We getting out there or what?I'm a little confused about the timeline here, but I think it kind of makes sense? The way I understand it, Vicki came back here with us last night, but then went back home to sleep. She then came back here this morning to talk to Mandana, before heading back to Staten Island in the afternoon to check in with Donny and see what was going on with the other cops. Then came back here again for the meeting. And I guess Paige is just a night owl since she seems to sleep all day, every day and wake up just in time to say hi to everyone and then attend the meeting in the evening. Two questions today:
Because So if you want to take Eli and Vicki to the East Village but definitely want to take Mandana if we go to the Bronx and prefer Eli to Vicki then you'd write something like "Voting for the East Village with Eli, but if we go to the Bronx then take Mandana and Eli." If your preference is the same regardless then you can just write it once, like "Go to the Bronx, taking Vicki and Eli" or whatever.
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Dec 22, 2019 04:46
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Paused posted:Stop me if you don't want this answering Tiggum; but I assume going off the events of this chapter that roughly speaking variations of the events of the 3 backstories for our character happen in some capacity, just the one we pick we're around to slightly influence? Pretty much. Like with this one, the specific details are changed a little bit. Instead of Paige shooting everyone and getting away, it was Morino who shot several people and Vicki who killed him. We don't know exactly what caused it, but presumably there was some supernatural element that caused Vicki to become void-touched.
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Dec 29, 2019 02:42
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By popular demand posted:Voting for the East Village Shei-kun posted:Vicki Tiggum fucked around with this message at 09:55 on Jan 2, 2020 |
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Jan 2, 2020 09:44
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 So this is how you guys travel? By subway? It's all we have the budget for, most of the time. Budget constraints. Yeah, I get that. But what about an EMERGENCY? Emergency? Yeah, like, let's say some monster is about to rip the mayor's arm off. You're gonna take the subway? Don't be foolish. Yeah. The mayor would just grow a new arm. Right. Wait. What? It's a... long story. Nevermind. I don't wanna know. Vicki surveys the area through half-open eyelids. Her hands twitch slightly.  After you, I guess. Vicki? Vicki Santina? Is that you? Oh. Hey Cory. How's it going? You know. Standing in the rain guarding a wreck. You? Eh. Things sucked. Might be getting better. Catch up later? Sure. It's good to see you."You two know each other?" Sure. He's a cop, isn't he? There's not as many of us as you think. We all talk.Wikipedia indicates that there are well over 30,000 police officers in New York City. "He could see you through the veil? Is he void touched?" Eh? No. Kalash asked me if I wanted a veil. I told him no.  Jesus. Did a crate of Miracle-Gro explode? It was a large spillover of life energy, but... essentially yeah. That's kind of it. This the stiff? That's him. Right. Let's take a look. He's covered in moss. Grass. Weeds. It's kind of... taken over his skin. Yeah. My best guess is that he's being absorbed by the life energy in the room. What. He's being EATEN? Are we safe in here? It's LIFE energy. It doesn't kill. As long as we're alive, we're fine. Fine, but if I turn into a plant-woman I'm coming after you. Anyway. Good news. His hands are still pretty human-ish."What good are his hands?" Not his hands. His FINGERS. As in fingerprints. Aand... got em. That's the easy part. Now I just gotta call in a favor.She makes a phone call. Yeah, Donny? It's me. I'm sending you a file. Fingerprints. Could you get them analyzed for me? Yeah, it's dead rear end urgent. Well, la dee dah. Look at Mr. Responsibility. Too busy to help out his own sister. Nah, I'm just yanking your chain. I get it. Get back to me when you can.She hangs up. Donny's swamped. This'll take some time. Might as well hit the Bronx. See if we can dig something else up.She's right. We'll head back to the subway station. So Eli. You used to be normal like me, right? I was an accountant, if that's what you mean. Almost fifty years ago. Huh. What was it like going from that to... this? Well, the supernatural world wasn't as DENSE as it is now. So maybe I had it a bit easier than you. But then again, I had to fake my own death and never see my family again. So who's to say?Next: A Bronx Tale
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Jan 3, 2020 04:53
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Hey Eli. Whatcha reading? "Draft Week." It's a personal account of the 1863 Draft Riots. If you wanted a personal account, you can ask me. I was there. I know, but I thought I'd read an account WITHOUT gremlins in it first. My version is more accurate. Jesus. Forget I asked. There's an ad for some kind of historical drama on the wall. We're a bit out touch as far as pop-culture goes. A vile stench wafts from the tattered trash bags. The MTA officer surveys the area. He is glowing over his cup of coffee. There's still not a drop of rain on Eli. Lucky guy. Vicki is coiled up tighter than a cobra. Ready to spring at a moment's notice.  My dad used to tell me stories about this neighborhood. "The Bronx is burning" and all that. That had nothing to do with me. What? No. I was being... whadayacallit. Figurative. Oh. Right. Sorry. You spend enough time with Mandana, you forget metaphors exist. Evening, folks. Markus? Is that you? Santina! Long time no see. I thought you pulled the pin. I did. Turns out retirement doesn't suit me. But what about you? I heard you, uh, had some trouble? Some, yeah. Working through it. Right. Right. Glad to hear it."You two know each other?"  Sorry. This is Markus. He used to work the ferry. Yep. I got to ride the boat all day while you cops did the real work. If I remember right, you stopped your fair share of creeps. Well. Here's a secret. When your beat is a boat, the bad guys got nowhere to go."You worked the ferry? What was it like?" It was a sweet gig in the summer, I'll say that much. Sunshine. Free hotdogs from the commissary. 360 degree views of Lady Liberty. But in the winter? Forget it. It got so cold and damp my uniform would turn to ice. After five years of that, it was time for a lateral move. The subway might be filthy, but it's WARM."Lousy night to be out, huh?" The damp doesn't bother me much. Not as long as I have my jitter juice here."Has anything... strange happened in the area recently?" I work the subway, lady. I see five strange things before noon. You're gonna need to be a lot more specific than that."Thanks. See you around." Stay dry out there."You ever been to the Bronx before, Eli?" Sure. My old firm had a branch close by. I used to come up here a lot. This area was... different. Everything was falling apart. Everyone was angry. Or looking for a reason to be. Looking around now, it's easy to forget. This place seems almost quaint, these days."It feels so weird being back here." Yeah. That must be... slightly awkward. But you know what? That wasn't you. Just focus on leaving the area a little bit better than when you arrived. It's all you can do, but maybe that's enough. That's why we're here. To get the shitheel who started this. I'm not saying to ignore that feeling. Just.. stoke it. Use it as fuel. You'll need it."You know anything about the Bronx, Vicki?" Nah. My family never came up here unless the Yankees were playing. Jeeze, that reminds me. I haven't been following the game at all this season. I need to catch up or my dad and I will have nothing to talk about. You know. Assuming he ever talks to me again."How're you holding up, Vicki?" I'm FINE. Enough with the touchy-feelie stuff.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAdIy8snxJU  Fruit and vegetables crowd the displays of this empty convenience store. Public payphones, like the one outside it, never work any more.  "...and that's really it," says the woman. "I'm screwed. And this is... kind of weird. Why am I telling you all this?" "Maybe because I was the first to ask what was wrong," we say. "You know what? You're right. Nobody ever asks how I feel. Nobody. I just... don't know what to do. I knew that room at the Eddings house was too good to be true. I KNEW it." "Would you rather complain? Or do something about it?" "DUH. Of course I want to do something about it. What do you suggest?" "First, you need to buy a few things..." The vision fades.  So is this a regular thing with her, or what? You could say that. I'm thinking of packing a pillow for next time."Anyone got any aspirin?"  Er. No. I don't think that would help with demon flashback visions in any case. You SEEM okay."That girl seemed troubled. I... hope she's okay." Whatever your demon wanted with her, it probably isn't good. Anyway. The woman in the vision said something about the Eddings house? Shouldn't be hard to track down. I've had worse leads. Right. Let's go.Maybe Markus can point us in the right direction? You keeping out of trouble, Santina? Nope. I'm trying to stop some. That's what I like to hear."Do you know where the Eddings place is?" ... Now why would you be asking about that?"I'm sorry. Did I says something wrong? You look upset." Oh, don't be sorry. It's just a nasty business is all. It's at the end of Morgan Ave. Just west of here."Thanks very much." Sure. You be careful out there.  Cute place. Pretty typical, as these things go. You DID see Markus's face, right? I don't think anything here is typical. *sigh* It never is.The mailbox is empty and the front door is locked. I guess we'll try around the back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph5JV262TRQ  Someone's writing messages on the window.   Huh?The text fades from the window and is replaced by the word YES! Color me crazy, but...WE NEED HELP! :(  Yeah. The window is talking to us.PLEASE! Oh good. So I'm not going nuts.GET IN HERE! BREAK THE WINDOW! C'MON JUST BREAK IT The water tap is rusty and won't turn on. The roses are flourishing though. So.. this veil thing you put on my gun. Nobody will be able to hear it? It's more complicated than that, but essentially yeah. Right. Cool.She points her gun at the window. Although wait. The GUN is veiled, but that window isn't-She fires. Sorry. What? Nothing. Never mind.The window's broken, but still a bit high to get to. Fortunately Eli can give us a boost up there.  We're lucky we didn't cut ourself on the glass coming in. There are two notes on the fridge. The first reads "I MADE WAFFLES!! ENJOY! -A". The second says "Please don't touch the quinoa! -D" Bright and garish teatowels hang on the oven. The oven mitts above are quite... colorful. There are bits of crockery and cookware about. Nothing we need right now. A small screwdriver lies abandoned on the floor. We'll have that. The phone line seems to have been cut and the clock has stopped at 3:30. More text appears on the remaining window, right in front of our eyes with no apparent source. "Who are you?" I'm a ghost woooooooo :) "So this house is haunted?" Not by me. Please hurry. Go this way <---  "Very funny." I KNOW! Quick. You can unlock the door from this side. On the easel is a picture of a face splattered with something that is *probably* red paint. Beside it is a photo of a man ad a car above another photo, of a woman and a dog.   We open the door. There you are. I heard you talking. Is someone in there? Let's go in and see for ourselves.Back inside. Hi guys! You made it!  Okay. Time to cut the crap. State your name. Now.I'm KayKay "KayKay's a ghost, apparently." Woooooo  Really? You don't act like any ghost I've ever seen.That's cuz I'm - s,'p,'e,'c,'i,'a,'l - I'm a spirit guide.  A spirit guide? You mean you're bound to a spirit medium? One close by?Yes!! He's upstairs. He needs help! Go Go Go Go Go Go   The HELL! It's... just a plastic hula dancer. Sorry. Bit jumpy. It's this house. Something about it ain't right. My dad had one of those in his car. I wanted to shoot that one, too.There's an empty green jade bowl on the chest of drawers and three abstract oil daubings on the wall, which look to be the work of an amateur. The tacky plastic hula girl seems to be motion activated. We'll take it. End of the hall! HURRY! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s30ylfj7QCU  The man sits cross-legged in the middle of a glowing circle. He's chanting quietly to himself. The ghosts are fuzzy and indistinct. They stare blankly ahead, barely noticing we're even here. Aside from the people, alive and dead, the room contains a plain but clean ceramic sink, a kitschy little bathroom decoration above the toilet and neat fluffy towels, just waiting for a relaxing bath.  God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change... Courage to change the things I can... And wisdom to know the difference. Aaauuughhh! That isn't helping! Living one day at a time... Enjoying one moment at a time... Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace. Rouuughhh! I said PEACE."Logan? Is that you?"  ...He stands up. No. No way that's you. I'm hallucinating from hunger. Where the hell have you been, man? I've been worried about you."Worried? Aren't you upset that I, you know, killed your brother?"  Upset? Course I'm upset. He was my brother. But I know you didn't kill him. Not really. Something possessed you. It wasn't your fault."Wait. You know about that?" Er. Yeah. Look. It's complicated. Someone told me. Someone who was there. It's too much to to get into right now. Who are your friends? I'm Eli Beckett. This is Vicki Santina. My name's Logan Brown. I used to buy too many drinks from Paige. And now... I could really use some help."Does it have to do with those ghosts over there?" ... Hold on. You... you can SEE them? Like, actually see them? Well, sure. Kind of. Ghosts all look the same, don't they? ...Just what do you mean?"They look like grey floating clouds." Clouds? No no. That's not right at all. I see people. Two women. One man. They're confused. And angry. Not exactly easy to talk to. Hold it. You can see them AND talk to them? Yeah. So you're the one KayKay told us about. The Bestower. Yeah, uh. That's me. You know your stuff. You're here to help these ghosts pass on. That's right. Only things went a bit... wrong."Tell us what happened." Auuughhhh!The room shakes. Crap.He sits back down and addresses the ghosts. Easy. Easy, now. Auuughhhh!The room shakes again. Shhh. Just relax. Okay. She's calm. For now. I... kind of need to focus. Can you help me, or what?"What do you need us to do?" Back to taking my order, huh? Just like the old days. I need to know their names. It's the best way to get through to them. Can you do that? Figure out their names?"You can't ask them yourself?" I've tried. They won't listen to me. Which is why I need their names. So we go pound the pavement. Just like any other investigation. I... guess? Whatever it takes. I'd go myself, but I'm kinda trapped."Got it. We'll be back."  Thanks. Seriously.Should be pretty straight-forward. Based on the picture down stairs I'm guessing that one of these ghosts is named Art, and there are two bedrooms so we'll check them for anything that can identify the others.  The desk is heaped with science homework. The dresser is spilling over with rumpled articles of clothing. Tidiness does not seem to have been the inhabitant of this room's strong point. The post-it note above the desk has the words "BUY EARPLUGS" written in very hard, angry letters. The bookcase is full of dry textbooks and a few dog-eared romance novels. There's a picture of an adorable kitty on the wall, and next to it is an image of oppressive suburbia - neat houses crammed closely together. Beside that is a fisherman's guide to common North-Eastern pike. The metal trash can is full of ashes.  From the consistency, it looks like notebook paper. Or at least, it was. Jesus. Burning documents in a trashcan. Could've burnt the whole place down.Obviously this is another opportunity for Eli to use his fire reading trick. But we'd better go outside to do it since Vicki's so worried about burning the house down. In the meantime we'll have a look at the other bedroom.  The faint whiff of marijuana smoke and the peace sign suggest the inhabitants were hippies. A cosy bed is heaped high with pillows. In the corner is a comfortable chair, padded with cushions and draped with warm blankets. The night tables have a single drawer each. There's a piece of paper with a poem on it in one of them and a photo sitting on the other. A heavy wooden closet lies against the far wall next to an oval mirror ringed with an old wooden frame.   Vicki investigates the closet.  Huh. Some 70s reject clothes. A tacky umbrella. An old doll..."Nope. Nothing we need in here." Well, let's go and read that burned note. Eli? I was thinking about something you said. Yeah? Yeah. About never seeing your family again. How'd you do it? I didn't have a choice. But it wasn't easy. And it still isn't. There were times I came VERY close to knocking on their door. Usually I stopped myself. Usually? Um. Yeah. Mandana and Kalash MIGHT have locked me in the basement a few times. Sounds rough. Well. It was what it was."Hey Eli? Can you fire read that note from the trashcan now?"  Sure. Just a sec.   Art, Jess and Dana. And the dog's name's Mary Jane, if that's going to help. Better go tell Logan. So Vicki? What about your family. Have you spoken to them since... well, everything? I'm a disgraced cop from a cop family. I don't think I'm ready for the Sunday barbecue quite yet. I mean, Donny tolerates me. But the rest? How can I talk them about... all this? Want my advice? Find a way. And don't wait too long. I get what you're saying. But not yet. Maybe when all this is done.Back upstairs. "I found some names. Dana, Art and Jess." You sure? Let's try it.He stands up and addresses the ghosts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxzcVi1Wc4o Are those your names? Art? Jess? Dana? Art? Jess? Dana?  Auuuggg! What the hell did you just do! No. NO! Please. There's no need for this! Art? Dana? Jess? Just...relax, fellas. Please! Relaxxxx.The ghosts seem to calm down, but the room remains dark. That was close. Close? CLOSE? Those ghosts went geist! Geist? Poltergeist! It's what you get when ghosts go bad. Like... really really bad. But I've only ever read about them in books. It doesn't actually HAPPEN. At least... it shouldn't. Not anymore. Well it happens now! These ghosts attacked us. They tried to tear KayKay apart! We barely got this circle up in time. You need to tell us what's going on. Fine. I... think I've got things under control. If you have questions, ask 'em now."What is that circle you're standing in?" Oh this? KayKay taught me how to make it. Ghosts can't cross it. Not just ghosts. It keeps out ANY spiritual energy. I've got something similar in my lab. You do? Sure. When you're experimenting with unstable magic, it's smart to be behind a protection circle. But it took me WEEKS to prepare. You're telling me that you whipped this up on the spot? Me? I just drew the circle. It was KayKay who turned it on. Amazing. You both must be incredibly powerful. We're just doing a job. One day at a time. Or we would. If we weren't stuck here."How long have you been here?" Two or three days, maybe? I had some energy bars in my pocket. That got me through the worst of it. But yeah. It won't be long before my shoes start to look very tasty."What happened here?" Like I said, we came here to put these ghosts to rest. Usually it doesn't take much., We talk to them a bit, learn who they are, try and get through to them. But these three? They got violent. Ugly. They went after KayKay. Tried to rip her to shreds. Poor kid was terrified. ...kid? She's ten years old. Jesus. Is she okay?Well, she's dead, so... Last time I saw her, yeah. We got this circle up. It calmed them down long enough for her to escape. We've been separated ever since. If she comes in here, the ghosts attack her. If I leave this circle, the ghosts attack ME. So... you see my dilemma here. You couldn't call anyone? All this spiritual energy screws with my phone. But even still, I couldn't bring anyone else in here. Too dangerous."Why aren't the ghosts attacking us?" Because they don't know you're here. Ghosts barely see other people. Only me. And KayKay. As long as I don't provoke them, they won't go crazy again."Why couldn't we see KayKay outside?" She's a spirit guide. Not a pure ghost. Different rules. KayKay and I are bonded at the soul. Only I can see her. It's the way it's always been."Have ghosts attacked you before?" No. Ghosts are normally... harmless. Confused and alone, but harmless. Usually I could talk them down. Find some point of connection. Get them to trust me. But these guys? They won't even listen. They just... hate. That adds up. We've seen a huge escalation of supernatural threats recently. Seven hundred percent at minimum. So things are just going to get worse? They already have. ... Well, one thing at a time. Let's focus on getting me out of here. Then I'll worry about how screwed I am."How do you usually help a ghost move on?" It... depends. Usually we talk to them. Convince them they're actually dead. Sometimes an object works. Something that they're attached to. Something that reminds them of who they are."So what can we do to help you?" I don't know! With other ghosts, KayKay does most of the talking. Ghosts relate to her more. Being a ghost herself. But I'm on my own this time. These three won't listen to me. They're just so... angry. So I hope you guys have some ideas. Because I'm out. Well, like I said. Geists don't just APPEAR. Something happened. Something related to their deaths. If we can figure that out, maybe we can... help them. An investigation, huh? That I can handle."Sit tight, Logan. We'll be back." Believe me. I'm not going anywhere.Next: Geistbusters. Tiggum fucked around with this message at 06:35 on Jan 6, 2020 |
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Jan 6, 2020 06:31
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Keldulas posted:The thing that sort of bothers me is why you can't offer to get some food for Logan.  I guess the idea is that you'll deal with the ghost situation quickly and he'll just be able to leave anyway, but I do think you should be able to get him some food in the meantime just in case. Like, maybe (extremely minor spoilers follow) if you don't get him any food then you all go out for steaks afterwards as actually happens in the game, but if you do get him food then he could have a line about being disappointed about not getting the steak he was looking forward to because he already ate convenience store food. I did actually try to go get him some food but Vicki just complains that you're "leaving Logan to rot" and won't let you. I can't remember if I tried it in my first playthrough (in which I brought Eli and Mandana on this mission) but I assume one of them has a similar line.
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Jan 6, 2020 12:10
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Iunnrais posted:I love KayKay's interactions with the party here. The "Hiiiiii!!!" was weird at first, but it makes perfect sense once you know what's going on. Cute! My favourite is quote:BOO
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Jan 6, 2020 16:59
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Keldulas posted:In-game, all it says is that it 'blocks spiritual energy'. So, I'd believe that someone can't put their arm through it since they also have a soul and everything. However, I don't see how just throwing him a sandwich would screw things up. Living humans must be able to pass through it since it took Eli weeks to set one up in his lab and there wouldn't be much point if he couldn't get in and out of it.
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Jan 7, 2020 05:47
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Leaving Logan for now we head back into the master bedroom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEtWgdYNpac   I... I've never done this before. Nothing like this before. I mean... I love my wife. I DO, but..."If you want me to leave, say so." No. Don't leave. I've been unsure of many things. But not this. Why is that?"Sometimes you need to capture a moment before it's gone." Yes. That's exactly it. And after tonight, you'll be gone. But I'll keep a memento, just like you asked."Yes. It's important to remember this." I have a hiding space in the garage. Nobody will ever find it. Under my... heart rate. It will be for me and me alone. And you, if you ever come back. Just look in the mailbox. The garage opener is hidden there. Taped to the inside where it's hard to see. Now, where were we...?Fortunately the vision fades away before we get any further.  ... ... That's... Wow. Yeah. loving hell."Can we not talk about this?"  This isn't something we can sweep under the rug. I get that this is hard, and I'm sorry. But we need to focus. YOU didn't do anything. Remember that! What your demon did here was no accident. It had a reason. A plan. We need to learn what it was."Let's go. And not talk about this. Ever." Lips sealed. Let's go.Well, we may as well go check if that "memento" is still in the garage. But as soon as we get downstairs we walk straight into another vision. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNAQQGXdBfI   I know everything, Dana. That's crazy. You're crazy. I wouldn't do that. This lady told me everything. What lady?Paige enters from the next room. You!"Hi again, Dana." But why? You're the one who TOLD me to do it!"I didn't tell you anything, Dana." Why are you LYING? You gave me instructions. A list of things to buy. So you admit it. You poisoned my dog. ... You know what? Fine. YES. I killed your loving dog. It was destroying my GPA. My sleep. Not to mention Arabelle. Is that what this is about? Your little ragdoll? You promised to fix her months ago. She's been in your closet ever since. Just collecting dust. So kick me out. Call the cops. I don't care any more. I'm done."Kill her, Jess. She deserves nothing less." ... Yes. Dana. You deserve to die for this. WHAT? You killed my friend. It was just a dog. Get a grip. You. Killed. My. Friend.Jess stabs Dana and the vision fades.  Murder by mental suggestion. A classic demon ploy if ever there was one. I don't know about you guys, but I'm so sick of this death and brainwashing crap. Even still. Brainwashing notwithstanding, it seemed like a mundane murder. That shouldn't force a spirit to go guest. It just shouldn't. Let's get back to it, then.Yes, back on task. The garage. Hey Eli. Could you pretend for a sec that I'm your kid? Er. What? I know it sounds weird. Just listen. Okay? Like, I'm your kid. I just shamed the whole family. What can I do to make it right? Um... honestly? I don't know. If it were one of my daughters, I'd like to think I'd love them unconditionally. No matter what. You've never been part of a cop family. Doesn't matter. I'm sure they all just hope you're okay. That's how I'd feel, anyway. Hm. Maybe. Taped to the side of the mailbox. Not the most SUBTLE hiding place, but sometimes simpler is better. My dad used to hide out garage remote under a fake rock. Neighbor's dog kept digging it up.Unfortunately it's an electric opener rather than an old-fashioned key and the battery's dead. Not much of a problem given that there's a supermarket right nearby, but we don't even have to go that far. Remember that motion-activated hula dancer we picked up earlier for no apparent reason?  The battery compartment is held closed with screws but fortunately we also found a screwdriver in the kitchen, so that's easily solved. And that provides us with a single, charged AA battery, which is exactly what we need. You can get the battery out of the hula dancer at any time but you can't find the garage door opener until you've heard Art mention it. You can search the mailbox but you won't notice it there. The puzzles in this game are a little inconsistent in letting you pick up some stuff before you need it but not other stuff. It really doesn't make sense to take the hula dancer until you know you need its battery, but the game interface lets you know you can, so you do. Whereas, in the last update, we found an item we're going to need later but couldn't pick it up. I can see arguments for both options but mixing them together like this seems to increase puzzle difficulty in an "unfair" way. If you get used to the fact that items you'll need can be picked up then you're less likely to go back and check things later in case they're now useful.   The garage door is now open. A sturdy garden shovel, with earth still on the blade, is leaning against the wall. We'll have that. A plastic tank for carrying gas is beside it. Above it is a poster reading "'Herb is the healing of the nation' - Bob Marley." Beside it is a useless, frayed garden hose wound around a peg. A reflective workman's vest hangs on the opposite wall. The car's licence plate reads "ART-R8." Very clever. A smelly old carpet is rolled up in the corner. The licence plate is the hiding place of the "memento"; ART-R8 = "heart rate". That's the joke. Once again our screwdriver comes in handy.  We're stealing licence plates now? Good thing I'm not a cop anymore.Vicki's a little slow on the uptake.   Is... something wrong?"There's a picture. Of Art and me. Together."  OH. At least... you can hardly tell it's you? I mean, the lighting's terrible. And it's kinda blurry. I think you should stop talking. I'm just saying. It won't hold up in court."Set it on fire, Eli. Then set the ASHES on fire." I don't think that's a good idea. This picture was stuck here for a reason. No need to destroy evidence quite yet. Moving swiftly on we'll head around to the back yard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxNZ0Zzum0Y  Did you really think I wouldn't find out? Don't turn this around on me. You killed Dana! Turn it around? You SLEPT with that woman!"You two obviously have some issues you need to work out." Issues! We were fine until you came along! This is all your fault. HER fault? Yes. I had an affair. I'm... sorry. But you murdered Dana! She deserved it. She killed my Mary Jane. Jesus, are you even listening to yourself? Oh. So you can love your precious car, but loving my DOG is crazy? No. MURDER is what's crazy!"Art, she's crazy. She will kill you next. Kill her first." God. Yes. I never saw it before, but... now it's crystal clear. I need to kill you, Jess. Before you kill me. Like hell you will.Both raise knives as the vision fades.  This just gets better and better.Well, we've got that shovel now so I suppose we'd better check that it's just a dog buried underneath the roses.  That's... one dead dog. Oh good. There's a collar. Just... grab that, will you? Euugh. You got a shower back at HQ? Because... well, you're gonna need one. I killed my wife. I cheated on her and then I killed her."We can cheat on her again if you wish." I... why am I so tempted? Why do I want to say yes? I am... confused. So confused. I'm... going to go sit in my car for a bit. Try and think. Maybe I'll run the motor a little. Check if it's running okay. Could you... make sure the garage door is closed?"Sure. I know you love that car." Well, that's all three deaths explained. Just one more piece of evidence needed to complete the set, and as alluded to earlier it's something we've already seen - and ignored. Back inside the house, back upstairs, back to the master bedroom and that closet we investigated last time. Tiggum posted:
Guess it can't hurt to grab it. What's the story?"Art, um, cheated on his wife." He did? Art. Did you... have an affair? Aauuuuughh! Okay! Shhh. Relax. I'm not accusing you of anything. He's denying it. He says he loves his wife. Of course he does. They always say that. He's not lying, exactly. He's just... confused. Death can cloud your memories. Put you in denial. We need something physical. Something more than words. Find something like that, and maybe we can get through to him.I guess the intended sequence here is that you find out about Art and the demon, go back and tell Logan, then have him prompt you to go check the garage. But I don't know of any adventure game player who would ever do that. Rather, you hear about the "memento" and how to unlock the garage and just... go do that. And once you've got the photo you've already seen the second vision - about the dead dog - and picked up the shovel, so obviously you're going to go dig up the roses. That triggers the third vision. The only bit you might miss is grabbing the doll because you might not think to recheck the wardrobe. We show him the photo. Woah. Uh. Why are you showing this to me? Wait. Is that Art?"He had an affair. He took this photo as a memento." Yeah. Yeah this is proof, all right. But who's the woman in the picture? She's kinda hard to make out..."It was me. I was possessed. Let's leave it there." ... Right. Leaving it there. Art? Did you take this picture? Auuugh! I'm sorry, Art, but this IS you. You can't deny it. Auuugh! Don't ask ME why you did it. That's a question only you can answer. Good. Acceptance. That's the only way forward. I get you weren't in your right mind. But... it still happened. It still MATTERS. Auuugh! I don't judge you one way or the other. That's not my department. Just... think about that. Can you do that for me? Please?The middle ghost lowers its arms and seems to shrink a little. There we go. Just hang tight, Art. And... I'm sorry. I... think that did it. He's ready. Ready for what? Ready to move on. Once we calm all three ghosts, KayKay and I can do our thing. But for now... keep doing what you're doing."Dana killed the Eddings' Dog." Seriously? Dana? Is this true? Did you kill the family dog? Rauuughhh! Okay. Okay! She's... denying it. She says she had no reason to do that. She's not lying. She was... mentally forced into doing it. I... see. In that case, the best way to reach her is with something physical. Something she's got a strong attachment to. There's got to be something like that around here somewhere.We give him Arabelle. Um. A doll? Why are you showing me that?"It belonged to Dana. One of the ghosts." An old toy? Lemme see. Dana? Is this yours? Auuugh! Arabelle, huh? That's a nice name. Auuugh! Oh. I see. Dogs will do that sometimes. I'm sorry. But... why did you do that? There was no need for THAT. Auuugh! I... no. I can't judge you. That's not my department. If you really want to move on from this, you need to make it right. Auuugh! Asking for forgiveness, yeah. Doesn't matter if you get it. It's just important you ask. Just think about it. Okay? Just think about it.The right ghost lowers its arms and shrinks like the first one did. Yeahh. Just have a little think. That did it. She's aware. She's ready. Just one more to go."Jess killed Dana with a knife to avenge her dog." Jesus. Jess? Is that true? You killed Dana because she killed your dog? Aauuuuughh! I'm sorry, but it's true. Aauuuuughh! Okay. Okay. Never mind. She's fine. She's denying all of it. She's saying her dog isn't dead. Do you have any evidence that the dog is dead? Something physical? Find me something like that, and maybe we can get through to her.Our totally unrelated hobby of looting the graves of dogs finally pays off. That's... kind of disgusting. What're you showing me that for?"It belonged to Jess's dog. They were very close." Hm. That might work. Give it here. Jess? Do you recognize this? Auuugh! Mary Jane? That was her name? Can you tell me about her? Auuugh! I... yeah. That sucks. That really really sucks. Dana shouldn't have done that, but you can't do anything about it now. It's out of your control. You see that, right?The last ghost lowers its arms. That's it. Thaat's it. I just need you to think about that for a bit. Okay? Right. I think that did it. She's... calm. She's ready. Okay. That's the last of 'em. Here goes everything. Guys? *whistle* Oh thank GOD. KayKay! Get in here! It's safe. God, it's good to see you. You've met everyone? This is Eli. That's Vicki. And that's Paige. Wait. Duh. You guys can't see KayKay, can you?"Nope. Sorry." Well, she's right behind you. Um. Now she's on your other side. Now she's... KayKay. Stop messing around. Anyway. There's just one more thing I need to do. Then I'm going out to eat about a dozen steaks. Hey, guys? Dana? Art? Jess? I want you to meet my friend. Her name's KayKay. I know you all have had a rough few months, but it's almost over. Just take her hand. Okay? One at a time. Later...   *burp* I feel almost human again. Almost makes me... never mind."You know you can talk to me, Logan. You always could."  Never did it sober, tough. It's different now. I would have died in there if you hadn't shown up. It was nothing, Logan. It's our job. That's not what I'm getting at. You guys. You.... do this all the time? *sigh* More than we used to, for sure. I'd... like to join you. KayKay too, obviously. Is that possible? We don't want to be caught like that ever again."I've known Logan for years. I can vouch for him." To be fair, I wasn't exactly... the same back in those days. Of COURSE you can join us. Who would miss the chance to work with a real life Bestower? Our boss won't like it, but he can go stuff himself. Um. Why's that? He says that death is part of the mundane world. So it's not our jurisdiction. I used to agree. But after tonight? We need all the help we can get."That settles it. Welcome to the Unavowed, Logan."  KayKay's here, too. Don't forget that. Do you have a place to stay, Logan? I've got a place in the neighborhood. Great. You go home and get some sleep. We'll meet up first thing in the morning. I'm... looking forward to it.
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Jan 16, 2020 09:03
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I'm not saying they deserved to be murdered by a demon or anything, and I know we didn't see them at their best, but I didn't like those people. I don't think we would be friends. I meant to post this sooner but I had a headache for almost a week, so I wasn't feeling up to it. Sorry about that.
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Jan 16, 2020 09:06
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Black Robe posted:Logan and KayKay need to be in the party at all times now, by the way, because the girl is the best character and I'm guessing can't communicate with us without her medium.
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Jan 16, 2020 11:14
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 The orb bobs up and down before darting out the door as soon as we stand up. "???" You are awake. Good. I have a question. Of a... personal nature. I hope you will answer it."Ask away." I appreciate you humoring me. Our missions have taken a very... personal nature. At least, as far as you are concerned. These visions you have seen of your demon-self. Could you tell me how they make you feel?"I am honestly not sure what to think yet." If that is honestly what you feel, then I can respect that. Thank you for sharing."Sure. Did you see a little blue... thing... fly by?" Yes. That would be KayKay, Logan's spirit guide. I admit, I was surprised to see her as well. Eli has a theory. He can explain it better than I."How's Logan fitting in?" It was... difficult for my father to accept a Bestower, but he understands the necessity. I am certain Logan will prove himself. As you have."Why were you so curious to know how I feel?" My concern is for your welfare. We must all watch out for each other, since nobody else will. One day, you will do the same for me."Any thoughts on that last mission?" I confess, hearing tales of putting lost souls to rest always gives me a certain... satisfaction. I can see the appeal in being a Bestower. Yet, I am glad I am not one."I'll leave you to it." I will see you at the meeting. Hey. Shouldn't you get some sleep? We all need to be fresh tomorrow."Um. It IS tomorrow." It is? Jesus. I really should put a clock down here."Burning the midnight oil?" Oh. A fire pun. Never heard that one before. I was reading about ghosts. Trying to learn more about the geists we saw. There must be millions of old texts and tomes on the subject. None of them have anything approaching solid facts. Still. There's GOT to be something. Somewhere."You seem to be taking this rather personally." Lost ghosts are turning geist on us. Of COURSE I'm taking it personally. What human being wouldn't? *sigh* I... really shouldn't let this stuff get to me. I've outlived a lot of people. I buried my wife over sixty years ago. Heck, my kids are in their 60s. I'm probably going to outlive them, too. And that's... okay. I've made my peace with it. But GEISTS? That their souls could be... twisted like that? I don't like it. Not at all."We have Logan now. If the worst happens, he'll help." I don't know him like you do, but I hope you're right."How is Logan fitting in?" He's an impressive guy. He's been out there for almost a year, all by himself. I think he's finally happy to have some backup."And KayKay?" Turns out we can see her now. Well, sort of."How?" Because Logan's officially joined the Unavowed! All members of the Unavowed share a spiritual bond, albeit a slight one. Logan and KayKay have a strong spiritual bond. It's what enables him to see and speak to her. Now that we're all linked, we're getting some... spillover, I guess. We can't speak to her, but we can kind of see her."Any thoughts on our last mission?" Seeing those geists with my eyes was bad enough, but I can only imagine what Logan saw. Once upon a time I wished I had a Bestower's power. Not anymore."Could you tell me about your family?" You don't know many parents, do you? Never ask a dad about his kids. He won't shut up. But yeah. You probably saw the pictures on the wall. I have two girls. Julie and Gloria. They look... quite a bit different now."Are they Fire Mages too?" ... No. No they aren't. Thank God for that. They... don't exactly know about that. And they never will. They, um, think I'm dead. I faked my death, remember? When my power manifested, it attracted... the Hunters. The ones I told you about. The Hunters of Aldin. Creatures dedicated to hunting down all Fire Mages. That's why there are so few of us. They would have hurt my kids unless I died. So I did."I'm sorry. That must have been hard." Yeah. still is."I'm curious about that wedding picture." Well, I can't deny that's me. Almost seventy years ago, that was taken. The cancer came about five years later. She was gone a few years after that. Donna was... young. Thirty-one? Seems so... mundane, doesn't it? When I think about all the things I've seen since. Just goes to show you don't need magic or monsters for something to be terrible."So you raised your kids by yourself?" Why is everyone always so surprised when they hear that? Yeah, I raised them both. Got them into a school near my office. We... figured it out."Tell me about them." Heh. I DID warn you about asking a dad about his kids, right? Well, here's the cliffnotes version. Gloria married a realtor and moved to Florida. They're both retired now. Julie got bit by the wanderlust bug and it hasn't let go. She hasn't settled down and probably never will. They... turned out fine. Dad or no dad."You keep tabs on them?" Once in a while. I might not be in their lives, but I'm still their father. What kind of dad would I be if I didn't watch out for them?"I'll leave you to it." Sorry for the brooding. See you at the meeting. Logan is relaxing on the sofa and fiddling with his phone. Whenever Logan has his phone out like this we can hear the Trollgate theme playing behind the regular background music. KayKay is slowly bobbing up and down.  Hey. You're finally up. You guys keep some late hours around here. Although... you used to work some pretty late shifts at Sammy's, didn't you?"You settling in okay?" This place is... well, I'm not sure I have the words. Either way, I'm here and I'm ready to help out. Anyway. I was told there'd be a meeting or something? Just let me know when it starts."What are you doing with your phone?" You ever hear of Trollgate? Some online game thing. KayKay is a... little obsessed with it. Oh don't deny it, KayKay. You totally are. You make me play this thing every chance we get. Anyway, that's what I'm doing. Role-playing a pink troll in a fairytale land, zapping goblins with magic. Okay. Okay. KayKay says they aren't goblins. They're called WHITTIKANS. Yeesh. Such a nerd. What? You are."That ball of light next to you..." That's no ball of light. That's KayKay. Seems you guys can see her? Eli was saying it was because we're all linked now or something. You'd have to ask him. I couldn't understand two words of it."Any thoughts on that last mission?" I think I'm just happy to walk more than two feet in any direction. I'm eager to MOVE. You need me to run out for coffee or pizza or anything? Just say the word."Could we talk about yourself?" I suppose we did lose touch after I stopped coming to the bar, huh? I did miss you and Sammy. But I was... kind of a mess back then. As you might remember."You weren't THAT bad." Oh yes I was. No need to sugar coat it. Jonah and I tore that place apart every weekend. I'm still on the wagon, though. I'm thankful for that. Thankful every day. Six years now. And with luck, one day more."I'm so sorry about Jonah." I am too. Sorry that he's dead. Not about anything... you did. KayKay was there. She told me what happened. It wasn't your fault. For what it's worth, he didn't become a lost ghost. He's... at peace."KayKay was there? In the bathroom with me and Jonah?" Yeah. She was Jonah's spirit guide at the time. She tried to stop it, but... Sorry. Talking about this upsets her. Let's talk about something else."How long have you been a Bestower?" About a year, give or take. One day I got the worst headache of my life. Then KayKay appeared and everything made a lot more sense."Things made sense after KayKay appeared?" Yeah. With Jonah. You know? He'd been acting strange for weeks. Jumping at shadows. Staring at stuff that wasn't there. I begged him to talk to me, but how could he? I wouldn't have believed him. You saw how he ended up. He just... couldn't handle it. When he died, I inherited his gift. And KayKay. She explained everything. Jonah wasn't crazy. He never was. And accepting this... gift? It's the only way I can honor him. So here we are."So aside from being a Bestower, you're mundane. Like me." I was never anyone particularly special. And honestly? I'm still not. So am I mundane? Sure. Mundane as mud."Can I ask you about KayKay?" Is... is that okay? She says it's okay."Why does she bob up and down like that?" She says she doesn't know, but honestly? I think she's messing with me. Why? Because you're ALWAYS messing with me."What does she look like?" Oh yeah. You only see a ball of light, right? I see a little girl. About ten years old. I... really? You sure it's okay? Well, okay. I have a picture on my phone of what she looked like. You know, when she was alive. She says it's cool if you want to see."I'd love to see the picture."  "She was so... young." I know. She was ten. Just... try not to make a big thing of it, okay?"How did she die?" ... Look, you never spoke to a ghost before, so you can't know this. You don't ask a ghost how they died. You just don't. It really upsets them. So... let's not do that, okay?"Okay. See you around, Logan. You too, KayKay." Talk later. Now where were we...He goes back to playing Trollgate and we walk over to Vicki. You know, I nearly puked the first time I saw that ghost in Vinny's alley. But... now I know that it was just...lost. I'm glad Logan's on the team. Nobody deserves that. Nobody."Any thoughts on that last mission?" It's infuriating. Somewhere in Gun Hill precinct is some poor cop assigned to the Eddings house case. He'll never solve it. Ever. An unsolved case like that can haunt a cop their entire career. Make them hate themselves. Drive them to drink. I want to drop an anonymous tip in the mail, but what the hell do I say? "A demon did it?"I guess they'll never figure out the real reason for all of it, but I feel like they probably had enough evidence to close the file as murder, murder, suicide. I guess I just have to live with it.Kalash turns around. A Bestower and spirit guide. In the Unavowed hall. More evidence that times are changing."Should we not have invited him to join?" I did not say that. I merely have... reservations. Bestowers deal with death. Mundane, mortal death. It is messy, fraught with emotion, and rarely pleasant. But... times are changing rapidly. We must adjust in kind. So. Shall we start the meeting?"Call the meeting."  So you met the new guy? The Bestower? Yes I have. Did I read the report correctly? You battled three poltergeists for two days and survived? Um. I wouldn't call it battling. I just kind of... sat there. Regardless. Anyone else entering that house would have been killed. You being there saved lives. ... Well, I was where I needed to be. That's all. No doubt. HOWEVER. A poltergeist should never have formed in the first place. Let alone three! How did this happen?"It was my demon. Again." *sigh* Of course it was. The demon turned the residents against each other. Then encouraged them to kill each other. Somehow, in the midst of all that... nasty, their souls got corrupted. Made them go geist. But again. We return to our old question. WHY? Why is the demon doing this? To what end? I admit, I am... confused. Have we exhausted every lead? Spoken to every witness? Is there anybody left? Well, not for nothing, but I got a ping on those prints from the Village Eye basement. A... ping. That is good, I assume. His name was Harry Taylor. 62 years old. Petty thief. Homeless since '09. Dropped off the radar about a year ago. I guess we know what happened to him. And this is relevant? I dunno. A name is more than we had before."No problem is unsolvable. At least until closing time." Time is closing in around us. I can only hope we are not too late. You all know your duty. Report back when you have new information. Meeting adjourned. ... Did he just- Yes.Time to take Logan to talk to Harry Taylor. And we can't have an all-newbie team, so we'll need either Mandana or Eli to babysit. So who will it be? Tiggum fucked around with this message at 11:46 on Jan 18, 2020 |
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Jan 18, 2020 05:48
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Black Robe posted:I still like Eli better even if it is Mandana's turn.
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Jan 23, 2020 07:03
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 They don't have wifi in the tunnels yet. So no. Sorry. Huh? Nothing. KayKay wants me to turn on Trollgate, but there's no signal down here. Kids and screens, right? Gotta set limits. I dunno about that. I figure if you die, you should be allowed to play as many videogames as you want.... So Logan. Is KayKay standing still? Or is she moving with the subway? What do you mean? She's not actually STANDING on the floor, right? So what's keeping her here? I mean, magic or not. That's just basic physics. I... don't know. I guess physics don't really apply to dead people? What do you think, KayKay? Heh. What? What did she say? Oh. She burped. Loudly. Huh.... Uh. Vicki? KayKay can see you staring, you know. Crap. Sorry, kid. ... Vicki. You're still doing it. Well, tell her to quit bouncing around like that. It's distracting. You can tell her yourself, you know. She's right there. *sigh* Hey KayKay, can you stop bobbing up and down? Please? She said no. Yeah, I guessed that.... No. Not now. Maybe later. Eh? Not you. KayKay keeps asking to see that movie. "Squirrel Team 13: Squirrels in London." They're still making those? I saw the first with my brother Mitch when I was, like, ten. We made our dad play the theme song in our car for months. Great. You HAD to mention the theme song. Now she's gonna be singing it all day. Heh. Sorry.... drat it. What? Is everything okay? Just checked the score. The Yanks are down 1 in the 6th inning against the Sox, so no. You're a baseball fan? Have you met a cop family? The order of religions is Catholic, Football, Baseball. Heh. I used to take my kids to games in the summer time. Back when the Mets were worth rooting for. Sorry, that was when again? Ouch. Logan! Jeeze where have you been? Uh... We missed you at the last few meetings. We've been worried. Dude. It's call Alcoholics ANONYMOUS for a reason. Oh. Crap. Sorry. It's fine. Whatever. I'll be at the next one. Promise. Gonna hold you to that.  So Eli. You know about Bestowers? About folks like me? A bit. The records are spotty, but there are some. What do they say? Nothing that's relevant anymore. The supernatural world has changed. You mean things got better? Or worse? Things got... busier. I'll say that much. Well, keeping busy is important. So I'll take it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srN7fsZrUio  This is, um, not what I expected to see down here. Hey. You look a bit lost. Maybe we can help. Hello? Who's there?"Eli? Did you hear the ghost talk?"  I did! We must be getting some psychic spillover from Logan. We should have hired a Bestower years ago.Probably could have saved Rosangela some trouble too.  Shhh! Let me work, here. I... I... what's going on? Who are you? I'm Logan Brown. This is KayKay. I don't know you. You don't know me. You shouldn't be here. Are you Harry Taylor? ...you know me? I know of you. Oh. I see. So it worked! What do you mean, "it worked"? The pain. It's all gone. The ritual must have worked. Thank God. Whatever happened here... I don't think it worked. I'm sorry. But... but it HAD to. The master promised. Jordon. Wendy. They all promised... All I had to do was bleed a little. Just a little. Wendy lifted the knife and then... Oh. Yeah. I'm sorry. And you're here to... Help you the rest of the way. I see. Will it... will it hurt? No. The hard part's over. Just take KayKay's hand, okay? Okay.... All right. He's gone.Suddenly the room shakes. Um. Does that usually happen? No. No that never happens. Maybe we should get out of here? I was about to suggest the same thing. A voice from the back of the room demands to know "Who disturbs my grove?"   Ah. Melkhiresa. It is you. I was wondering if you would ever come back. Have you brought more worshippers at last?"Melkhiresa?" That is you, is it not? I would recognise those pouty lips anywhere. That spirit was the only worshipper I had left, and you destroyed him! Worshipper? That was no worshipper. He was just someone who needed help. So we helped him. Hm. A Bestower. Rare as hen's teeth, you are. You can not resist your nature. I can not fault you. Nevertheless. Melkhiresa and I had an ARRANGEMENT."My name isn't Melkhiresa." That was the name you gave me. The one you made our bargain with. Have you forgotten EVERYTHING? The power to heal in exchange for worshippers. THAT was our arrangement. Do you intend to honor it? Look. Whatever deal you made, it wasn't with her. A Fire Mage? I thought Aldin's hunters put you all to death. You keep interesting company, Melkhiresa. I believe I understand now. You joined THEM. The Unavowed. The ones who banished me to the North Woods."The North Woods is 80 blocks north of here." I KNOW this. This grove was created with magic that I gave you. Making it an extension of my domain in the North Woods. Completely in line with the terms of my banishment, if not the spirit of them. But that's Jinns for you. Always so literal. Wait. Jinn? You saying Mandana banished you? I speak of Kalash. Does he still live? Sure he does. I'll tell him hi. We're done here. Now let us go, before I burn this place to the ground. No. I don't believe so.Vines grow up from the floor, grab Eli and drag him down into the ground. Jesus! Bestower. Melkhiresa. You are free to go. Tell Kalash to come to my grove in the North Woods. I want to renegotiate the terms of our agreement. Galene of the North Woods. It has been... awhile. It should have been me. Why was I left behind? Eli is NOT a fighter. Leading him into danger was irresponsible. And would you have fared better? I do have SOME experience in combat, father. You weren't there. It happened too quick. There's nothing you could've done. Perhaps. Perhaps not. Guys. We need facts. We need data. Who is this tree-lady anyway? You said you imprisoned her? It was centuries ago. This city was just forming. It was taking over her forest. She... resented it. She was a danger. She was... hurting people. Killing them. She had to be contained."How was she able to overpower Eli so easily?" Good question. Can't Eli throw fire? How'd he get taken by a thing made of WOOD? Galene is cunning. Her experience extends back thousands of years. If she could not defend against fire magic by now, I would be disappointed. But rest assured. Galene WILL pay for taking Mage Beckett."She said she wants to 'renegotiate terms.'" If she wants to negotiate, that means she has something to negotiate WITH. In other words, Eli is alive. I have no doubt. I'm coming with you father. I will hear no argument. I would not dream of saying otherwise."I'm going too." Yes. Galene knows you. Or at least, she knows the demon that was within you. That can definitely be used to our advantage. And get some answers in the bargain. Hey, KayKay and I were THERE when everything went down. We're going too. You ain't leaving me behind either. This is a NEGOTIATION. Not a battle. Only the three of us are needed. But... your zeal is appreciated."This is a trap, right? It's obviously a trap." No poo poo. You don't invite the enemy to your door without a reason. You forget that I defeated her once, when her forest covered the entire island. Now she has only a tiny grove. Her power is a mere fraction of what it was."Okay. So let's go." Yes. The sooner the better. Good luck out there. Be safe. Father. Have you... renewed your veil recently? I do not believe so. Ah. Well. Perhaps... you should renew your veil? Later. We have more important things to worry about. Mage Beckett and Galene are the task ahead. Anything else is trivial. You are... not wrong. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCTXqDfbCaU  Galene! You have requested an audience. I am here.... GALENE! Welcome, O High and Mighty Jinn. As a welcome, it is a poor one. Show yourself! I cannot leave my grove, remember? You saw to that. But I have your pet Mage. He is in good condition. Mostly! LEAVE HIM BE!Mandana draws her sword. Is that little Mandana? My how you've GROWN. You were just a sapling when I saw you last. I grew up. That you have. You keep interesting company, Kalash. Come to my grove. We have MUCH to discuss. Sheathe that sword. She is baiting you. We are here to NEGOTIATE. With all due respect, father. Words will NOT work with her. And you know it. Eli! Stay strong!Mandana runs ahead. Mandana! STOP! *sigh* I blame her mother for this. Let us follow her.  Eli! Wake up. We're here. He is... not responding. The vines. They are drugging him. Keeping him asleep. No matter. I'll soon make short work of them. It will take mere seconds for my pets to crush them to death. Can you free them in time? Galene! Show yourself! Kalash. You've gotten old. I have evolved. You are just as petulant as ever. You expect me to be overjoyed to see you? Grateful? You took my FOREST. And I want it BACK."You want the North Woods?" This tiny scrap? What do you take me for? What do you want, Galene? What does anyone want from a jinn? I want a wish. ..."You grant wishes, Kalash?" ... Silence. The last refuge of a Jinn who cannot bear the truth. My forest once covered this entire island. It shall be so again. THAT is my wish. Out of the question. Would you let your precious minions die instead? ..."You can turn New York into a forest, but you can't just KILL HER?" I... cannot. A jinn's power does not work like that. You want a wish, Galene? Then you must FIGHT for it. Here is your wish, Galene. In physical form. As long as I live, it will remain encased in crystal. Face me in combat. Kill me, and the crystal will break. Granting you what you desire. I have your daughter and pet Mage at my mercy. Why should I bargain with you? Kill them and your wish will never be granted. You will remain trapped here. Forever. What say you?"What are you DOING?" Serving the Unavowed. I cannot let them perish. Not while it is in my power to save them. The traditional Rules of Engagement apply? They do. Then I accept. Let this woman be the witness. It is done. Then let us begin. I am ready Kalash. Whenever you are. As Kalash's axe strikes Galene she shatters and blows away. Hmph. Like a toothless hound. All bark. No bite."That was surprisingly easy." Easy for YOU, perhaps. I haven't swung an axe in centuries. Now to the business at hand. Freeing our friends. Augh! You really thought I could be so easily defeated? HERE. In my own grove? I draw my LIFE from this place. As long as IT lives, so do I.She drops him. So tired so soon? Get up. Give me your best shot.Kalash strikes again, and again Galene is seemingly destroyed. I... feel strange. Something is wrong. What... is... it?"Are you all right?" I feel... odd. That is certain."Can't you call this off?" Absolutely not. The Rules of Engagement... they cannot be broken. They must be obeyed to the letter."The Rules of Engagement?" You... don't know the rules? No. Of course you don't. Here. Take it. QUICK. Galene reappears and strikes Kalash again. Feeling dizzy, Kalash? Tired? What... are you doing to me? Conium maculatum. Have you heard of it? Hemlock... Yes. My own personal strain. Concentrated so densely it can even weaken the mighty jinn. Now get up, old man. I've been waiting centuries for this.When Kalash strikes Galene again we take the opportunity to grab Mandana's sword. This is... this is... not going as planned.Galene strikes Kalash again. Don't worry. With bed rest and plenty of fluids, the toxins will just drain out of your body. But you have to kill me first. Now get up and fight.He hits her once more. Maybe... I killed her... this time? ... Ah. The terms of engagement. You've found the loophole.Whomever deals the death blow shall be declared the winner. It doesn't say that it has to be one of the combatants. Obviously that would be the reasonable interpretation, but we're dealing with a Jinn here. Taking the literal interpretation rather than the common sense one is kind of their thing. "Is there no other way?" There is ALWAYS another way. Perhaps we could think of some, given enough time. But time is luxury we do not have. I can not defeat her. That is the truth. So do it. Be declared the winner. You will be granted one wish. Use it wisely. Through the neck. It is... quickest. Hurry! Before she reforms."So I just wish you alive again when I'm done. Right?" NO! The wish will be powered by my death. Negate that, and the paradox could tear a hole in the universe! You will be given a great power. PLEASE don't waste it."Mandana will never forgive me." She is my daughter. She will see the truth of it. What? Impossible! You CHEAT! That wish was MINE! "You made me kill Kalash." He was about to die ANYWAY. What? She... speaks true. Father is gone. And good riddance! Trapping me here. Did he think I'd stay QUIET? I would highly recommend it. Fine. LEAVE. You have your precious wish. Do with it what you will.But what will we do with our wish?  Do we wish for Galene to be made harmless, turned to stone, or dead?
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Jan 24, 2020 09:58
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Rockopolis posted:Admittedly, we don't know the full context of her original imprisonment, but it is uncomfortably similar to some insanely lovely colonialism. Black Robe posted:I can think of many more useful things to wish for. Why do we have to waste it on crazy plant lady. Rockopolis posted:Wish Jonah had never found that book? And now, the winning choice: Polaron posted:Peace Update should be some time tomorrow.
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Jan 30, 2020 06:02
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 "I wish for this grove to be one of peace. You will harm no one. Ever." Sweet. Well-intentioned. And futile. Yes, I remain trapped here, but your precious Unavowed remains crippled. I consider this a victory. I will find a way out again. It may take centuries. It may take millennia. But I will find a way out! You would let her live? After... everything? You would let her live? Mandy. Kalash wouldn't want... Don't you dare tell me what my father wouldn't want! Not even *I* know that. I am... sorry. I... No. No I am NOT sorry. My father is dead. I... want to go home now.We wake the next evening and head downstairs. Mandana is just coming up from the basement and heading into the meeting room. She doesn't see us, so we'll go talk to Eli first.  The knife bobs up and down in the air. Eli gazes down at it; his brow furrowed with concentration. Hm? Oh. Hi. I'm just... scanning the knife again."I, um, just saw Mandana walk out of your room..." It seems pretty weird to me to infer anything from that given that we come down here to talk to him all the time. Oh. Um. You saw that, huh? Well, no point in denying it."So. You and Mandana are..." What? Oh no. It's nothing like that. Er, well maybe it IS kind of like that. It's complicated. Well, maybe not that complicated. Just... leave it. Okay?You're both grown adults. You don't need to explain or justify yourselves.  "Are you all right?" Me? I'm fine. I'm working. So yeah. I'm all right."You're obviously not fine, Eli. You don't have to pretend. Not with me." I'm NOT pretending. I'm just... *sigh* You really want to know how I feel? I want to burn the North Woods to the ground. Then when there isn't a twig or weed left, I'll flambe that dryad like a fancy cake. ... Did... I ever tell you about Aldin? My great-grandfather?"You might have mentioned him." Well, he's on my mind a lot. As a cautionary tale more than anything else. I always wondered... what made him that way? What made him decide that turning villages of people to ash was a good idea? He lived a long, long time. Long even for a Mage. But he was still human. Maybe he suffered one loss too many? Will that be me one day? I don't know."You're YOU, Eli. You aren't anybody else." Fifty years ago I was an accountant with two daughters. Today I'm a Fire Mage with the Unavowed. Tomorrow? Who knows what I'll be. I've lost a lot of people in my life. I thought I'd come to terms with it, but it never gets easier. Jesus. I'm making this all about me, aren't I? Poor Mandana."I'll see you at the meeting, Eli." Uh uh. Sure. Logan and Vicki are in the middle of a hushed conversation.  She just needs time. Seems easy enough to give it to her. Yeah. Well. I feel for her, I really do. But the whole operation was dumb from the start. That's hardly fair. I mean, I didn't know Kalash well, but he seemed to know what was what. He was cocky. He should have brought us along. We could have helped. How? She couldn't be killed. Not in the normal way."You couldn't have stopped her. She was too powerful." You can't know that for sure. I'm just saying. Numbers. We could've made a difference. Maybe. But wondering "what-if" is like a growing an orchard in the desert. ...you mean fruitless? Uh. Yeah. My old sponsor used to say that. Jesus. Remind me to never quit drinking. Anyway, what now? We have a briefing or what?"There's still a demon to find."  drat right there is. We'll be here. Just call us when it's time. The bottle on the mantelpiece is just a bottle now. Whatever power it once had is gone. Mandana stares into the fire. Her expression unreadable. It is... strange. Father did not speak much, and yet this room feels so silent without him."I killed Kalash. I am so sorry." I... do not blame you. I see the truth of it. As father knew I would. His sacrifice saved us. He saved the Unavowed. Perhaps the city. Even still. Knowing that does little to make me feel better."I wish I got to know Kalash better." Getting to know my father would not have been easy, even if he lived. A jinn's mind is... a maze. Twisted and complex. Father was no different. Even I had... difficulty understanding his thoughts. I suppose I am too human."I, um, saw you coming out of Eli's room..." Ah. I... cannot deny it. What you saw is true."So you and Eli are..." Yes. Although not in the way you imagine. Eli and I are... Oh, it is so DIFFICULT to describe feelings when one is forced to speak the truth. Feelings are so... messy. And complicated. Once in a while, we crave simplicity. Eli and I give that to each other. Once in a while. And last night, I... needed simplicity. Please. Let us speak no more of this."So what now?" The oncoming darkness still approaches, regardless of my personal tragedy. If the Unavowed has need of me, I will be here. It is literally the least I can do."Should we start a meeting then?" Yes. It is... time. Logan is not the same career drunk we remember. He's less restless. More determined. Eli appears to wait patiently. The steam wafting from his fingers betray his eagerness. Vicki is coiled up tighter than a cobra. Ready to spring at a moment's notice. Mandana is smiling slightly to herself. Eager to discover what lies ahead. This will be an... adjustment. That is certain. You doing all right? As... well as can be expected. Thank you. I have not lost sight of our goal. The demon still eludes us. But we got a name now, right? What'd you say it was? Mel something? Melkhiresa. Great. That's something. So what's our play?"The name Melkhiresa. Has anyone heard of it?" It is not a name I have heard of before. I did some scrying last night. From the bits I've been able to pick up, the name "Melkhiresa" is associated with... knowledge. Knowledge? What does that mean? I'm as lost as you are. The scry is still ongoing. Hopefully it can tell us more."Did you finish your scan on the knife, Eli?" I was hoping you'd ask that. We got lucky last time. The demon's energy signature had degraded so badly it was hard to pinpoint where it had been. But this time? I had its name. That made the scan ten times more precise. So you found more locations? Better. I pinpointed the point of most activity. The demon went all over the city, but there's one place it kept returning to again and again. I was even able to get an exact address. And that place is? 2220 Arthur Ave. In the Bronx. You're joking. You've gotta be joking. Does... that address mean something to you?"That's the address of Sammy's bar!" Really? The place where you got possessed? And where my brother and Sammy were shot."Why would Melkhiresa go back THERE?" Indeed. It does seem... remarkably risky. Look. I might not know a lot about demons, but the whole "returning to the scene of the crime" thing? It's bullshit. It never actually happens. So what the hell is going on?"We should get over to Sammy's and find out." *sigh* Sure. I'm ready when you are. Lead the way.Once again we must have either Eli or Mandana to lead this mission as the rest of us still lack experience. For the third member of the team we can take whichever of them we didn't take as our first pick, or we can choose Vicki or Logan. Write your two choices in order of preference because I'll take the first valid option from each of the winners.
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Jan 31, 2020 07:07
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Shei-kun posted:Mandana doing field work should hopefully help her cope with losing her father Mechanical Ape posted:and Vicki. Update tomorrow. Or possibly today (because I forgot how short this bit is). Tiggum fucked around with this message at 07:58 on Feb 4, 2020 |
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Feb 4, 2020 06:41
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 Vicki's eyes sweep over the former crime scene, taking in everything. Mandana stands at the ready. A sheaf of papers lies discarded on the floor.  I know the guys in the local precinct. Good cops, most of 'em. They went over this place with a fine-tooth comb. Twice. You really think we can find something they didn't? The portal pulses in an out with a consistent rhythm.  Don't answer that.Let's pick up those papers.  What did you find? Some handwritten notes. Looks like a journal. Answer honestly. Does that resemble your handwriting, Paige?"Yes. This is my handwriting." Then we now know for certain. Your demon was here. Well. Don't keep us in suspense. Read the thing.  A "fossil of a Jinn"? Come on. Let's keep reading.  This is madness. The demon was creating spiritual unrest. Filling the city with supernatural energy. This would explain why we have been so... busy in recent months. This demon has certainly been... busy. So the demon created a pocket realm. That must be where it went. And this is the portal, right? It looks like the one the General popped out of. Yes, but portals like this take tremendous will and energy to create. But... if one were to spend a year causing spiritual strife in the city, generating chaotic magical energy in the process... You mean, like our demon just did? Yes. Exactly like our demon just did. This was its plan."Can we unseal the portal?" No. It is beyond my power."So what now? Find a magic crowbar?"  That... doesn't really exist, does it? Cuz if it does, I want one. There are bonds of energy holding the portal closed. I can sense them. And the bonds have FRAYED. Frayed? Yes. And quite recently, too. Wait. This is because of US, isn't it? We're fixing all the stuff the demon screwed up. There's less mojo to hold this thing closed? Indeed."The notes mentioned three other neighborhoods..." Yeah. Chinatown, Wall Street and Prospect Park."Then we know where to go next." That's what I'm talking about. Let's get the hell out of here.So we have two decisions to make now: where to go and who to take.
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Feb 4, 2020 09:03
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Regallion posted:I'm very slightly miffed that we are re-voting on a party after a segment where your party composition clearly mattered very little. You at least get some different dialogue and see a bit of the chosen characters' personalities. And in the end, the game is always going to be pretty similar regardless of player choices because that's just the reality of video games.
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Feb 4, 2020 09:27
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By popular demand posted:Chinatown Black Robe posted:Logan Update some time tomorrow.
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Feb 10, 2020 08:33
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