Main Floor
Upper Floor
Lower Floor
Now that the truth of the situation is understood by everyone, Granite Spear proceeds through the inner door from the greeting/changing room and into the main chamber. Widjgleeby follows close behind, thankful that the doors and fixtures were clearly designed with Farbetts in mind. The Mon'Fargret/Ham/Lirassa group also moves on into the house.
A very embarrassed Dabid remains between the two groups, standing before a large, marble-lined staircase going up.
Betham, who is still out in the greeting/changing room, calls, "Stay alert! I can sense there are others in...UWAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!" The sound of him leaning heavily against one of the racks can be heard.
***
"Elder visions?" echoes Bina, looking at Gemma very intently. "What else did he say?"
Gemma seems distracted for a second or two. Then she looks at the disgraced priestess vacantly. "What? Who?"
"Gol'br'in," replies Bina patiently. "Did he ever say anything about...runes?"
"Runes?" echoes Gemma with puzzlement. Then she grins and gestures dismissal. "Oh, you mean those weird symbols he keeps drawing! Weird zone! He's on about that all the time! You mean you...wait..." She takes on a thoughtful look.
"It's just our group," says Bina. "They just linked up..." Her eyes suddenly go wide. "Flames of Goth!!!"
Mey'Luskar gasps and jumps. "What was that?"
"I think your cop friend found the one they're hiding," says Gemma nonchalantly.
114 comments:
I am going to turn around and see what Betham is all screamy about.
Betham is leaning against one of the racks holding his head. Seeing Widjgleeby, he looks up sheepishly and says, "Something...attacked me..."
Zeton tries to match Bina's calm and patient tone, "Hiding? Gol'br'in is hiding someone... or something here? Do you know who it might be and why are they hiding them?"
Gemma looks at Zeton incredulously. "Of course I don't know! If I did, they wouldn't be hidden very well, would they?" She gestures annoyance and sighs.
"Whoever it was," says Bina, "turned our own mind senses against us."
"Against Betham," adds Mey'Luskar.
"He was the one probing up there," retorts Gemma. She gestures dismissal. "They didn't want to be probed!"
"Tell me more about those symbols Gol'br'in writes," says Bina.
Zeton politely backs away from Gemma and turns his attention to contacting Mon'Fargret, Lirassa and Betham, "OK, I know you are all aware we aren't alone. Gol'br'in and this group are hiding someone here. From what I can tell, Betham must have tried to probe with this mind and whoever is here, doesn't like to be probed. Gemma's not sure who is here, but keep your eye's open for any strange runes. Gemma says Gol'br'in has been drawing them recently."
"Well, I don't...I mean," stammers Gemma. "He draws them at parties and stuff. He uses them to tell fortunes. Or to protect us. At least that's what he says."
"Does he do anything besides draw them?" asks Bina. "Does he chant over them, or does he use an amulet or wand or something?"
Gemma thinks, playing with a lock of matted hair. Then she wrinkles her nose. "I don't remember. Maybe."
[Is the staircase in the illustration the one we came down from an upper floor when we followed Dabid up some stairs? If so...]
Mon'Fargret will move towards Betham to render assistance if needed.
[If not...]
Mon'Fargret, with pistol drawn, will quickly move to check the staircase for physical threats.
[Pls remind me where Gemma, Zeton, Bina, and Mey are relative to the illustration...]
ham just provides cover so that no one sneaks up on us from other avenues. I will stay apart from the group to make sure we are not altogether
[The staircase that M'F and the others climbed to follow Dabid is outside, leading up to the deck from the ground. (For reference, the stairway that Zeton and the others descended leads down to a lower level in the southwest tower, i.e. under the "changing room".) The large staircase in the middle of the house is being seen for the first time.]
Granite will try to usher Widjgleeby and Betham into the house so the door can be closed.
"Let us all get inside and shut this door so we aren't sniper targets at least!"
Okay...so now everyone in the party who isn't in the room in the southwest tower under the "changing room" is on the main floor of the house more or less in front of the main staircase. Everything is quiet...and dark.
[Incidentally, the blacked-out area immediately south of the stairway is another open chamber. I'll remove the black as the party comes to see more.]
The main floor of the house doesn't smell nearly as bad as the workers' apartment did. There is a mild aroma of dust and mildew mixed with spice and what may be incense. In the main parlor to the north there is a smell of either floral potpourri or room freshener.
Granite shudders at the scent of potpourri, and makes an effort to focus on the staircase leading up. "I suppose we should secure the house before looking for the tunnels, she says to the group in Yangae. Anybody have any intelligence on the layout upstairs?"
"If I remember right from the records I looked at," says Betham a little groggily, "the upper floor is mainly bedrooms...and living area. Maybe a wet bar, too."
"Bina, do you believe Gol'br'in is using runes as a way to protect people? If there is anything I can do to help you determine what, or how, Gol'br'in is using them, please let me know."
Bina's only reply is a haunted look.
[Couple of questions about the map. To the west, is that a door? If it is, Granite would like to check that out now, assuming the door is unlocked.
Regarding the black area between the staircase and the patio, I assume that's a wall just to the east of the front door, and that's why we can't see in there.]
[As I mentioned a few comments ago, there is no wall to the east. The area between the stairs and the patio is open. It's just dark in there, and no one has bothered to look yet.]
[Yes, that is a door to Granite Spear's left. The gold rectangles are generally doors unless otherwise indicated.]
Granite Spear approaches the nearest door on the west wall. It is larger and more elaborately adorned than the other doors seen inside so far. It opens easily. Inside is a squarish room (filling the rectangular area between the two towers, with a door leading south into the "changing room" and open to the north). There are shelves on the walls. There are also a couple of cabinets. The shelves contain what look like bath towels, washcloths, and bathrobes...though a lot of them are scattered about the room. On the north side of the room, on both the ceiling and the floor, there is a wide, rectangular housing that parallels what would have been the north wall (but there is no north wall. Granite Spear reasons that this must be a Hergoth-style "shower curtain", i.e. it washes you as you pass through it on your way to a bath).
Beyond, to the north, the room opens directly into the northwest tower. Granite can't see in there, but she can definitely smell water.
Granite will enter the bathing area with the intent of making sure there is nobody hiding in here. She will first check the southernmost portion of that room, and then approach the bath itself carefully. Is the water clean/clear? Does the plumbing appear intact and functional?
The room appears to be empty.
As for the bath itself, Granite can see with her thermal vision even before getting near it that the water is warm. It doesn't take her long to find the control unit for both the bath and the shower curtain. The panel is quite active. The LEDs are lit, and the display shows that the heating and processing unit for the bath is engaged.
Granite will exit the room and converse with the party. "For an abandoned plantation, this place appears to be pretty active. I suspect someone was preparing for a hot bath before we got here..." Granite will close the door, and head over to the darkened area south of the staircase.
[Granite can't help but wonder why Nekshi is being so quiet, but assumes that perhaps she is still a bit shaken from the earlier ambush.]
"What, you mean there's power?" says Lirassa incredulously. She huffs with irritation and then asks, "How do you say, 'Lights on,' in Her-galad?"
Betham says it.
The lights come on.
I'm going to continue to follow Granite Spear but at a bit of a distance.
The area south of the staircase is a typical Hergoth household altar for the Kai-Tempuera faith...though a bit bigger and fancier than most. The altar itself is situated on the south wall beneath windows looking out onto the patio. The north side of the chamber is a large closet, one door of which is open to reveal shelves with a few scattered items (such as packs of incense and a couple of empty drink bottles).
Though all of the house you've seen so far has been cluttered with trash, the altar chamber is clean. The altar itself is spotless.
A stump of an incense stick is smoldering in the burner.
"Wait a minute...," says Betham from under Widjgleeby's arm. "What in flames are those?" He edges closer to the altar and points at a ribbon of paper someone has placed there. It bears a number of weird, intricate symbols hand-drawn with ink.
(The altar room passes through to a chamber on the other side of the staircase, but it is still dark.)
Mon'Fargret will quietly ascend the steps looking for threats and keeping with pistol drawn. His objective is to secure and search that section.
Zeton walks over to Pru and asks, "It seems the rest of the group is exploring to make sure this place is secure. Shall we make sure there's nothing down here to worry about?"
Zeton gestures toward the only exit leading out of the servants room to the unexplored areas of the house.
"Whatever," says Pru with a shrug and a huff. "I have a feeling I'm not gonna like it no matter which way we go."
"Yeah, I agree, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I only hope we don't take too long securing the house. Adulie's captures aren't going to wait around for us to show up and I'm concerned we may arrive too late."
With that, Zeton moves to the door, listens for any activity on the other side and then opens it.
The door opens with only a little protest from its hinges. Beyond is a pitch black corridor.
Mon'Fargret climbs the grand staircase of polished metamorphic rock and reaches the second floor. Once there, he finds himself in a chamber or passage, the northern half of which contains numerous works of art and a couple of glass(?) cases with what may be valuable items in them. There are ample windows on the north and south ends, and the glow from the veranda is providing some light.
Dabid follows close behind Mon'Fargret, glancing about nervously with his excellent night vision.
Zeton fishes around for his pocket flashlight. Once in hand, he turns it on and scans the corridor with the light.
"Any idea how we can turn the lights on down here?"
"What," says Pru with a smirk. "You think the lights actually work in this old wreck? Maybe we should just borrow that little lamp she's got back there." She jerks a thumb back into the room.
"Bina got the veranda lights on," reminds Mey'Luskar from the doorway.
Pru shrugs. "She did that witch stuff to do it, too. We don't know if it's witch power doing it."
"Which power or witch power?" Smiling, Zeton says aloud in Her-Galad, "Please activate the lights" and waits to see what happens.
If nothing happens, he'll continue to shine his flashlight around looking for another way to turn the lights on before proceeding down the corridor.
The lights don't come on in response to Zeton's command, but he does see what is obviously a light switch not far from the door. When he tries it, the lights come on, revealing a plain hallway. The floor near the servant flat is cluttered with bits of trash, mostly empty food and drink containers. A little further up, boxes and stowed goods can be seen.
"Well, I'll be..." says Pru with surprise.
Mey'Luskar crosses her arms and huffs. "I have a feeling this 'abandoned plantation' is not as abandoned as we think."
Zeton approaches the door directly in front of him and again listens for any sounds and then carefully attempts to open the door.
"I just hope every room as down here has functional lights like this hallway."
Once Zeton has found the light switch he'll check to see if the room contains anything interesting.
(I assume you mean the door going into the northwest tower, since that's the one directly in front of you in the picture.)
There's nothing to be heard. The door is a little sticky, but it opens after a little elbow grease is applied. Inside is what appears to be another worker's apartment, but with only one bed.
Interestingly, there's no trash in there, though there is quite a bit of dust on everything.
The mattress on the bed is slashed, and there are dark stains on it.
Zeton will carefully investigate the bed to see if there are any other clues to be found.
"Pru, do you think this stain might be blood? From all the accumulated dust, whatever happened here, happened awhile ago."
Pru takes a few steps into the room, her face a fetching shade of yuck.
"Could be," she says. Then she looks at Zeton thoughtfully. "Didn't Bina say something bad happened here?"
"Something terrible!" replies Mey'Luskar in a thin, shaky voice. She clutches herself and shivers.
Zeton activates his com device, "Mon'Fargret, we're exploring the lower floor and have just discovered a spot where someone was probably murdered or sacrificed. It wasn't recently, but be on your guard."
Zeton then checks the door to the south of the servants quarters to make sure it only leads to the corridor. If nothing else catches Zeton's eye, he'll check out the boxes and stowed goods in the hall before entering another room.
Granite will motion Nekshi over to the alter. ... wait, Nekshi's still in the servants quarters... Granite will raise Nekshi on the com, and ask her to join Granite in the Altar with the Candlestick. Professor Plum will then.... oh nevermind.
Assuming there is no issue with getting Nekshi front-and-center, she will then ask her if she's ever seen anything like the writing on the slip of paper there.
(I guess the only issue would be what route Nekshi takes to get there. Will she go back outside and come in through the front door, or try to go through the house?)
Infogeek
The door to the south of the servant quarters leads into what is obviously a Hergoth-style bath, no doubt for the workers living on the floor, but it is filled with what looks like some kind of hydroponic garden.
[The room where the 'terrible event' might have occurred was very dusty, so the room probably hasn't seen much use. Is the hydroponic garden neglected, or, or does it appear someone has been tending the garden?]
Mon'Fargret begins his sweep by checking the lower half of the picture. If he sees more open area he will check that first, otherwise he will move up into the gallery area and look around. If there is nothing, he will motion Dabid to go down the stairs but keep checking their flanks on the way down.
Mon'Fargret replies to Zeton, "Okay, I think we should wrap up quickly up here."
Dewkid
(Okay, to keep things rolling, I'll just assume Nekshi goes around outside since she's by the door. She's on her way now.)
Info Geek
The hydroponic garden in the bath is very much in use. Someone has obviously been tending it. The plants growing in it are quite fragrant, too.
Pru sniffs and says, "That smells familiar. Where...?"
Snabulus
Moving through an archway to the south into the area illuminated by the veranda lights, Mon'Fargret finds a wet bar. It's cluttered with trash (mostly paper dishes and empty drink containers). However, there are some bottles arrayed along the wall which still have liquid in them. There are also a few in a cabinet with a lock.
"What's in there?" asks Dabid from the archway.
"Pru, do you mean like a perfume, or an incense? Mey, do these plants look, or smell familiar to you? "
Zeton will use his pocket computer to try and identify which plant has the smell while Pru tries to remember where she has smelled this fragrance.
[Does Zeton recognize this smell? I'm hoping Zeton can take a picture and use a plant identification service, either online or an application on the computer, to recognize and provide info about the plants.]
(It smells familiar, but Zeton can't quite place it.)
"The lady doesn't know!" says Pru quickly.
"Oh, yes I do!" retorts Mey'Luskar. "This smell was all over that sewer that Gemma and her friends live in! It's just that now..."
"HEY-y-y-y!" comes a voice from back in the servants' apartment. Then Gemma can be heard hobbling her way closer. "I heard that! Don't forget that I have 'Herg' ears! Look, I may be a 'Gothie', but my Yangae isn't that bad! It's easy for you to say! You're not the one who had her whole flaming life bought out from under her and dumped in the sewer, are you? You think I came light years to live like this? HMMPH!!!"
"You took a gamble and lost," says Pru dismissively.
"But the gamble may have been rigged," adds Mey'Luskar. To Gemma she asks, "Do you know what that is?" She points toward the open door to the bath.
Gemma looks like she's been asked either the dumbest question of all time or the most dreadful. She takes a breath and says quietly, "The vine."
Ham has been shadowing Mon'Fargret and Dabid all this time making sure nothing appeared behind them as they passed into exploring the rest of the floorspace. The wet bar looks interesting in a "007" kind of way. Of course for Ibitonian that would be "Naught Nine"
(Ham followed them upstairs? I assumed he was still covering the rest of the group on the main floor, but that's no problem.)
Alas..the wet bar would be even more interesting if it weren't in such a cluttered and filthy state...
The wet bar is immediately behind two large glass(?) doors and basically a whole wall of windows looking out onto the veranda and beyond. Since the veranda is still lit, you can see the damage that was caused by Mon'Fargret's pulse laser and the big repeater pistol Granite Spear picked up. (The stun weapons wouldn't have caused much if anything in the way of physical damage.)
You can also see that there are two inert beings lying on the veranda deck, though they can't be seen clearly. One of them appears to be smoking...
(Incidentally, InfoGeek, Zeton's meson com unit most likely has video capability, meaning it can do image capture.)
"Ah... so this is the Vine. I've heard about it, but never expected to see it any time soon."
Zeton decides against taking any pictures with his meson com unit, but he does report in to Mon'Fargret about their discovery. After telling MF what they found he returns his attention to Mey, Pru and Gemma.
"I wonder if the people that ambushed us were trying to protect the Vine, or if they had other motives in mind... I guess we won't find out any time soon, eh? Well, shall we go see what is in the boxes before we check on the other rooms?"
Without waiting for a reply Zeton moves over to Gemma and holds out his arm toward her so she can support herself on it. "If you're going to join us, may I please help you get around?"
"Oh, that's very kind of you!" says Gemma, hobbling over to accept Zeton's arm. "Who ambushed you? Do you mean Tur'as? Or do you mean Dubul and whoever else was upstairs? Dubul isn't on the vine. She's not even Hergoth!" She giggles. "They shot at you because you got Yangae with you. You know?" She glances at Pru and Mey'Luskar. "Gol'br'in told us Yangae can't be trusted!"
Pru starts to say something, but Mey'Luskar interrupts her with, "In case you didn't notice, Dubul, or whoever it was, shot at you!"
Gemma furrows her brows in puzzlement. "Yeah..." she mutters. "I wonder why. She's got amazing eyes!"
(Meanwhile, on the main floor...)
Nekshi comes in through the front door and makes her way inside. Lirassa meets her at the changing room door and escorts her over to the altar where Granite Spear, Widjgleeby, and Betham are gathered.
Granite Spear starts to show Nekshi the paper with the strange symbols on it.
At the first glance, Nekshi freezes in her tracks. Her tiny eyes widen in fright. "A...are th.." Her throat seizes up. Shaking her head, she tries again. "Are those Runes of Power?"
(Meanwhile, upstairs...)
Mon'Fargret continues on between the wet bar and the curve of the veranda and sees that the passage continues through an archway to the northwest. There are a few more doors to be seen, too.
Dabid heads over to the bar and starts looking over its contents. Ham follows a short distance behind.
[Do the little dots across the hall indicate the archway, a bead curtain, or something else?]
Mon'Fargret acknowledges Zeton and continues to look around the corner. If he doesn't see any living beings, he will say to Ham, "Can you check those doors behind us? Dabid, can you double-check and make sure those people on the veranda are actually dead. Keep you head down, but see if anyone is coming from the outside too. I will start checking these rooms."
He will wait for acknowledgment.
[The row of dots is a bead curtain. The group came through one just like it when they entered the bar area. Sorry I neglected to mention that...]
Dabid mutters something under his breath while examining a bottle. Then he sniffs it, drains the last little trickle in the bottom, sets it back down, and heads out to the veranda with a resigned sigh.
Responding to the puzzled looks on everyone's face (Well, at least what she ASSUMES are puzzled looks behind Lirassa's helmet and Betham's hood as well as the generally non-expressive Farbett and Shurian faces, but ANYWAY...) Nekshi adds, "They're something I started to research, but I got distracted before I got very far. Actually, there are currently 317 partly-researched topics located in the tertiary levels of my higher memory, all of them saved in my middle lobe for safe keeping, but right now only one of them is relevant."
At that moment, Widjgleeby's stomach makes a most exquisite sound.
Nekshi eyes the Farbett thoughtfully, raises an eyebrow, and scratches her chin. "318," she mutters. "But still only one of them really matters. The Runes of Power! The Great Progenitors are believed to have drawn their power from a common source, one which apparently has a form of consciousness of its own. It can apparently be activated, controlled, and directed by use of complex mnemonic devices. The symbols are actually of a psychic nature, but they are rendered visually to give the uninitiated mind an easier focus."
She frowns.
"We've already encountered one! That Rune they showed us at the Temple...the one that's on that video spike Mey'Luskar had! It affected most of us...deactivating our conscious will to make us susceptible to psychic suggestion from a specific source! But these..." Her voice trails off.
"They give me the jimmus," says Lirassa with a shudder.
Nekshi frowns again. "319," she says. "If by that intriguing word you mean that the symbols make you feel uncomfortable, then my theory is correct."
"And your theory is...?" inquires Betham.
"I'm...frightened!" replies Nekshi, taking a few steps backward. "I'm unable to get nearer! It's obviously an instinctive response, just like my reaction to the Rune in the video! That must be the intent! I'm scared to death of them!"
Granite looks from Nekshi to the paper and then back again before wrapping her tentacles around Nekshi's waist, and dragging her back into the front entry way. "Are the runes safe to touch? Can I just destroy the paper?"
Nekshi calms again as soon as the Runes are out of sight. Scratching her chin thoughtfully, she says, "I can say with utmost confidence that I do not know. However, the Rune in the video had an immediate effect on those of us that were susceptible. As far as I'm aware, the only effect of those Runes in there was to make me too frightened to approach. I recall that Lirassa was only mildly affected by the Rune in the video, possibly because of her implant. That is no doubt why her only reaction to these Runes was to get the 'jimmus'."
Betham, who followed the pair to the entry area, says, "Those symbols didn't do anything to me. But wait...didn't they try to show that Rune, or whatever, when we were in Mas'Vallaf's place? I was under the impression that only the Yangae were in danger. You mean you were, too?"
Nekshi purses her lips and then consults her wrister. After a couple of thoughtful hums, she says, "I might have a theory about that."
Zeton escorts Gemma out of the makeshift greenhouse and back to the supply storage area. Once there, he'll carefully leaves Gemma by the door diagonally opposite the superintendent's quarters door.
"Let me check these boxes quickly to make sure there isn't anything of interest in them. You can never be sure what might be a useful clue or not."
If Pru and Mey have followed, then he'll try to coordinate the search to make sure they don't miss anything.
If nothing of interest is found, Zeton returns to Gemma and will again listen to the door before opening it, flashlight at the ready.
Zeton and Pru start their search in earnest. Mey'Luskar at first testily refuses to touch anything, but after a short while she joins with a resigned sigh.
Most of the boxes contain things like floor wax, bathroom cleanser, recharge cartridges for a room freshening system, lubricant spray, etc.. A few of them contain what look like old towels and dishes.
While the search is in progress, the door to the servants' quarters can be heard to slam, and then Bina walks into the storage area looking rather upset.
"What is it, dear sister?" asks Gemma.
Bina gestures dismissal and joins the search.
Mey'Luskar watches the disgraced priestess for a while, and then she says, "Oh, will you stop feeling sorry for yourself?"
Bina pauses with a sigh and hangs her head. "Thank you," she says quietly.
"Did Gol'br'in talk to you?" asks Gemma.
Bina gestures affirmative.
Stunned, Zeton stops with his hand rummaging inside a box and looks up at Bina. Without trying to hide his surprise he asks, "Wait... you've communicated with Gol'br'in? Just now?"
Pausing, Zeton tries to hide his embarrassment at being caught off guard by politely asking, "I realize this is going to sound pretty stupid but..., how upset is he with us?"
Before Bina can answer, Gemma asks excitedly, "Did you commune with him using your sense of the Oneness?"
"No," retorts Bina curtly. "He used this house's internal comm system."
Pru bursts out laughing.
Bina glares at her and then turns to Zeton. "How upset? Not at all! If anything, he seemed amused. It wouldn't surprise me. You'd have to be pretty messed up in the head to want to play with..." Her voice trails off. She turns again to the boxes, but then she lifts her arms and lets them fall to her hips with frustration. "There's nothing down here! We're wasting our time!"
Zeton quickly returns any items to the box he is searching and neatly closes the lid. While walking to Gemma, Zeton replies, "Bina's right, we need to get moving. I've been concerned with the time were spending here as well, but the investigator in me couldn't help but wonder if there might be some hidden clue to our situation down here."
Offering Gemma his arm for support and guiding her to the staircase, Zeton activates his comm unit and hails Mon'Fargret, Lirassa and Nekshi, "We're on our way up. Bina used her common sense and contacted Gol'br'in via the house's intercom system. There's nothing here and we need to get moving if we plan to save Adulie."
"What did Gol'br'in say?" asks Mey'Luskar as the group starts to mount the stairs.
"I don't want to talk about it," says Bina darkly.
Switching to Her-Galad, Mey'Luskar adds, "Don't be like that, Dear Sister! You know I'm very much..."
Mey'Luskar is obviously being playful, even sarcastic, but Bina's reaction is dramatic. Her demeanor suddenly shifts from dark to passionate as she seizes the surprised Yangae's hands and cries, "Don't call me that! You must NEVER call me that! It's my dearest wish to call you that some day, but you must never, EVER speak upward to me! Understand?"
"Moss...," mutters Pru with a facepalm.
Ignoring her, Mey'Luskar eyes the Hergoth with some confusion. Then she asks quietly, "Okay, sister, would you tell me what Gol'br'in said?"
Bina releases her hands and turns to continue up the stairs before she replies, "He teased me because I used violent power to light up the veranda. He says I should've tried to become a Hero instead of a priestess."
"And?"
"He said that you seem to be our best hope of beating the enemy...unless..." Bina draws a troubled breath.
"Unless...?"
"Unless I betray you first."
The group arrives at the top of the stairs to find themselves in what appears to be a dining room. It is dark, but light can be seen from around the corner.
"Yes," adds Bina with a sigh. "That's what he said."
Zeton stops at the dining room and mumbles to himself, "Wait, if we're going to try to help Adulie, we don't need to go up, we need to use the tunnels, right?"
Zeton calls the group upstairs, "Instead of us joining you, maybe you should join us, so we can use the tunnels as we originally planned, yes?"
Zeton looks at Gemma and continues in a friendly tone, "We can't really take you with us, even if you weren't injured, I think it would be too dangerous. What you really need to do is visit a Geishana temple so someone can examine your leg. Is there someway of calling your friends to help you?"
Then after a brief pause, Zeton faces Bina and gently asks in Her-galad, "Or, do you think you want to try to heal Gemma one more time? I don't want speak out of place, but... I believe in you Bina, I'm sure you can do it. However, I don't want to request anything of you that would make you feel uncomfortable."
As Zeton is talking, Lirassa comes walking around the corner.
"You don't have to shout, you know," she says.
Ignoring the Besteeng, Bina replies, "I need rest before I can try to call my fire again. I'm exhausted! Of course...in a place like this...there's bound to be some medical supplies!"
[Meanwhile, upstairs...]
Mon'Fargret continues through the bead curtain and tries the door to the left. It opens easily to reveal what is apparently a large bedroom...and a hideous smell of rotting organic matter and raw sewage. Mon'Fargret gags and slams the door shut again. Before he does, he sees just enough to note that the room is almost filled with trash, a lot of which appears to be fruit rinds and well-gnawed bones.
Steeling himself, he tries the door opposite and finds it leads to a jacuzzi. It's immaculately clean and obviously still in use.
Ham tries the tower door on the opposite side of the bar and finds it, too, leads into a large bedroom with a loft. It is obviously in use, and is only mildly cluttered, though it is currently unoccupied.
Suddenly, from out on the veranda, there is a series of crashes and a shriek.
(I'll update the images when I come home from work.)
Mon'Fargret wheels around and advances on the noise with pistol drawn.
When Mon'Fargret turns around to head toward the veranda, he sees a shocking sight. Out on the veranda, in the eerie glow of the lamps, Dabid cannot be seen. However, something else can.
The figure is humanoid, but it has a charred, oozing mass where its face should be, and it looks like a chunk of its head is missing. It is holding a long, dark sword that is outlined in light, and it is swinging it madly with inhuman speed. There is an awful crashing and clattering, most likely from it carving up the furniture in its blind frenzy.
A couple of seconds later, the thing on the veranda stumbles and falls just as Dabid comes bursting through the doors into the bar.
[Just in case, make a d20 roll against Mon'Fargret's SAN attribute.]
[I know Granite is completely on the wrong floor at the moment, but she *is* positioned at the bottom of the stairs with Nekshi. If she hears what is going on, she will proceed upstairs with gun drawn, though I understand that means she's probably moving in slow motion "impulse" time.]
I rolled a 7 for M'F. I'm not on the PC with my character sheet...I will post his SAN when I am able.
Is there anything Farbett-tasty in the garbage? My stomache is all rumbly.
"Druglord and dangerous mystic? Gol'br'in has strange hobbies."
Dewkid
Actually, if you look at the updated image, as per your words, Granite Spear and Nekshi are currently standing in the outer vestibule/changing room. At any rate, Granite Spear doesn't hear anything.
Snabulus
I have a copy of M'F's character sheet on hand. A roll of 7 is sufficient for him to keep his cool.
Phillipa Scratch
The altar area is free of any garbage. There might be some tidbits of snack food here and there back near the bottom of the stairs. Then again, when Widjgleeby puts her nose to it, she detects a definite food aroma coming from the direction Zeton and the others are approaching from.
[Meanwhile, upstairs...]
Dabid screams, "IT'S ALIVE!!! IT'S..."
Just at that moment, one of the twin sets of double doors leading to the veranda practically explodes off its hinges as the thing outside slices it and jumps through it as a single action.
Mon'Fargret is up for an action, but Dabid is currently blocking his line of sight.
Note to the rest of the party:
Dabid's scream can be heard by everyone but not really understood. The crash of the doors can be heard, too.
I'm going to head upstairs.
Ham snaps the rifle around and heads out of the room immediately. This sounds serious
Mon'Fargret moves to get clear of Dabid and sets the laser on sustained pulse. When clear, we will concentrate on relieving the creature of its limbs.
[Just sustained fire...not pulse.]
Upon hearing Dabid's cry, Zeton will carefully escort Gemma to a place of shelter. [I'm not exactly sure where that might be, some place where Gemma won't be in the line of fire should the fight work it's way down the stairs.]
(I'll assume that Granite Spear is also heading up now as per what Dewkid said before.)
InfoGeek
Actually, the northeast tower area appears to be an open archway with no door. It's currently dark, but considering Zeton's group is in the main dining room, it's probably the kitchen.
Mon'Fargret's only option is to move to his right to shoot over that green cabinet on the south wall. As he does so, clicking his pistol into full open mode, the intruder lunges at Dabid.
Dabid attempts to dodge. He is not successful. The sinister-looking, light-ringed blade slices through his left thigh like a hot knife through butter, shooting out steam and cinders.
Mon'Fargret is clear to take a shot.
I should add that, now that Mon'Fargret is close enough to the ghastly attacker to get a good look, he can see that she (Yes, most definitely female) is a Yoti, a subject race of the Foldorian Empire. As such, even though her eyes are a gooey ruin, she still has the ability to "see" at close range.
There's no explanation as to why she's moving with such inhuman speed and almost bestial ferocity. Neither is a typical Yoti trait.
Mon'Fargret aims to slice the Yoti in half. He fires the weapon in a diagonal arc from the top of the beweaponed appendage down through the midriff.
Somwhere in the middle, he mutters, "Bokanatigata-Bokayan."
The first roll is a 6.
(More than sufficient for a called shot at that range, especially with a laser designator)
The Yoti apparently just notices Mon'Fargret and immediately turns from Dabid to charge. She doesn't even get so much as a step.
The first half-second "long volley" puts two pulses into the left arm (the weapon arm), which starts to drop off just as the third pulse takes a piece off of the rib cage and the last two explode in the lower abdomen.
Is Mon'Fargret going to sustain fire? If so, make another roll.
[The Yoti says, "'Tis but a flesh wound."]
Mon'Fargret will pause to see if the Yoti collapses or continues.
Totally oblivious to the fact that her belly is now hanging open, displaying charred bowels, the Yoti casually stoops to pick up her sword with her remaining arm.
A heavy, Farbett-sized thumping can now be heard on the stairs.
(Lirassa is close behind Widjgleeby, followed by Granite Spear.)
Mon'Fargret and Ham are both up for an action.
Mon'Fargret will attempt to remove that limb as well. (Though his roll of 17 may preclude that)
(That's sufficient for a hit, but not in a called location.)
Mon'Fargret's burst lands in the Yoti's chest area, which promptly bursts open like big, fleshy kernel of popcorn (only much messier).
The Yoti jerks slightly but otherwise seems unfazed.
What is Ham going to do?
[Um, yuck.]
(Let me put it this way: According to US military research, high-energy pulsed lasers cause "explosive bubble formation" in human flesh. The effects can be made more or less violent depending on the duration of the pulse and space between them.)
(yep high energy weapons like lasers and particle beams would cause steam explosions in flora and fauna alike ... very messy.... nothing like the sci fi clean cauterized wounds)
Okay ...Ham watches with with aimed weapon of course.... just in case Mon'Fargie needs help
[Oh, I like the detail, even if it is sometimes yucky.]
Mon'Fargret, when he is up for an action, will walk it down and right in an attempt to remove a leg. (Next d20 roll is a 14)
(I'll treat that as sustained fire, meaning you have to use an action to STOP it. Your roll is more than sufficient for a called shot. We'll say two pulses hit the already-open belly, one hit the hip, and two hit the leg.)
There is another half second of gory pyrotechnics. The Yoti can be seen to collapse as both one leg and its spine snap.
Even so, she grasps the sword.
Widjgleeby has arrived at the second floor landing.
Next, the arm.
(oooh, I rolled a 1. Can I call head?)
(We're into the next exchange now. Calculating speed...)
Widjgleeby slows her pace as she approaches the bead curtain.
Lirassa hops up onto the landing at the top of the stairs.
Granite Spear is about halfway up.
The Yoti makes a blindingly fast (and horribly grotesque), jumping lunge as her stricken leg drops off, her abdomen separating messily from her thorax as she does so. Mon'Fargret succeeds in walking his volley into her remaining arm as she thrusts the glowing sword in his direction. The limb is blown apart just above the elbow, but inertia carries the
sinister blade directly at him.
Is Mon'Fargret going to dodge? (If so, roll for it.)
Counfound it to Hades, I rolled a 20.
Mon'Fargret tries to dodge the approaching weapon...and slips on an empty convenience store food pack. A bolt of searing agony courses through Mon'Fargret as the laser-edged blade bites deep into his right shoulder. (I assume he is left handed.)
He swoons with pain and shock. The pistol remains solidly in hand, but he leans hard against the green cabinet as his senses grow fuzzy.
"Power pack is empty," says his pistol with an annoyingly sweet, feminine voice. "Please recharge."
Minus both arms and the whole lower half of her body, the Yoti nevertheless continues to thrash violently on the floor trying to move in Mon'Fargret's direction.
Ham and Widjgleeby are able to take action now if desired.
Betham, who got plowed against the wall when Granite Spear burst out of the changing room, starts to climb the stairs.
(Meanwhile...)
Zeton escorts Gemma into the kitchen followed by Mey'Luskar. As the trio moves, Pru turns around and flees back around the staircase toward the main parlor. Bina, on the other hand, runs into the altar area with a cry, after which she can be heard grunting with anger as she shreds the paper with the Runes.
Nekshi emerges from the changing room looking very puzzled.
[Sorry I've been out of it - December has been insane, and its not lightening up anytime soon...]
Can I step on her so she can't move? "Squish" She's probably too far away.
(That's okay, Dewkid. I figured you were busy.)
Widjgleeby is still too far away, but she can dash forward with intent to do so. She can safely clear the gap (without plowing over furniture and/or Ham or stepping on Dabid) in two impulses.
"Can someone launch that thing off the deck or something?" says Mon'Fargret between spasms of pain.
I'm gonna go over there and step on it. Goosh!
Okay...
Widjgleeby casually wakes Ham out of his dazed stupor by knocking him aside, closes the distance in two bounds, and lands on the flailing head and torso with a nice, meaty splat.
There is also another, unexpected occurrence. There is a crackle, and sparks and smoke start to issue from the base of the Yoti's skull. Widjgleeby, Ham, and the just-arrived Lirassa are puzzled, but for Mon'Fargret several questions have just been answered. The Yoti had a berserker implant. She was already dead when Dabid ventured out on the veranda; her corpse had been animated by an electro-mechanical device programmed to kill or die (again) trying.
Lirassa hustles up swearing in Brekka. Looking at Mon'Fargret's injured shoulder and Dabid's severed leg, she asks, "Does anyone here have medical gear?"
Ham and Mon'Fargret both have first aid kits. Ham's is of average tech and has a supply of celluplasts. Mon'Fargret's is more advanced, having a splicer. Neither has anything to knit damaged bones.
While the group is fussing over this issue, a cursor point suddenly appears in the air with a tranquil beep. Then an oily-sounding voice speaking Her-Galad with a thick Lyranell accent says, "Um...before you jump to any conclusions, let me say honestly that I had nothing to do with this! This was...um...I think...I think I was the target."
Zeton looks at Gemma and says in a reassuring voice, "We need to get upstairs, fast. Trust me on what happens next." Without waiting for a reply, Zeton gently takes Gemma's hand and carefully hoists her up on his shoulder, "fireman's carry" style.
As he proceeds around to the stairs leading up we glances at Pru and Mey, "Come on then, we don't want to miss all the fun, do we?"
(Oops...backtrack a bit)
Granite Spear arrives on the scene upstairs just as the voice starts coming from the cursor point. Betham comes soon afterward.
(Meanwhile, downstairs...)
If Zeton glances at Pru, that would have to mean he went around through the main parlor to the north.
Mey'Luskar hustles the other way, through the altar room to the south. "Hey, Bina!" she calls on the way. "Nekshi! We're all heading up!"
Bina was deep in prayer, but she turns to follow.
Nekshi scratches her chin. "Will going up bring us closer to the tunnels? Then again, if Rune power is involved, it could be theorized that we are elevating to a higher state, which means simple constraints of time and space are no longer relevant!" She frowns and then consults her wrister again.
"Oh, come on, you!" snaps Mey'Luskar, grabbing the Zorlan's arm. "We can discuss semantics later!"
Does the sploti have any weapons or useful gear? i don't want to spend too much time looking. Oh, and if no one is paying any attention to me I may have a bite. I'm hungry.
(ewww!)
Well, there is that laser-edged longsword sitting on the floor along with the Yoti's arm (both arms and a leg, actually...any of which would be a shame to waste!). It would be a nice little poker for a Farbett. Her upper half also has a sort of utility belt that looks only mildly damaged. It's much too small to fit around a Farbett's belly, of course, but it would probably go around an arm just right. In any case, it has little pouches and pockets with all kinds of little items in it. (I'll give you the rundown when I get home from work.)
(I'll continue on a new post.)
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