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Faust "Hendrick? Connor? Randy?" Where is everyone?
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Feb 22, 2024 11:21
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| # ? Apr 29, 2024 12:22 |
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To Faust Ok, this is weird. Did everyone just up and left without telling you? Because that feels extremely rude. But you are also sure they were here a minute ago, so what gives? You look around. The room looks as empty as it looks... off. Broken, but also... dusty. As if it had been empty for a long, long time, in fact. Yup. Pretty sure this shouldn't be happening. You've read about this kind of phenomenon before, but you've never experienced it directly. Basically, controlling a big circle by yourself is extremely draining mentally - and one that's been under pressure until right now even more so. And a tired handler is susceptible to... side effects. You can feel it running still if you close your eyes, and you're pretty sure the hallucinations will go away if you stop the connection... You have gained Time Circle Mastery: as long as you are in control of a circle, you can choose to roll Weird to go physically back or forward in time around the general area the circle is in. You can interact with objects and people while timetravelling, but you can't leave the circle itself. Shellception fucked around with this message at 14:48 on Feb 22, 2024 |
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Feb 22, 2024 14:44
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Randy After executing the mossman on the ground, Randy had stared blankly as Hendrick ran around and got the last vial in. Holding the gun loosely at his side he had slowly sank to the floor when the brain shrank down. But as Simon arrives and begins shuttling everyone up the stairs, and Faust calls out, Randy's eyes once again focus on the real instead of the infinite and he slowly gets to his feet, grunting with the effort. Approaching Faust he calls out, "I'm here Faust. I think we won, yeah. Simon's here so I'm pretty sure he took care of the monoliths. But he hasn't said anything... oh, right." Randy gives a wry little chuckle as he helps Faust up the stairs. "Don't tell him I said that, okay?"
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Feb 22, 2024 14:51
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Connor Connor takes out his phone (a bit awkward with only one working arm) and calls the DPRC hotline. Maybe someday he'll get a direct line for reporting but at this time he doesn't particularly care. "Threat neutralized and ready for pickup. I'm going to get some medical care, and rest." Giving the lab address and hanging up the phone, he gives Simon a nod. "Ready when you are."
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Feb 22, 2024 17:28
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To Randy You help the others up and out of the room, and watch the way for the very distracted Faust. Your head still hurts and you'll probably need a checkup and a couple free days after this, but you feel your mood highly improving. You did it. You all did it. And you're all still in one piece! Granted, at some points during yesterday you highly doubted that'd be the case, but. Details, right? You probably could do with a bit of training, you reflect. Maybe take up running, or... what about biking? There are some good cheap bikes around now, and you don't need to start too fancy, just... You chitchat your way to the portal and watch out as the others cross it, just out of habit. You know nothing will come for you, but... You could get used to this. You've gained the ability to Pep Talk. Out of combat, you can roll on Charm to heal 1 harm and stabilize your target. On a partial success, you choose to heal or stabilize. On a critical pass, heal one more.
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Feb 23, 2024 08:58
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Simon Simon dips his head in a nod back at Connor, and gently helps him the rest of the way. The hummingbird flits curiously around them before nestling atop Simon's head again for the ride. Shooting Connor a characteristic grin as they cross the portal, Simon deposits him in a comfortable-looking chair. As the others arrive, he regards his very beaten-up teammates. We did well, he gestures, a small chirp chiming in as if his familiar agrees.
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Feb 23, 2024 10:21
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Epilogue: roughly a week later Connor The morning Saint Tonquois sun warms your back as you enjoy your cup of coffee in a small cafe by the sea, your newly bought coat resting on a nearby chair. Down by the beach, a small number of people run or walk their dogs, but it's still fairly empty, probably owing to it being a workday morning. It's not spring still, at least not in the calendar; but here, it might as well be. You take your eyes off your laptop and lose yourself on the rhytmic sea sounds for a bit. You've never been a beach fan, but you can understand the appeal. Maybe you could request a temporary transfer here? You let the thought float lazily. Hard to feel inclined to work with this kind of weather. A lot of things have happened. Not all of them good. You can't really recall much of what happened after getting back here, and you're pretty sure you lost consciousness at some point. You remember waking up at a local hospital at some point, covered in tubes, and being told you'd been pretty lucky not having bled out on the way, and noticing your lower right arm felt pretty funny anyway, and not due to the tubes... Nerve damage, they said. In addition to hitting an artery, the crystal shard severed a couple major nerves on your arm. There is a possibility it heals by itself, they said. Given a lot of time. Not much that could be done by surgical means. You listened to all that, slowly realizing why your dominant hand felt like you were wearing a very thick rubber glove over it, and reacted quite similarly, and your world started spinning around a bit. How are you supposed to work like that? You'll have to request an office transfer, and then sit around in a desk for hours on end, and... It's funny how it works, you reflect. You pull your sleeve up and look at your shiny new arm exoskeleton. It's light and quite discrete, being made of some black metal alleation with pneumatic joints, and is thin enough to fit under your clothes. It still makes your hand look like you're wearing some kind of finely weaved, black high-tech glove with a smartwatch-looking screen at the wrist. But, all things said, you got off quite better than expected. It still took some getting used to, but you've made a lot of progress, you notice as you carefully grab the hot coffee cup without spilling a single drop. You have gained Exoskeleton Arm: instead of using a melee weapon, you can attack unarmed for 2 harm damage. You also gain a +1 to any rolls that involve physical strength. Additionally, when fighting a monster, you can scan it. If the Agency has any data on them, they will identify them for you. --- You sip your coffee as you slowly scroll down the file on the moss brain. Dr. Cornwall had been found that same night, confusedly wandering around in the woods, and seemed to hold no memories of what happened. To what point that is true, you are not sure. Preliminary investigations, aided by the testimony of Ms. Nadern, have determined he did order his workers to modify the moss project in ways that weren't covered by the original research project, including the design and installation of quite advanced antennae in the forest - the ones that were used as radio emissors to control and spread the barely sentinent moss. Researchers remain unsure of the degree of influence the brain actually held over Dr. Cornwall, but are inclined to believe he started carrying out the modifications on his own, way before his own consciousness got eventually overcome by the moss brain's developing mental powers. A cursory inspection of Dr. Cornwall's bank accounts did also reveal some unusual movements - namely, a stream of small, but constant, money amounts being transferred to him in the regular, and whose source has not yet been identified. You check your brand new wristclock and close your laptop. It's about time to go do some of your own work. Shellception fucked around with this message at 18:47 on Feb 23, 2024 |
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Feb 23, 2024 12:27
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Simon Well, all that was fun. But you don't really like sitting still for long, and after a short while, the small Mediterranean town got way way too boring for you. Clearly no one was in danger of monster attacks over here, it looks like the kind of town where nothing ever happens. So you stayed for just as long as it took you to contact Nia and check on her wellbeing - she had been hit hard, but had also recovered very fast back at the Wingby hospital, and was already back to her shop work, in as good of a spirit as ever. That was all you needed to know before bolting out. With seemingly no open jobs, you took the (not bad by any means!) pay from this one, hopped onto your van, and got onto a bit of a... freelance adventure, if you wanted to call that. From a contact. Just so you don't lose practice. And that's how you ended up here. The little guy (how do you know...?) seems to be in its element, and rightly so - it's freezing all over. You're roughly where you were told to go, having parked your van by the local inn and taken a good hike to the nearby lake. It's a pretty big one, you think, and you're grateful your adventures will not involve swimming this time. Hopefully. You take a good look at the area, and quickly spot your prey's markings. They are all over the wet lake mud, as if it'd been around there recently. There isn't much here apart from some old stones, but you'd guess it gets attracted to the old power. Or something. You don't really care. You stretch your muscles to warm up as the hummingbird buzzes excitedly around your head, as in anticipation of what's to come. You grab your silver dagger, let out a wild smile, and plunge inside the darkened forest, the last words of your contact stil resonating inside your head. quote:(...) whatever you do, don't try to guess its name! Shellception fucked around with this message at 18:53 on Feb 23, 2024 |
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Feb 23, 2024 14:24
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Faust The past days have gone by on a seemingly unending whirlwind of things happening: the hospital call, all the questions, and then the police arriving with more questions, and having to go buy a new, clean sofa and chair, and more questions, and Connor contacting you from some top secret facility he got interned on to heal or something, actually interceding for you for once and getting his agency to deal with all the questions, and also a reimbursement order for the cost of your new furniture, with an official stamp and everything. To be honest, you weren't expecting him to be so forthcoming, but at least the questions freaking stopped. He did mention wanting an interview, though. You have a feeling you know exactly what he wants to ask you about, and you aren't really in a hurry. It's some days later, and you're back on Wingby, where you arrived with Randy by your side. You were surprised he wanted to come with you so soon, but doctors did apparently give him a thumbs up, and he insisted he wouldn't get onto any more trouble, and he has indeed kept himself away from danger. You aren't quite sure where he is, in fact. You've come to inspect the abandoned factory, after getting some more historical details from the Officer. Officer Harris posted:Most of the people here were against the factory. They did mostly live off their manual work, and they did fear the workers from the city coming to take their already meager earnings. So they refused to host the workers doing construction work, or even feed them. They had to sleep on site, in the winter, and it can get cold here, and their own employers didn't care much for them, either. Accidents were common, even before the fire. And then, one particularly cold night, the town was awoken by the smell of burning wood, and by the time they made it to the clearing, it was already too late... You are pretty sure you know what's going on here - it's a pretty simple, if aggressive, poltergeist. One formed from what are, basically, crystallized, concentrated bad emotions. It craves humanity and is driven to emotions like a moth to a flame, but it lacks control, and will destroy anything that gets too close. Nasty. But as long as you keep your calm, there is no reason to be... "So, where do we start?" a happy voice pipes behind you. "You said you were doing a circle, right? Is it one of those fancy ones? Can I help? Look, my dad said no tattoos until I'm of age, but he let me get one of those. Real deal!" Jerry smiles widely at you as he shows you a single, heavy silver ring with a pentagram on it. The kid is right, you think, that should begin to protect him. But if he is going to stick by you, and he surely looks like he is, you should make sure he knows a few things more. You grab your backpack and give him a couple more sigils for good measure. His eyes blink a bit in admiration as you start explaining to him, in simple language, the basic principles of the exorcism you will be perfoming today... Shellception fucked around with this message at 19:54 on Feb 23, 2024 |
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Feb 23, 2024 19:22
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Randy You've definitely gone over your limit, you reflected as you were taken away in an ambulance, with strict instructions to not move. The people there didn't really speak English, and yet the message was clear as day, and you complied. Surprisingly enough, after more than a few tests, a couple injections and three or four days on a rather uncomfortable bed with no privacy, the docs let you go. You were advised to not do any heavy work or exercise for a few weeks - your neck is sore and you feel like you've been ran through a car wash, but you have no permanent damage to speak of. Take it easy, they said, and you'll be back to work in no time. Back to daily routine. You know you should be enthrilled. You were paid, you did the job they wanted you to, you even saved a life, you tell yourself with pride. Two, if that kid counts. And now it's time to go back home. Probably. But before, you know there is something you have to do. You go take a walk around town, and you quickly find what you were looking for. Then, it's time to go back to Faust's... --- Those portals are a handy solution, you reflect as you and Faust go back to the abandoned facility, now covered in official looking people. You do get hushed out from there pretty fast, all things said, and soon you are back in town, where Faust excuses himself to go pick up some stuff or another for an exorcism in the factory (doesn't he rest, you wonder?). You don't mind. You make your way to where you wanted to go. Then, you go back to your car, and start the drive towards the airport, quite more alone than at the start. But you don't really mind. You're going home. On someone's doorstep, a handful of fresh, white and purple orchids lie in wait. Shellception fucked around with this message at 20:27 on Feb 23, 2024 |
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Feb 23, 2024 20:24
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Hendrick Strangely enough, through your memory is usually flawless, you do actually struggle to remember everything following the ambulance ride, and most of what you do remember is covered in a haze. You do recall being carried around in a stretcher, and bright lights, and pain, and then not pain, and waking up in an intensive care unit next to an unconscious Connor, and then him being transported somewhere else. The doctor herself was pretty clear in that you being alive is nothing short of a miracle, and that much of it can be credited to the excellent emergency care you got after getting your chest caved in. They've had, she empathized, to basically break down and reconstruct your chest from scratch, and you've also sustained significant lung damage - you still do need to wear an oxygen mask from time to time, though it's admittedly getting better. You've read all the doctors' notes, or tried to, as some of them got too dark even for you; that's how you learned about the unrelated brain hemorrage that fortuitously popped in during the doctors' inspection, and that was also quickly addressed and controlled before it could get worse. All in all, it adds to a million on one chance. And yet, here you are. Story of your life. You've had a lot of free time to think and read. You've got Ms. Nadern's laptop with you - it was delivered to you by a young man that, you noticed, looked a lot like a younger, beardless Faust. You've gone through the article again and again, and then checked some of the references, and read them too. They've been... informative. In a scientific, cold way, that is, but still reassuring. You feel like you've learned a lot about what you are, or rather, about how your very particular brain works, and that you aren't the only one in the world, and you aren't slowly going insane. Or at least, no more than anyone else is. It doesn't heal anything, of course. It won't give you back any of the close people you lost, it won't heal their pain, or make any of the things that were gone before you could even realize you were losing them come back. Having a lot of time to think about things can be a curse in itself. But it lets you, at least, start to see how to mend things. You hear the door creak and see Connor coming in. Every day at 1. Like clockwork. He greets you and drags a chair next to your bed, then gets his own laptop out. It started out as an interview. You know this is his job, and you don't particularly resent him for trying to wring information out of you. But, over the days, he seems to have taken a more... personal interest on the case, you'd say. Or at least, he's putting on the effort to actually try to help you find out information, instead of just drilling you with questions. Maybe he's bored of the incessant "I dunno" answers, you think. "I've asked the Agency for a copy of some test books. Pattern recognition tests" he notes, as he gives you a rather bulky hand-bound book. "In paper. So you don't need to share the results with me if you don't want to. Evaluation notes are at the end. I thought you'd appreciate them. Did you find anything new yesterday...?" You look at the pile of tests. Well. Looks like you will, soon.
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Feb 24, 2024 10:32
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| # ? Apr 29, 2024 12:22 |
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THE END Hope you all liked this! Also, feel free to complain about things too. I'd like to run another adventure at a later date, so knowing what works and what doesn't work helps a lot!
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Feb 24, 2024 10:41
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