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Byers2142
May 5, 2011

Imagine I said something deep here...


Excerpt from Gravesend Police Blotter, March 18th, 2013
code:
Incident     Incident Time     Description
14105102     03:52             Possible Homicide Victim(s) Discovered
Police arrived on the scene early [Monday] morning... anonymous sources report that the amount of blood and viscera found in the alleyway suggests more than one victim… no witnesses have been reported at this time... police have no official suspects, although they are pursuing "persons of interest..."
– Wade, Howard. “Homicide Horror Show in Downtown Gravesend.” Gravesend Tribune. 19 Mar. 2013: p. 1-2.

Excerpt from Gravesend Medical Examiner Recorded Report, March 20th, 2013
"... now can confidently say that the body parts come from at least three different people. The extent of tissue damage and massive blood evidence suggests that all three would be deceased... wounds are consistent with thin, sharp blades at least six inches in length... there’s evidence of post-mortem mutilation... this is a bad one, Jason."


Gravesend is a modern urban horror game using the Fate Core System. This thread is where all of the IC action takes place. OOC book keeping, general chat, and peanut gallery talk can be found via the links below.

OOC Thread - Visitors Welcome!

Setting, Locations, and Characters

Cases

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Byers2142
May 5, 2011

Imagine I said something deep here...
March 20th, 2013: Morning

Jacob Prior

There's a dance of protocol that occurs when a crime scene is found outside. Initially, it's sectioned off by tape, tarps, and burly patrolmen. Crime scene units scour the area quickly for clues, documenting and removing everything they can from the scene before weather, animals, or bystanders can disturb the evidence. And with each item removed, each photo taken, the sanctity of the scene lessens. Attention is turned from the scene to the forensics lab.

Two days after the scene's discovery, there's little actual evidence left at the scene. Tape still stands, but it's presence has as much to do with a lack of will to clean up as an attempt to prevent disturbance. Jason had a small group of unknown techs and patrolmen meet Jacob at the scene, but their presence was less meant to help Jacob than to assure him that the police were with him. In Jason's mind, it would be an insult to have Jacob show up to an empty crime scene.

A light drizzle was falling, cool in the early spring morning. The L-shaped alleyway stretched back from 3rd Avenue, turning 90 degrees a few hundred feet in, wrapping around the building only to dead end. The bodies had all been found in the long initial stretch of alley between the street and the dogleg; not a single drop of blood was found in the short section directly behind the building. Beyond brownish stains in the alleyway, there's no sign that anything horrific had ever occurred here.

---

Phil Harrigan

Prior's been called in, is going to look over the scene this morning.

A short, simple text from one of his police informants, but exactly the type of information Phil paid him to deliver. What was a gruesome possibility was becoming more actuality; the police were in over their heads and knew it, and were calling in the disgraced. And outside of the police, no one but Phil would know it yet. Reporters couldn't afford to pay what Phil paid to keep his ear to the ground when it came to the more sordid events of the city.

So, Jacob Prior was coming in to look over the crime scene, likely at Jason Su's request. Now, what should Phil do with this knowledge?

---

Alexis Murnau

Normal people, when robbed, will often work on replacing locks, putting in security systems, maybe ensure a safe panic room to fall back to in the event of threatened violence. Alexis's manager had his staff all report in to sign personal injury releases absolving the store of any and all responsibility in the event a staff member is harmed during a robbery. Refusal to sign the release would lead to termination.

Hence Alexis walking in the early morning rain towards the Gas Jockey, when she saw a crowd of people gathering at the mouth of the alleyway where just a few days ago, all of the bodies (well, body parts) had been discovered. Last night it seemed like the cops were done with their CSI work, so why were they all back again?

Electric Hobo
Oct 22, 2008

What a view!

Grimey Drawer
Phil Harriagan
3 FP


"Calling in Prior, eh? He's pretty good. Might actually figure something out." Phil though to himself.
Lots of cops know Phil's face, but Prior isn't on the force anymore. His outlook might have change so much that he won't throw Phil out of the crime scene. At least he can't arrest him anymore.
In the end it didn't really matter. Phil grabbed his notebook and pencil and headed out to see what's going on.

Kumaton
Mar 6, 2013

OWLBEARS, SON
Intrigued by the sudden appearance of the crowd, Alexis strolls over to the mob and tries to listen in, hopefully to learn why they're gathering in the first place.
(I'm phone posting right now, so I need the GM to roll Investigation for me.)

Spincut
Jan 14, 2008

Oh! OSHA gonna make you serve time!
'Cause you an occupational hazard tonight.
Jacob Prior

After I got the call from Jason, it was almost robotic how I fell into routine. I got my gear together and headed out. I decided to park at that little gas station by the alley. When I got there, though, there was already a crowd formed. What the hell? This kind of excitement is usually reserved for the night after the incident.

Jacob's heart quickens as he tries to push through the crowd.

(I roll Fight, since that seems the most appropriate. I can roll something else, but Jacob doesn't care if he is a bit rough with folks if it means he can protect them from something life-threatening.)

4dF+1=-2?! (Guess Jacob is bit more groggy than usual...)

Byers2142
May 5, 2011

Imagine I said something deep here...
Jacob

Jacob elbowed his way past the few civilians, painfully in a few cases, that were on the edge of the crowd to find that Jason had brought in a forensics class and two uniforms.

The leader of the gaggle stuck his hand out when Jacob was in front of him. "Mr. Prior? Detective Su asked us to provide you any assistance while you were here. We have the initial reports, and can help you with any questions you have about them or the scene." Even for Jacob, it was obvious that most of the students found this to be a waste of their time.

Behind the crowd, Jacob could see Phil "Oh, Is This a Crime Scene?" Harrigan approaching; he must have gotten there just after Jacob did.

(OOC: Elbows thrown!)

---

Phil

Phil arrived just as Jacob did, only to find a small group gathered at the alleyway entrance. There were a few civilians, looky-loos trying to see what was going on, a group of what looked like forensic techs, and two uniformed officers. Surprisingly, Phil wasn't sure at first glance that he knew any of the official people present. He recognized Jacob, and thought he saw Jacob recognize him as well.

---

Alexis

The small crowd was mostly made up of forensics students pulled out of class to be the "hands" for an incoming expert, and two uniformed cops whose job was to stand at the alleyway entrance, hands extended, and say, "Stand back, this is a police investigation." Said expert, when he arrived, managed to plant a rather painful elbow into Alexis's collarbone as he pushed his way to the alleyway.

But Alexis remembered what the scene had looked like two days ago, and there was a marked difference between how the professionals had secured things and today. For starters, the alleyway might have been blocked, but the buildings on both sides of the alleyway weren't...

Alexis Investigation: 4dF+1 2

(OOC: I'm compelling Pushing It for a Fate point to have Alexis sneak in the side entrance of an active police investigation. Your Investigation roll was enough, just, to give you a one-time boost on getting past the cops/students unnoticed.)

Electric Hobo
Oct 22, 2008

What a view!

Grimey Drawer
Phil Harrigan
3FP


Not knowing any of the officers, Phil decides to bluff from the get go. He starts fast talking as he walks up to the uniformed officers.

"Slow day, huh?" He says as they turn their attention to him. "Guarding an old crimescene and babysitting a bunch of forensics? Don't let me keep you, I'm just here to keep an eye on things. You know, make sure they don't make any major screw-ups. Not that it matters this time though, scene's deader than my boss' smile, but someone's got to make sure things are done right. It's best if you don't draw too much attention to me, it might affect their performance."
He ends the scene with an attempt at emulating the dead eyed look of a man who hates his job and would like to get it out of the way with minimum hassle. "Thanks." He adds.

Deceiving his way past the police: 4dF+4 2

Spincut
Jan 14, 2008

Oh! OSHA gonna make you serve time!
'Cause you an occupational hazard tonight.
Jacob

I see Phil, and make a mental note of his presence, but I decide to ignore him for now and concentrate on the crime scene. I nod to the officer talking to me.

"Thanks. Bring me up to date at what we're looking at. Don't leave anything out. Any detail could be important."

(Using Jacob's "Buddies on the Force" stunt to roll Contacts instead of Rapport.)

(Umm, can't log in to orokos right now for some reason, but I have +2 to Contacts if someone can roll it for me.)

Kumaton
Mar 6, 2013

OWLBEARS, SON
Alexis
4 FP
Alexis could barely contain her excitement as she snuck around the barricades through the buildings. She was about to see some honest-to-God gore, not that silicone crap she sees in her movies! Just had to fiddle with this one door and...
They already cleaned it up.
Son of a bitch!
Well, at least she wasn't risking her job for nothing. There were these weird brownish stains on the concrete. Blood, maybe?
Investigating the stains: 4dF: +1, 0, 0, 0 +1 Investigate = 2

Kumaton fucked around with this message at 00:49 on Jun 18, 2014

Spincut
Jan 14, 2008

Oh! OSHA gonna make you serve time!
'Cause you an occupational hazard tonight.
(Orokos is working now, so my Contacts roll from above: 4dF+2=3)

Byers2142
May 5, 2011

Imagine I said something deep here...
Jacob

The lead tech (the class's star pupil, maybe?) nodded and flipped open his notes. "Call came in early morning two days ago, blood and body parts all over the alley. First responder was... Officers Kailen and Smith, found the mess just inside the alley's mouth. Initial call came from a burner phone, no sign of witnesses on arrival."

As he read the report, he began walking back through the alley, pointing out the details as he reads them off. "Kailen called it in while Smith checked to see if there was anyone in need of aid. She hugged the south wall, walking heel-toe to preserve the scene as much as possible. She got down to the corner here," the tech reached the alley's end and pointed left, "and confirmed the dogleg was clear.

"Officers on site then secured the scene and waited for Detective Su and forensics to arrive. They did an initial sweep on Monday, then called us in to catalog the scene yesterday while they worked on critical pieces back at the lab. We got all evidence processed on scene and bagged for transport last night, just before the rains came in.

"Blood and body parts were contained to the main alleyway; there was no evidence found in the dogleg to suggest anything happened there. There are guaranteed to be multiple victims, as at least two jaws were found, possibly more once all of the pieces are jigsawed back together. No blood was found above five feet on the walls, body parts ranged in size from the middle joint of a finger to a chunk of abdomen the size of a bread box."

He stopped to check through the notes before continuing. "Let's see... remains were rather evenly scattered from the mouth of the alley to just before the dogleg starts. Some evidence of voids in the blood, particularly here and here," again, pointing, "ME is trying to determine number of victims and cause of death as we speak."

He finished his report and closed the report, offering it to Jacob. "In short, there's a lot of blood and questions, not a lot of hard facts right now."

(So, Contacts roll. All of that information you were going to get anyway, but your Contacts gives you this; the first responders are two cops you know and can trust.)

---

Phil

One of the cops shrugged. "Whatever, we're only here because the sergeant's a dick anyway. Just don't get in the consultant's way." He went back to whatever daydream was keeping him occupied.

The other cop pointed at the empty building next to the alley with his thumb. "There's a lot of old junk in there, might be able to grab a chair if you want. Just don't put the legs down in any of the blood spots, and put it back when you're done."

Jacob was led down the alley by a tech; if Phil wanted to hear what was being said, he'd need to shadow them.

Oblivious Cops Stay Oblivious: 4dF -3

(You succeed with style. You've got a boost on them; "loving Awful Cops" seems appropriate.)

---

Alexis

The door was easy to open; the lock was busted, and the owner had improvised with a padlock to keep the door closed. More than enough security for a school locker, less so for a building. Inside was the remnants of a business office, most of the furniture stacked against walls or stripped for parts by follow-on scavengers. Some of the cubicle walls still stood

The building had windows overlooking the alley, both on the main part and in the alleyway, as well as a door that let out into the dogleg of the alley. Dried blood speckled most of the windows facing the alley, and in one place a missing pane had apparently let some of the blood in. The place smelled damp and musty, with (was she imagining this) a hint of burning copper, the smell of blood she'd always heard about in her movies.

Staying just inside the windows, Alexis was in a perfect position to hear everything the two men outside were saying. It was clearly a briefing for the new arrival. Who was he? As she listened, so noticed a hard lump on the floor near one of the windows, an old collection of wax burned into the cheap carpet here.

Spincut
Jan 14, 2008

Oh! OSHA gonna make you serve time!
'Cause you an occupational hazard tonight.
Jacob

"Kailen and Smith, huh? Good officers, those two."

Jacob surveys the scene and takes in what the tech is telling him, then takes the report handed to him and flips through it.

"Jesus. If the alley was big enough, I would've said they brought a drat wheat thresher in here."

He checks to see if anyone laughs. They don't. He coughs lightly and continues.

"Anyway, whoever did this, they were very particular. It takes a lot of methodical work to ensure that no stray viscera wanders outside of this region. Thanks for the update. Guess it's time to get to work."

Jacob closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, centering himself.

(I'm going to roll Investigation and spend a Fate Point on my high aspect, "Grizzled Ex-CSI." This is his job and his expertise.)

4dF+4+2 = 7

(Also tell me if I'm rolling too much. :v:)

Electric Hobo
Oct 22, 2008

What a view!

Grimey Drawer
Phil Harrigan
3FP


So far so good. Everyone seems to focus on Jacob, so Phil places himself behind all the investigators and hope that anyone who notices him thinks that he's supposed to be there.
"What a horrible joke." he thinks, as Jacob starts talking. He pulls out his notebook and writes the joke down any way, since it might fit into a novel at some point. Then he just listen as Jacob gets to work.

Byers2142
May 5, 2011

Imagine I said something deep here...
Jacob

It started in the dogleg, or at least it came from the dogleg out towards the street. The voids told that story clearly; the voids were close to the street, meaning that the people that formed the void were still standing when the blood first sprayed.

What's more, the voids told Jacob that at least two people watched the slaughter start and didn't run. No bloody footprints beyond Smith's along the wall. What's more, no signs of a struggle. The ripping and... decoration all occurred during or soon after death, but the victims didn't struggle.

Jacob could almost see it in his mind. Three to five people stand in the alley, scattered between the dogleg and the street. A dark presence flows around the corner, grabs the first person, and tears them apart, taking care to turn them into so much meat. The other victims stand still, waiting their turn to be ripped apart and spread throughout the alley. And then, it's slaughter done, the presence... what? Where did it go? Where did it come from? According to the evidence that Jacob could see here, the perp just vanished after finishing with the final victim.

So, 7 makes you a god of deduction, and tops the case's innate difficulty by three shifts. That's a three-shift stress on the case, and you've got a one-time boost on the case. What's the boost called?

For rolling, the Contacts roll was borderline since I was going to give that information to you anyway but I worked in that you knew the cops, but if you roll and didn't need to I'm likely to just ignore the roll and refund any Fate points you might spend.

Kumaton
Mar 6, 2013

OWLBEARS, SON
Alexis
4 FP

Alexis gazed through the window as the rear end in a top hat that elbowed her earlier was being led through to the scene by some guy.
"Jesus. If the alley was big enough, I would've said they brought a drat wheat thresher in here."
Despite the fact that he had near-assaulted her earlier, it was hard not to admire how he worded things.
After the rear end in a top hat flipped through a stack of a papers, he began to take a deep breath, close his eyes, and stood thinking for a long while. Huh.

It took Alexis a while to realize the weird lump she had been toeing with her boot was, well, weird. After coming to the realization that the kinda-funny dick would be like that for a while, she ducked down and turned her attention to the strange, waxy mound on the floor.

Investigating the lump: 4dF: +1, +1, -1, 0 +1 Investigate = 2

Kumaton fucked around with this message at 01:48 on Jun 19, 2014

Byers2142
May 5, 2011

Imagine I said something deep here...
Alexis

Looking closely, it's obvious there's a few different types of wax in the clump, with a depression in the center. After a moment, Alexis realize what she's looking at. Someone has been burning a candle here over and over, and the wax mound was from the candle's overflow. The last candle burned was colored red.

Kumaton
Mar 6, 2013

OWLBEARS, SON
Alexis Murnau
4 FP

Well, that's certainly interesting, but what does that have to do with a murder? Alexis rose from her kneeling position and stared into the deserted office building, curiosity rising. Were there any other secrets in this room?

Investigating the Room: 4dF: 0, +1, 0, +1 +1 Investigate = 3

Electric Hobo
Oct 22, 2008

What a view!

Grimey Drawer
Phil Harrigan
3 FP


This isn't quite as dramatic or interesting as he'd hoped. Sure, a good inner monologue can be a powerful tool. In a book.
Seeing as this might take a while, Phil decides to search for one of the chairs the cop mentioned. He quietly enters the building next to the alley.

Spincut
Jan 14, 2008

Oh! OSHA gonna make you serve time!
'Cause you an occupational hazard tonight.
Jacob Prior

"This doesn't make any sense...there's no tracks leading away from the murder. The perp would be covered in blood at this point. He could have killed himself...but unless he's loaded with PCP, he wouldn't be able to tear himself into pieces, and even then they wouldn't get this fine. So he either disappeared or climbed one of the buildings." Jacob's eyes trace up the sides of the buildings, seeing if there's something there.

Investigating the buildings (and maybe seeing Alexis?): 4dF+4 = 2

Byers2142
May 5, 2011

Imagine I said something deep here...
Jacob

Jacob looked along the walls, but there were no signs of the blood extending above roughly head-height. No damage to the walls, no signs of hand prints or footprints covered in blood extending up the wall or along the wall in any direction.

As he looked, he noticed Phil open the door to the adjacent building. The door that should have been locked. Jacob thought he heard a noise from inside the building.

Noticing Alexis specifically would be Notice, not Investigation, but attention to detail at the scene allows you see/hear the affects of her snooping.

Phil

The door was, surprisingly, unlocked. Inside was the remnants of a business office, most of the furniture stacked against walls or stripped for parts by follow-on scavengers. Some of the cubicle walls still stood.

The building had windows overlooking the alley, both on the main part and in the alleyway, as well as a door that let out into the dogleg of the alley. Dried blood speckled most of the windows facing the alley, and in one place a missing pane had apparently let some of the blood in.

If Kumaton takes the compel for Alexis, feel free to see Alexis in your next post. if Kumba refuses the compel, roll to notice her.

Alexis

Alexis moved deeper into the shadows of the room, and as she moved she noticed the dust. In most of the room, the dust piled on abandoned furniture, and her feet caused small clouds of dust to rise in the air. But near the candle mound and the back door, there was a small area where the dust was less. this area of dust led further into the room, towards an interior wall shrouded in darkness and obscured by the abandoned office furniture. As she walked, the old floor shifted and groaned slightly under her weight.

The door to the street opened behind her.

Alexis's search of the interior of the building she's in is going to distract her from noticing what Phil and Jacob are doing. Alexis is Pushing It again, so one more Fate Point pushed your way. If you accept, you can't Hide from Phil and/or Jacob; you're going to get caught. If you refuse the compel, pay a Fate point and roll to avoid detection.

Kumaton
Mar 6, 2013

OWLBEARS, SON
Yeah, sure, I'll take the compel. Let's make things interesting.

Alexis Murnau
6 FP

Alexis was so busy looking aruond the old office that she almost didn't realize the sound of the old door creaking open. Wheeling around and causing dust to whirlwind around her feet, and faced her finder/killer/whatever.
"Oh, gently caress," Whatever her planned excuse was for snooping around a crime scene, she had forgotten it. "Hi?"

Electric Hobo
Oct 22, 2008

What a view!

Grimey Drawer
Phil Harrigan
3 FP


Phil freezes for a second, then locates the source of the 'hi'. Just some girl. Probably one of those goth kids out looking for her daily fix of the macabre.
"Hi" he says back as he looks around the room. "Found anything interesting? Listen, if any of the cops outside asks, I'm here to make sure the forensics doesn't screw up. I'm Phil, by the way." he adds as he rummages through some furniture.

Noticing things in the building: 4dF+2 3

Byers2142
May 5, 2011

Imagine I said something deep here...
Phil

You notice that the furniture is several years old, and while the office supplies are mostly gone the furniture itself would have been valuable as scrap by scavengers. If nothing else, the cables and copper fittings on the cubicles that are still standing should have been targeted by homeless people looking for a buck in scrap.

Since notice isn't investigation, you didn't hit the higher difficulty to see a small wax build-up under the window, or the dust discrepancies. With a Fate Point, you'd be able to notice the candle wax without Alexis pointing it out to you.

Also, offering a Fate Point to compel your "Known Snooper" aspect. If you accept, the company that this furniture belonged to, based on something you found in the desk, is connected to the criminal underworld in a way that Phil would recognize. Tell me what you found, who it's connected to and why they hate Phil, specifically.

Spincut
Jan 14, 2008

Oh! OSHA gonna make you serve time!
'Cause you an occupational hazard tonight.
Jacob Prior

Jacob was still baffled by the lack of prints leading away from the crime scene when he noticed Phil slip into one of the buildings.

"Dammit, Phil...but maybe he's on to something? If that door was unlocked...hm..."

Jacob went into the door after Phil, stumbling onto Phil's conversation with Alexis.

"Making friends already, huh Phil? Who is this?"

Jacob eyed the room. Dusty furniture...maybe an office building? Must have went out of business a while ago, but whoever left it behind sure did so in a hurry. And...perfect view of the crime scene. Might as well take a look...

(Rolling Investigation: 4dF+4 = 6)

Kumaton
Mar 6, 2013

OWLBEARS, SON
Alexis Murnau
6 FP

"Oh. Well then, Phil, I'm Alexis. Nice to meet you," Alexis stood thinking about anything interesting she's seen. "Well, there's this candle thing by the window. Nothing much left but melted wax. And there's this really dark part of the room near the back, but I didn't get time to look at it."
Alexis paused for a little bit, just enough time to see Jacob enter.
"Oh, brought a friend? I'm Alexis, just so you know."

Kumaton fucked around with this message at 23:03 on Jun 30, 2014

Byers2142
May 5, 2011

Imagine I said something deep here...
Jacob

Wax build-up from candles being burned over and over in the same spot on the floor. Signs of traffic in some parts of the room, not just once or twice but over a longer time period. Just a general feeling of a squatter.

Broken window, blood spots inside the room. Direction of the blood drops suggests that some of them did not come from outside; rather they came from inside the room, directed outwards. Looks like blood from in the room happened before the bloodbath outside, as larger drops from outside had covered some of the interior splatter. not a lot of blood from inside, maybe a single deep cut, no arterial spray. But blood looked dried top the same level as the outside blood; everything happened around the same time, give or take a few hours.

Room had access to the dogleg. Possible origin here for whatever happened? Who was squatting here?

I'll update the case information in a bit, but that's 2 shift hit against the case. So you've got the 2 and 3 boxes of the case stress track filled in at this point.

Electric Hobo
Oct 22, 2008

What a view!

Grimey Drawer
Phil Harrigan
4 FP


"Melted candles, eh?" he says, as most of his upper body is hidden by a pile of turned over desks. "That might be interes..." he cuts his sentence short. Right there on the floor, under all the desks, is a tiny notebook. Phil manages to grab it and crawl out just as Jacob enters.

"You know me, Prior, I'm a people person." he says, then to Alexis: "That's Jacob Prior, investigative wunderkind. Wouldn't exactly call him a friend, but he hasn't told anyone to arrest me yet so I guess he's a good guy."
He looks at the notebook, a familiar emblem stamped on it's front; an eight-pointed star in the shape of a maltese cross. The symbol of the Conscience of the Higher Mind. It's filled with the usual pseudo-religious drivel, but the numerous draft of sermons makes it look like it belonged to a higher ranking priest.
"I just just found a notebook belonging to one of the higher up nutjobs from the Conscience of the Higher Mind. If he was a "priest", that would make this place one of their numerous fronts for money laundering. The entire organization is a giant pyramid scheme at best, but I saw a lot more when I infiltrated them." He pauses as he thumbs through the book again.
"Wrote a book about it, changing the names of everything. I guess they figured it out anyway, since my publisher was muscled into discontinuing the book. And they keep sending me threatening letters."

Taking the compel, not spending the fate point.

Kumaton
Mar 6, 2013

OWLBEARS, SON
Alexis Murnau
6 FP

Alexis tried to ignore Phil as he scrambled under the desks for some pad of paper. He finally stood back up, holding a notebook with a weird symbol emblazoned on the front cover.
"That's Jacob Prior, investigative wunderkid. Wouldn't exactly call him a friend, but he hasn't told anyone to arrest me yet so I guess he's a good guy."
"Ah, in that case, nice to meet you, Jacob." Alexis nodded to the investigator as Phil investigated the notebook further, before finally addressing her and Jacob.
"I just just found a notebook belonging to one of the higher up nutjobs from the Conscience of the Higher Mind. If he was a "priest", that would make this place one of their numerous fronts for money laundering. The entire organization is a giant pyramid scheme at best, but I saw a lot more when I infiltrated them."
"No loving way," Alexis interest was piqued at the mention of cults, and her respect for Phil rose when he said he infiltrated one. "Let me see it!"

Electric Hobo
Oct 22, 2008

What a view!

Grimey Drawer
Phil Harrigan
4 FP


"Sure." he says and tosses the notebook to Alexis.
"It just looks like the usual crazy nonsense to me, but the fun thing about the Order is that they don't care about how they reach the next level of existence. There are splinter groups trying to conjure up everything from Satan and Cthulhu to aliens and God. I'm pretty sure they even have a R&D department somewhere where they try to engineer their way to the next level. Maybe you can figure out what the owner of that book think is the right way."

Byers2142
May 5, 2011

Imagine I said something deep here...
Quick note, Alexis should have 5 FP, not 6.

Spincut
Jan 14, 2008

Oh! OSHA gonna make you serve time!
'Cause you an occupational hazard tonight.
Jacob Prior

"Hi, Alexis, nice to meet you." He saw Alexis' face in his mind as he put an elbow square into her collarbone and winced slightly. "Er, sorry about earlier, I thought there was something serious going on." Jacob glances at the book as it's passed to Alexis.

"Order of the Higher Conscience, huh? I've heard of them before, once or twice. Like you said, Phil, mostly for money laundering, stuff like that. This, though..." Jacob looks out the window at the massacre just outside. "This seems a little too convenient. You don't think the Order is above human sacrifice, do you? The melted wax here and the...horror outside match too perfectly. Sounds like a ritual that went wrong. Or it went perfectly.

The question that is still bugging me is what actually happened here, though. If it was a ritual, and it was committed by the Order, how did they get in and out? It might warrant a further inspection of the building."

Jacob's mind wanders back to the path further into the building. "Look, I'm going to go further in. You're welcome to stick with me, just be careful, alright?"

Electric Hobo
Oct 22, 2008

What a view!

Grimey Drawer
Phil Harrigan
4 FP


"I don't doubt that they'd try it if they could get away with it, but I don't see why they'd try it here instead of one of their private properties. And I certainly don't think anything supernatural happened because of it. Don't get me wrong, it makes for good reading, but... come on."
Phil pulls out his own notebook and scribbles everything down. Maybe this isn't a waste of time after all.
"Sure, I'll come with you, but what about your entourage outside?"

Kumaton
Mar 6, 2013

OWLBEARS, SON
Good job catching that FP thing for me, Byers.

Alexis Murnau
5 FP

"Just, don't do it again, alright?" Alexis shook her head at the investigator.

Alexis caught the notebook, mumbled out a 'thanks', and started flipping through it with excitement. No diagrams, sadly, but it still seemed like an intresting read. She looked up from the book just in time for Phil to continue the conversation.

"It just looks like the usual crazy nonsense to me, but the fun thing about the Order is that they don't care about how they reach the next level of existence. There are splinter groups trying to conjure up everything from Satan and Cthulhu to aliens and God. I'm pretty sure they even have a R&D department somewhere where they try to engineer their way to the next level. Maybe you can figure out
what the owner of that book think is the right way."


"That's awesome." Alexis was about to start looking for clues in the notebook, as Phil suggested, before Jacob began talking.

...This seems a little too convenient. You don't think the Order is above human sacrifice, do you? The melted wax here and the...horror outside match too perfectly. Sounds like a ritual that went wrong. Or it went perfectly.

Human Sacrifice? In Gravesend? No loving way. How the hell did she not know about this cult? She wasn't able to get a word of excitement in edgewise before Phil answered Jacob's question.

"I don't doubt that they'd try it if they could get away with it, but I don't see why they'd try it here instead of one of their private properties. And I certainly don't think anything supernatural happened because of it. Don't get me wrong, it makes for good reading, but... come on."

God dammit. Well, there's still a good chance, right?

Alexis was quick to respond when Jacob announced his intentions to look deeper.
"I'm coming. Was in the middle of checking it out before you two came, anyway." She held the notebook in her hand as tightly as possible, vowing to take a look at it later.

Byers2142
May 5, 2011

Imagine I said something deep here...
Sorry for the delay! Below you'll find a highly detailed diagram of the area.



Red is the bloody alley, gray shows doors, the broken window, and the office furniture. The yellow dot is the candle residue, while the shaded area is where signs of habitation, or at least squatting, are. The building extends farther to the right, but it's open concept beyond the picture, so think of another open area with more furniture.


Moving further into the building, the trio find that the floor plan seems shaped like an upside down U around a sealed off section with two doors. Past this sealed off section (two rooms, perhaps?) are more detritus from the closed offices, including the chairs Phil had been told about. The chairs are mildewy and look like they would struggle to support a child, let alone the weight of a full grown man.

In this part of the building, there is a faint scent of dampness and decay.

Electric Hobo
Oct 22, 2008

What a view!

Grimey Drawer
Phil Harrigan
4 FP


Phil quickly decides to leave the chairs alone. There's no point in ruining this nice set of pants by sitting on what's basically a pile of mold and mildew.
Instead he opens the door to the first room he passed and takes a look around inside.

Noticing anything in the "upper" room: 4dF+2 4

Byers2142
May 5, 2011

Imagine I said something deep here...
Phil

Opening the smaller room, Phil finds a small office bathroom. Sink, toilet, cracked and dirty mirror, exactly what you'd expect from an abandoned office building. Cockroaches scurry from the light let in through the open door.

The fresh(-ish) urine and feces sitting in the toilet bowl? Less what you'd expect from an abandoned office building. Judging by the eye-watering stench and shiny appearance of the poo poo on the top, the toilet in here had been used less than a week ago, but with the water off there was no pressure to flush with.

A small, half-burned candle sits on the sink, next to a battered, yellowing paperback novel. The title reads Mândrie și Prejudecată. It's probably not in English.

Kumaton
Mar 6, 2013

OWLBEARS, SON
Alexis Murnau
5 FP

Alexis eagerly followed Phil as he began investigating the back of the building, ending up in front of a door. Her intrest waned, however, when she saw him open the door to a loving bathroom.
"Eugh. Have fun with that, man."
She wheeled around and stared into the rest of the room, trying to find anything of interest.

Investigating The Room: 4dF=(1, 0, +1, -1) +1 Investigate = 0

Spincut
Jan 14, 2008

Oh! OSHA gonna make you serve time!
'Cause you an occupational hazard tonight.
Jacob Prior

"Find anything intere-" Jacob's words trail off as he has a sudden urge to retch as the contents of the bathroom assault his senses. "Nevermind."

Jacob approaches tentatively and casts a look around. "Hm, seems used recently, though. Could just be squatters. And a candle, too. Well, let's see what's in here. Another bathroom, maybe?" Jacob goes to the other door and gingerly opens it.

Byers2142
May 5, 2011

Imagine I said something deep here...
Alexis

More of the same here; broken furniture, dim lighting, and the smell, now worse with Phil holding open the bathroom door.

Jacob

Compared to the bathroom, the second door opens on a much more pleasing sight; behind the second door is the stairwell to the building. Stairs lead up to the second floor from here, and down into the basement. The stairs to the second floor are in rough shape, with missing guardrails and chunks out of some of the stairs. The stairs going down disappear into darkness, but at the edge of sight it looks like the damage to the stairs has been combated; part of a cubicle wall looks to be covering up where a step went missing from the stairwell.

It's hard to tell with Phil holding open the door to the cesspit next door, but the smell of dampness seems to come from the stairwell as well.

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Electric Hobo
Oct 22, 2008

What a view!

Grimey Drawer
Phil Harrigan
4 FP


"Someone had the beans for dinner." Phil says to no-one in particular before quickly snatching the book, leaving the bathroom and slamming the door shut.
"I found another book, but this one doesn't look very interesting. Important books aren't in paperback. I should know." he says with a smug smile. He shakes the book just in case something is stuck between the pages.

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