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Mags Mags' eyes widen at Faust's outburst and she looks back and forth across the table before sheepishly raising her hand. I'm also a Margaret-well, technically, you see I go by Mags and have since I was a baby, but it's Margaret officially, is that ok?
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May 5, 2023 15:52
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 19:04 |
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Heliotrope posted:Raymond "Wh-?" She looks at the 'rune' more closely.  Oh. I'm being pranked, aren't I? That's much less amusing.
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May 5, 2023 16:06
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To Margaret As you stare at the protective rune Faust handed you, you feel a sweet smell filling the library. You look at your companions, then at the rest of the patrons. No one seems to have noticed it, or if they have, they're not reacting to it. It lasts for about thirty seconds, then it passes.
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May 5, 2023 16:43
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Faust 8 points "Another Margaret?" What is this, a Margaret convergence? Are all the Margarets in this town being drawn towards the library for one of them to meet her fate? He quickly scribbles another protective rune for Mags and hands it to her while explaining. "Okay, you two are obviously not familiar with this, but people named 'Margaret' have been disappearing every 30 years for a while now, and it's clearly connected to this library. 1873: Margaret Durant, head librarian. Never found. 1903: Margaret Herbert, disappeared. 1933: We don't know about this one because the files were destroyed in a fire, but it's safe to say another Margaret disappeared here. 1963: Margaret Émile, disappeared during a flooding, body never found. 1993: Margaret Blanchard, librarian. Never found. It's too regular to be a coincidence. Every 30 years, usually in summer, a woman named Margaret who in most cases is affiliated with this library goes missing. It's well-known enough that barely any parent in this city names their daughter Margaret at this point. It's 2023 now, so we don't have much time left. My mission is to investigate this phenomenon, and prevent it if possible. I sent out messages to people online who seemed interested to gather allies. I didn't expect to have Margarets here, though, and that's dangerous for you. I'd recommend you leave right now, skip town if you can and don't come back until at least fall. Or until you read about another Margaret's disappearance."
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May 5, 2023 18:41
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Margaret Points: 8 "Oh my!" She fakes agitation. "Please tell me, Mr. Faust" -if that's your real name- "How do you know this? And how could it even be possible? Is there a vampire in the library that only chases Margarets?" She looks to the side. "Or maybe, Mr. Raymond, is this a government conspiracy? Do Margarets have unusual DNA they wish to harvest??"
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May 5, 2023 19:13
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Mags Mags tucks the rune into her pocket In that case, wouldn't it be safer if we stick together and stay visible?
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May 5, 2023 20:22
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Pearl Points: 8 As the Director's door opens and Rafael steps out, Pearl has a split second of panic, caught reading a book that she took off the shelf without permission. Stop...this isn't anything, just a little local fluff, and he DID leave me here unsupervised. "Did you know they found carvings here in the mid 19th century? Down on the lower level it seems, a bunch of LOVE YOUs carved in random places. Does that seem strange to you? How long has this library been around anyway?"
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May 5, 2023 21:18
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Rafael Points: 8 "Oh hey, that book. You'd think that was a 910, but it's really more of a 398.2 so you shouldn't really believe everything in there. The library has been here as a library for around 90 years I think, but the building has been here way longer, obviously. The stuff in the basement is really there though, I have some ideas about what that's all about but I don't know if you are ready for that quite yet." He stops for a moment as a revelation comes to him. "Pearl... hmmm... how interesting... showing up now... looking for work? We obviously aren't a huge library, but we've got some people out for a bit, and Agnes probably doesn't have a lot of years left. What were you looking to do here? I'm afraid I have Catalogation pretty covered but we always need someone to do some reshelving. Like this pile right here behind you." Rafael suddenly remembers the disk, and glances down at it to see if there is a label of any type. "Sorry, I know we just came up here, but the office is occupied and frankly I try to stay off this floor, I am more of a downstairs guy. Do you mind if we head back down there and maybe I can show you around a bit?"
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May 6, 2023 04:08
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Faust 8 points "I don't know the details yet, that's what I'm here to find out! Also, vampires don't drink blood, that's a common misconception." The looks of Margaret's face tells him he should maybe have left that detail out. "But no matter what's causing it, vampires, demons, government, the Saint Tonquois Dragon, it can't be denied that there have been at least four confirmed disappearances of women named Margaret, at least three of whom were affiliated with this library. I can show you the newspaper articles if you don't believe me. And I'm here to make sure this won't happen again this year!"
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May 6, 2023 09:13
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To Faust, Raymond, Margaret and Mags "Enough". The voice of Agnes, very close to his back, makes Faust jump a bit. She is not raising her voice, but there is the suggestion that she might do so at any time she wants. "This is not a canteen. If you are not going to do some silent reading or pick up a book, I'd suggest you leave. Don't make me kick you out" she concludes, with a small nod at the now not-so-bored looking security guard, who seems to have snapped to attention. Agnes eyeballs Raymond, with a pretty strong indication that the admonishment is actually directed at both of them. "And... Mrs. Tingle, wasn't it?" Agnes' tone becomes professional, with an almost imperceptible shade of worry. "I've checked our records, and from T.J. Morris we do have "The forgotten art of baking" and "Thematic cupcakes" available down by the deposit. If you could come down there with me, I could get them out for you to check" She turns to Mags. "If you don't mind coming too, I'd like some words about that book of yours... I think we could lift the lost book fine, if you agree to buying a replacement" Agnes is signalling pretty strongly for both Margaret and Mags to come with her. You can do so (no roll), you can come up with a way of refusing or an excuse (rolling non-violent action) or you can try to push her or run away (rolling combat action). The latter will probably cause a ruckus. For Faust and Raymond, you can try and object, which will be a combat roll for either of you (you aren't blowing Agnes' head off, but she is definitely not listening to you right now, so succesfully confronting her will cause an argument). If you prefer to wait and see or move somewhere else, no rolling. Shellception fucked around with this message at 13:35 on May 6, 2023 |
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May 6, 2023 13:15
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To Pearl You may decide to leave the book where you found it, or to discretely pocket it into your purse (roll non-combat for the latter). To Rafael You discretely check the disk for markings or labels, but there are none on it that you can see. Some residual glue may indicate the label fell off at some point. As you escort Pearl back down, you notice Agnes is actually distracted this time with the strange group over at the table. If you get into Agnes' field of vision, you will probably be asked to deal with the weirdos there. You can also take the opportunity to sneak downstairs into the silent area and Cataloguing without her peeking over your shoulder. Shellception fucked around with this message at 13:32 on May 6, 2023 |
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May 6, 2023 13:28
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Mags Mags' face betrays a brief moment of confusion before she realizes what Agnes is doing Oh, uh yes, yes of course. Lead the way!
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May 6, 2023 14:51
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Shellception posted:To Faust, Raymond, Margaret and Mags Lunatics or cake recipes? Tough choice. "Thank you, my dear", she stands up. "Let's see those books!"
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May 6, 2023 14:57
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Faust 8 points Agnes is pretty terrifying, but she comes across as more of a strict nun with a ruler than an adherent of a malevolent force, so Faust makes the strategic and not at all fuelled by fear choice to wait for the women to return. I have done what I can. Both of them have the protective sigils at least. ... Man, I really blew that one, didn't I?
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May 6, 2023 15:09
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To Margaret and Mags Agnes leads you to a service elevator behind the desk. You see her put a small key into the keyholed button, and as soon as it arrives, she signals for you to come inside. "It's always the same" she sighs, as she presses the -3 button. "Those kinda guys think they can woo girls with ghost stories and dollar store trinkets. Well, you're safe now, and I'm gonna call for Frank to keep an eye on them" With a ting the elevator stops dead. She gets off, and you follow her through a well-lit corridor. Despite being underground, the place seems homely. "You can come with me if you want" she offers, then addresses Margaret "Those books you want don't come out that frequently, but I have an idea of where they are. If you prefer to wait here" she signals to an old bench by a door, which she unlocks quickly, letting you two see a big room full of shelves, all of them neatly lined with books, "you can do so, tho. I'll be back shortly. Don't touch any books without asking me first, ok?" You both can go inside the deposit with Agnes, or wait outside for her to return.
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May 6, 2023 22:08
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Shellception posted:To Pearl Pearl tries to slip the book in her purse: Book snatching: 1d10 8 Pearl slips the book into her purse while Rafael talks/heads towards the stairs. "It feels like just heading back down is for the best." As they walk downstairs Pearl says "I didn't know you had anyone absent, I'd just..." she stops to collect her thoughts, not sure what she's even trying to say. "I didn't know you had any openings but I'd heard about this library from my cousin Meghan. I didn't even see an ad or anything, I guess I just walked in? Maybe that's a little odd, it's just a comfortable place for me, since I'm new here. Meghan says she comes here often and thought I should stop and check it out." When they reach the ground floor Pearl notices the table of people is missing a few members. "Where did the other women go?" Maerlyn fucked around with this message at 23:20 on May 6, 2023 |
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May 6, 2023 22:57
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Raymond Points: 8 As Agnes leaves with the two Margarets, Raymond looks back at Faust. "So what do you know about this whole thing? My aunt was Margaret Blanchard and my uncle never found any messages like what you posted. The agency behind this obviously has people who remove evidence when they're done - you think that librarian is part of it, or just a normie?"
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May 7, 2023 05:15
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Faust Points: 8 "Oh wow, your aunt? poo poo, sorry to hear that!" Faust pulls out his notebook. "As far as I can tell, Agnes is not involved with anything supernatural. I did a sage test on her and it came up negative. Of course if she's powerful enough, she might be able to fool this, but I think she's just a normal human being. As for the messages, I actually don't know who posted them. I tried to contact them too, but they never responded. I thought it was a hoax at first, but usually trolls put more effort into faking their stuff, you know? I'm thinking whoever posted this knew more than they let on, but was afraid to say so. Maybe someone silenced them too..."
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May 7, 2023 09:16
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Rafael Points: 8 "Pearl, there is that weird about an ex-librarian being drawn to this library. And maybe it is just serendipity that we could use the hel-" Rafael comes to a sudden stop as they near the table with the Faust and Raymond and see Agnes heading away with the other two. "What's happening here... where is Agnes taking those two... hang on... RAYMOND? What is going on here? I didn't notice that was you before." Glancing back at the receding form of Agnes, Rafael lets out a big sigh. "And is that Mags over there? How did she get involved in whatever this is." Turning back to Pearl, he apologizes. "Sorry, we may have to talk more about this a little later. Raymond here is on the 'do-not-lend' list and he knows he really shouldn't be in here disturbing other patrons AGAIN. Agnes must have been too myopic to recognize him, she's personally thrown him out more than I have."
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May 7, 2023 12:15
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Shellception posted:To Margaret and Mags Margaret 8 gums Were they flirting? That Faust guy seemed fairly serious in his lunacy. "A pity that they don't come out that frequently. The culinary scene of Saint Tonquois could do with a bit more pizzazz." She snaps her fingers as she says the last word. "Anyway, I will stay here. I can already see some interesting documents peeking at me from the shelves." She smacks her lips together. "Mags, is it? Will you be a dear and go with the nice librarian?"
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May 7, 2023 17:02
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Mags Sure, I haven't actually seen this part of the building before, lead the way!
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May 7, 2023 17:14
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To Margaret "Sure" Agnes answers "feel free to look around. But do not move anything, please, I will be back shortly" With that, she starts walking on parallel to the rows of bookshelves there, looking for a particular one. You see Mags trail behind her. You can explore here. It's a big room, not too well illuminated, full of densely packed shelves, and the materials seem to be coded with a very simple theme/number system - Art 0001, Art 0002, and the like. There has to be a wall at the other end, but it is kind of obscured from where you are. You can check any particular section, you can wander around, or you can sit and wait. You also assume there is a catalog somewhere, probably in a PC, but you cannot see one at the moment. You can also call the elevator to go back up, since only the public-facing buttons are keyholed - this one is not. To Mags You follow Agnes down the rows of shelves, as she mutters to herself. She looks way more relaxed now, and will probably be happy to answer some questions. As she speeds up, you suddenly hear what sound like footsteps, but you are sure Margaret stayed back, so it's not her. Is there someone else in here? Maybe an intern? You turn your head, but see no one.
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May 7, 2023 21:13
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Mags Interesting, you don't see a lot of sub basements going this deep here. We're probably below the old contraband tunnels, even! So, do you know that Faust guy well? Seems like the type to own a lot of swords.
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May 8, 2023 00:06
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Pearl Gum: 8 "Should I go over and talk to them if you want to catch up with Agnes? I can find out what they're doing here or what they might be planning." Feeling as though she had something to prove (and overcome with curiosity), Pearl walks over to the table where the occult guy and Raymond are sitting.
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May 8, 2023 03:02
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Raymond Points: 8 "I'm not disturbing anyone! I'm meeting with like minded people who know the government's up to something and I'm not taking any of your useless books out anyway!"
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May 8, 2023 08:42
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Opopanax posted:Mags To Mags "We actually have one more level, but it's smaller than this one" Agnes replies, then seems to get perked up. "You know this room actually cuts straight through one of the oldest contraband tunnels? This basement level was excavated way after it'd fallen out of use, so that wall over there" she gestures vaguely to the right, in the general direction of some wall or another "it's actually a closed up archway. If you want to, I can show it to..." Agnes stops in her tracks and starts searching for something in the shelves. She picks up one book and starts fishing for the other. "As per the Vernon kid" Agnes restarts in a quieter voice, still peeking through the bookshelf "he is a good kid. Takes care of his mom and kid siblings. He just can be a bit... eccentric, you know"
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May 8, 2023 12:17
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Shellception posted:To Margaret I use my keen baking senses to sift through the shelves and score a document, magazine or any other kind of text that is relevant to my current situation. 1d10: 10
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May 8, 2023 14:27
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To Margaret: The library seems to have a good number of shelves. You don't have time to search them all, so you pick one more or less randomly and start combing thorugh it. A particular book, "Advanced, realistic cake decoration" catches your attention. Sure, Agnes told you to not touch them, but where is the harm, right? You are gonna leave it where you found it anyway, right? With a couple furtive looks, you grab it and start sorting through it. Or try to - no sooner you open it, you feel yourself pulled inside out. You see scenes of your life pass before your eyes: you see yourself baking with your grandma, your first bake sale at middle school, the time you won Grendwal's Award for Aspiring Bakers, your apprenticeship with one of the most famous Master Bakers of Sylvania, your first shop. It all swirls before your eyes, your life laid in small scenes. You feel your consciousness quickly vanishing, and before you can do anything, you fall to the ground. That was a critical failure. Right now you're gonna be out of it for a little while. You can wait it out or roll combat to try and fight back. Also, remember to take off a point from your tally. Shellception fucked around with this message at 16:08 on May 8, 2023 |
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May 8, 2023 15:55
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Shellception posted:To Mags Mags Her eyes light up like a kid on Christmas Wow, this far down? Absolutely, I’d love to see that! I can’t believe I didn’t know about it. There’s that sound again, she looks behind her Did you hear that?
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May 8, 2023 15:59
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Rafael Points: 8 "Raymond... you know what... I don't have time right now. Where did Agnes say she was going with those two?" He turns to Pearl "Look I have to see what is going on down there, can you just sort of keep an eye on these guys... he is technically allowed in the building, but on a very short leash." "ACTUALLY... before I do any of that I need to do one other thing..." Hurrying over to the server area Rafael takes the disk he found and tries to see if he can get it to work in the drive he's been trying to hook up with the special adapter he got from Beeblebrox. Surely sticking a random disk into the library's main server wont be an issue. Attempt to read floppy drive: 1d10 10
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May 8, 2023 17:38
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(what is with these rolls, lol)
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May 8, 2023 18:24
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To Rafael Sneaking away from the others, you sit in front of the library's main server. You know you shouldn't mess with it, but... who is to know? You sneak a peek over your shoulder and see a completely Agnesless library. Taking your chance, you slip the floppy into the drive. Nothing happens. You don't seem to get it to read the floppy. Hurriedly, you fiddle with the adapter - it seems to be a bit loose. Hoping to get it to make contact, you shake it a bit. You hear a quite noisy electrical buzz, and the main power goes off. The emergency lights light up, and after a brief moment of perplexity, the patrons start grumbling and complaining. Remove one point. The whole place is now in the dark, which means you cannot use the elevators or any other electrical equipment until you fix it. You will need to make it downstairs, get to the breaker panel and turn the main power on again - it is outside Also, that adapter is definitely toast. You'll need another computer with a floppy reader. To Mags "Sure!" Books in hand, Agnes guides you through the maze of shelves; she doesn't seem to think much of the strange noise, if she even heard it. You get out of the room though a heavy looking, bar activated door in the far side of the deposit, and find yourselves in a corridor. The left wall seems strangely cold and a bit damp at the touch. "See? This is natural rock, the type Saint Tonquois is built on" Agnes explains. "Too damp for the deposit, so this corridor was built to separate it from the books themselves. But if we go a bit further north" she moves along the corridor, and you follow her, up until you spot a clear cut. There is a hole on the rock, making a very rough arc shape that seems to have been filled with random debris. Agnes sounds like a schoolteacher now. "This is it. This tunnel was built in the 1700s in order to safely smuggle stuff from the port to the St. Ivey cave, this would have connected to the rocky outcrops near the old port. It runs way deeper than modern tunnels, which is probably why it was undetect..." The lights fizzle out for a fraction of a second before disappearing entirely. There are emergency lights, but they do nothing in this darkness apart from allowing you to not hit your heads. You swear you heard Agnes mumble a curse, but she recovers fast. "Oh dear. Please, stick close to me. I hope it comes back soon, but we're going to have to use the stairs... hope Mrs. Tingle is fine, I will have to apologize to her later, but for now... we should get out of the dark" You can follow Agnes, or try to get into a little investigating of your own. Both of them require a noncombat roll, unless you prefer to just sit down and wait. Do you have a light? To the group at the table: The blackout takes you as much by surprise as the rest of the patrons. You cannot see Rafael right now, and there is a bit of a ruckus in the darkened room as people complain and try to get out. It seems to be keeping the security guard busy - it's possible the security arches aren't working, either. You can patiently wait for Rafael to fix the lights, or try and sneak around in the dark. The elevator is, again, out of service. Shellception fucked around with this message at 19:46 on May 8, 2023 |
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May 8, 2023 19:35
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Margaret 7 gums She sleeps it out. The library seems to agree with her decision, as there is a sudden blackout.
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May 8, 2023 19:42
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To Margaret Dancing candles and colorful cupcakes guard your not entirely voluntary sleep. You'd swear it even smells good.
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May 8, 2023 19:45
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Faust 8 Points The lights go out. poo poo. He grabs Raymond's arm. "It's starting! poo poo, and both Margarets are down in the cellar! We've got to get to them before it's too late!" Fortunately it's still light out, so visibility is decent for now. He digs out his flashlight for the cellars and heads for the stairs, waving for Raymond to follow.
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May 8, 2023 20:03
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Rafael Points: 7 "Ohhhhhh.........gently caress........." Rafael jumps up and hustles over to the basement stais, where he runs right into Raymond being pulled away by the extra weird guy. "Hang on... RAYMOND. Where do you guys think you are going? Well, wherever it is, I don't care but right now you need to come with me to turn these lights back on and then we can talk about what the hell is going on downstairs with Agnes. If you continue on in the dark with just that flashlight you are going to get yourselves hurt or worse. Let's just go down to cataloging, that light you have might at least be helpful for that." (whether they agree to come or not I will continue to the breaker and attempt to turn the lights on ASAP) Turn the lights on!: 1d10 4
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May 8, 2023 20:44
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Mags Oh dear, that doesn't bode well. Following Agnes: 1d10 8 Hold on, I should have a little light here- ((addresses can be tough to find at night so Mags would keep a small flashlight in her bag, do I need a roll for that too?))
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May 8, 2023 22:48
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Pearl Gum: 8 "Okay, I got this." Pearl nods her head as Rafael walks away and turns to the two men still conspiring at the table. Walking briskly with the purpose of a librarian who means business (heels clacking, back straight, resting bitch face engaged), she was ready to question the two and find out what they were doing here. She had no more then reached the table and opened her mouth when - Bzzt. Darkness. what in the everliving fu- Okay, new plan. Assuming Pearl had a plan. Time to improvise. There's a lot of commotion happening around them, so Pearl doesn't think she'll be overheard as she says "I don't know what's going on here but I want to help. Where are the other folks that were here?" (Edited to make it slightly less "mafioso" like) Maerlyn fucked around with this message at 03:53 on May 9, 2023 |
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May 8, 2023 23:46
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Opopanax posted:((addresses can be tough to find at night so Mags would keep a small flashlight in her bag, do I need a roll for that too?)) You don't need to roll for anything you can concevaibly have on you - I assume most or all of you have either purses or backpacks. You'll probably need to sell the more outwardly stuff a bit, but assume stuff like pens, phones, etc are absolutely fair game.
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May 9, 2023 10:13
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 19:04 |
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To Mags You follow Agnes closely, keeping the way illuminated with your flashlight. "The stairs should already be around here" you hear her comment, and you wonder why it seems to take you longer than before. Surely the deposits in this little town library aren't that big, right? As you turn a corner, you barely avoid hitting a shelf face first. Your flashlight bounces off a pile of old, dusty books, and you cannot really tell where Agnes has just gone. It seems you've walked into a cul-de-sac, but how? In the distance, you hear footsteps getting further and further away from where you are. Then the light turns back on. The old fluorescent tubes seem to fluctuate a bit more than before, and you wonder how long will they stay on. I'll take anything you want to do here - noncombat for investigative type actions, combat if you want to try a more forceful approach to getting your way out of here. If you just move around you don't really need to roll. To Margaret As the lights come back on, you slowly regain consciousness. Still a bit confused, you feel a weight on your chest. Reaching for it, it turns out to be a relatively heavy book with a competely mundane title. It looks like a treaty on Tonquioian plants. Did it fall from the shelf? Same. You can check book, try to find out where it came from, or whatever you think would be appropiate. Rolls as needed, if in doubt, ask me.
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May 9, 2023 10:29
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