As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/

[PbP] Monster of the Week • Welcome to New Eden - "The Witching Hour"

2

Posts

  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited August 2018
    Felsted stuffs the bird in his jacket pocket as best as he can, holding whatever parts stick out with his paper towel. He looks over to Max briefly and then addresses Sam "Think that man might be in serious danger..or if he isn't; a lot of other people are." He looks down to his jacket pocket and then back to Broker and Sam "Something in his briefcase caused me to SEE whatever it was he saw. That thing with the teeth." His eyes dart toward Sam "That was what I meant in the bathroom. Can get into more details once we get somewhere safe.." he says with a sigh. A look of concern comes over his face as he turns to Broker

    "How are your eyes doing?"

    Egos on
  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    "Hmm?"
    Broker turns to catch his reflection in a nearby shop window.
    "Blech."
    Long probing fingers attempt to push the eyes into something more eye-like. It doesn't help.
    "Perhaps they just need some time to recover"

  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    Broker turns.
    "If we went somewhere a bit more, isolated, someone could look at that figurine whilst, I recuperate.
    I might even able to finish my samdwich"

  • MagicPrimeMagicPrime FiresideWizard Registered User regular
    edited August 2018
    The familiar sound of police sirens are getting closer, it appears our officers out front have called for some back up to deal with the angry mob. What's the next move?

    MagicPrime on
    BNet • magicprime#1430 | PSN/Steam • MagicPrime | Origin • FireSideWizard
    Critical Failures - Havenhold CampaignAugust St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    "Well, if we are all coming,", starts Broker, side-eyeing Sammy.
    Before shortly hailing a cab.
    He takes the front seat. "General Library please."


    General Library - Staging area for Chapter 14 of @Egos cult

    "This should suit. I'd suggest we find out, everything we can about that knick-knack, but I need to put my eyes on ice.
    I will be around."

    Broker pays the cabbie before walking across to a convenience store and grabbing a cold compress.

  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    Felsted returns an awkward gaze back to Broker, feigning confidence with a nod. He turns to Sam and Max -he points to bird toy in his pocket and says "You know I'm not even 100% sure this toy is magic. It may just be like made in Hong Kong."

    He sighs and then signals to the back of the library "The study rooms should provide us with enough privacy. Maybe we can at least figure out whether there was anything to that man's story......and if it means anything."

  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    edited August 2018
    Broker looks back at Felsted: "There didn't seem to be any, other proposals and my home, quiet though it might be, is perhaps too small.
    I'm sure if we can't get, some quiet here we can move to another location."

    discrider on
  • FencingsaxFencingsax It is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understanding GNU Terry PratchettRegistered User regular
    edited August 2018
    "This seems fine. Just need a table or desk, really".

    Sammy gets down to business and begins sorting through the papers they acquired from the frightened gentleman, putting them in appropriate piles, with a concentration on this beclocked property.

    Geth roll 2d6+2 for investigating the mystery.

    investigating the mystery:
    2d6+2 9 [2d6=4, 3]

    Fencingsax on
  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    edited August 2018
    Meanwhile, Broker attempts to Rest his sore eyes with a bag of frozen peas and, lets say, a copy of "Trilbies Monthly" in his own small reading room.

    discrider on
  • MagicPrimeMagicPrime FiresideWizard Registered User regular
    edited August 2018
    You get 1-hold to ask a question from the Investigate move. Ask when ready.

    Felsted palms the little cuckoo bird from hand to hand, but there is no hint of the magic that originally assaulted his senses. After a closer examination, however, he notices some mundane things. The bird is old, maybe even over a century old, the bird is obviously covered with real feathers and the craftsman ship, considering, is very high quality.

    The New Eden Library is one of the many Carnegie libraries across the United States. It is an imposing stone building, with beautiful architecture in the inside. The focal point being a brass and iron central spiral staircase that reaches from the basement to the top of the 4th floor. The main book storage area is a series of platforms with thick frosted glass igloo tile floors. You recall that in the last year or so this library in particular celebrated it's centennial. Most of the study rooms are located in the basement, a dark area with a labyrinth of book shelves. The room you manage to find open is about 20'ft to a side, with a small conference table and 8 chairs in the center. There is a large vintage lamp with an amber glass shade at the center of the table, that provides ample light for the surface of the table itself, but bathes the rest of the room in a warm orange glow.

    MagicPrime on
    BNet • magicprime#1430 | PSN/Steam • MagicPrime | Origin • FireSideWizard
    Critical Failures - Havenhold CampaignAugust St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
  • FencingsaxFencingsax It is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understanding GNU Terry PratchettRegistered User regular
    I guess the most important question right now is "What sort of creature is it?"

  • MagicPrimeMagicPrime FiresideWizard Registered User regular
    There are lots of questions flowing through your mind right now, but you try to connect the dots that you, can at least, currently see. A. Felix described something that appeared to be a moving corpse. Okay so, Undead. B. He also said it was floating in front of him, so that usually means some kind of ghost, so Incorporeal Undead. C. Felix and his crew didn't have any issues or interactions when they were working and tagging the lots previously. So there had to be something about the event last night that was different. D. Whatever it was, didn't follow him out of the house, so it must be bound to that location.

    Placing the last push-pin in your mental web of threads and clippings you deduce that it is some kind of localized Incorporeal Undead, centered around the location of the house itself, or bound to something specifically inside the home. There are still lots of missing pieces to the picture, but this conclusion adds up with what you currently know.

    Top concerns now, that category of creature is very broad - covering a lot of different things that have a massive power delta for danger, strength, and general nastyness.

    BNet • magicprime#1430 | PSN/Steam • MagicPrime | Origin • FireSideWizard
    Critical Failures - Havenhold CampaignAugust St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
  • FencingsaxFencingsax It is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understanding GNU Terry PratchettRegistered User regular
    As I go through my findings, I let the others know. We need to be prepared, after all. "Do any of you have experience with this kinda thing? Undead are slightly outside of my wheelhouse, but I guess not for much longer"

  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited August 2018
    "Maybe we should research more about this woman..." Felsted places the stuffed cuckoo bird on the table "Felix said she had a thing for clocks right? Might explain why this little guy got me seeing things." He taps on the cuckoo's head. He shrugs "Could be she planted it.... " he says offhandedly.

    Shrugging "Might be unfinished business or might be someone murdered her over a clock." he says that somewhat jokingly but there is a tinge of seriousness in his voice. "Anything on that lot sheet worth killing for? Probably worth checking out the obituaries to see if there is any mention of a Kincade….."

    Egos on
  • MagicPrimeMagicPrime FiresideWizard Registered User regular
    edited August 2018
    The periodicals section is also located in the basement, adjacent to the study rooms. Felsted spends most of a half-hour leafing through the last week or so of papers, checking for headlines and obituaries. He comes across a paper from about a week ago, a front page article about an Estate Sale in uptown New Eden. The article shares the page with an article about wild dog attacks in the Coast Line Park.

    Seven years ago, Zenobia Bellairs, age 83 at the time, an estoric clock maker and collector was finally declared dead after going missing. The last living heir of the Bellairs family, one Miss Melanie Kincade of Philadelphia, PA, was named sole beneficiary of all grounds, property and assets of the Bellairs Estate. The property sat empty for a few years, before Kincade tried multiple avenues for renting the home, and selling the home to investors. None of these attempts were successful. At the beginning of September, the Estate announced that all grounds and property therein would be liquidated and/or put up for public auction. The home contains many vintage and historic furniture pieces and an extensive collection of antique clocks of varying styles and variety. Some personally built by Zenobia Bellairs herself.

    The article continues on listing a few of the big ticket items, but none of them seem to be of any significance. The last bit of the article mentions Felix's name, his Auction Contracting LLC, the date and time for the sale (which was this morning a few hours before you all arrived at the Diner) and his contact information. Due to this mornings events, one would assume the auction was canceled.

    MagicPrime on
    BNet • magicprime#1430 | PSN/Steam • MagicPrime | Origin • FireSideWizard
    Critical Failures - Havenhold CampaignAugust St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
  • ReynoldsReynolds Gone Fishin'Registered User regular
    "What is in your wheelhouse, then? Yeti? Mothmen? Little green men?" Max added his sarcastic comments from the doorway he was occupying, glaring across the way at a helpful directory that identified another section of the library as the Maxwell Maxwell Sr. wing. "Oh, right...zombies and shit are in your wheelhouse, right?" He turned to look back inside, gesturing towards Bastian.

    When he'd tracked that car and the reckless driver to the diner and saw the crazed look in the man's eyes, he'd been expecting something more physical. And lucrative. Someone harassing or blackmailing the guy, someone they could look into and eventually call the cops on. They might offer sort of reward, or maybe he was rich and appreciative enough to cut his rescuers a check himself.

    Not ghosts.

    Max left them to their research. He appeared to be sulking, after finishing his little outburst. They'd find him sitting in one of the connecting hallways when they finished, looking through a random selection of informational pamphlets about tourist attractions in New Eden and other nearby towns. Resisting the urge to head up the stairs and outside to dig into his dwindling supply of smokes. He'd wasted too much cash in his attempt to smooth things over earlier, he had to make these last. And he needed to figure out some way to turn this lead into immediate cash, or at least some sort of steady job.

    uyvfOQy.png
  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    Broker puts down his book and looks at his watch.
    It has been some time.
    And as much as dreaming about owning his own haberdashery might be pleasant, it doesn't exactly pay the bills.

    There are several loud "CRACK"s as the lengthy man stretches and contorts his fingers above his head.
    Picking up the periodical, he returns it back to the shelves before sauntering around in search of the group.

  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    Felsted takes the paper from the periodicals section and goes back to Sam and the rest of the group. Placing the paper on the table, he points to the article on the front. After the others have had a time to at least gloss over the article, he remarks
    "Maybe Zenobia started haunting up the place once she found out her lone relative was gonna auction the place off. "

    Bastian shrugs

  • MagicPrimeMagicPrime FiresideWizard Registered User regular
    A silver Mercedes pulls up to the Bellairs estate. There is a middle-aged, well put together, woman in the driver's seat - having a what appears to be a very heated discussion with whomever is on the other end of her car phone.

    "Listen here -- I don't know where you are, but I will find you. I paid your deposit and you were a no-show. You hear me? NO. SHOW. That is completely unacceptable. We had more than 50-people here that wasted their time because you didn't do your job. CALL ME BACK WHEN YOU GET THIS MESSAGE!" She slams the phone down and checks her hair in the rear-view mirror.

    As soon as she has re-composed herself she gets out of the car and begins walking towards the house. She's wearing a nice blouse, with a tweed skirt and a brightly colored blazer. She makes her way up to the front door, and quickly unlocks it with the keys jingling in her hand. She makes her way inside to the front parlor. A table has been setup with a few festive balloons, a meat and cheese tray that has long since past its prime, and another pile of the lot sheets. In a bit over-dramatic and aggressive fashion she shakes open a black trash bag and begins cleaning up some of the items left around the room by the disappointed guests hours earlier.

    The sound of the rythmic clocks is interrupted by a very sudden and loud creak from the floor above. The woman jumps, obviously startled from her thoughts of strangling Felix for leaving her high and dry. She takes a breath, and clears her throat, speaking loudly. "Hello -- is someone still here? I'm sorry, but the auction has been postponed..."

    BNet • magicprime#1430 | PSN/Steam • MagicPrime | Origin • FireSideWizard
    Critical Failures - Havenhold CampaignAugust St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    Broker follows Felsted into the second reading room.
    "Are we done here?"
    He quickly surveils the pile of property deeds, periodicals and other papers.
    ".. I presume you spent the time looking at that figurine?"

  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    Felsted holds the cuckoo up for Broker to look at
    "Whatever magic it had seems to be gone..." He rotates the figurine for Broker to get a better look, Felsted himself trying to discern if there is any markings or other indicator of something strange with the bird figurine.

    He continues to rotate the bird, in search of anything, looking a bit perplexed
    "Probably best just to check out the infamous estate." he says in a quiet voice as he looks at the bird - occasionally looking to see how Broker reacts to the cuckoo
    If I can, Felsted will investigate the mystery of the cuckoo (through power of observation) that allows one to see through another's (Felix's) eyes

    geth roll 2d6+1 for looking for any sign of the supernatural on the bird (investigate a mystery)

    looking for any sign of the supernatural:
    2d6+1 9 [2d6=3, 5]

  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    Broker barely manages to impassively contain a look of absolute bemusement at whatever it is Felsted is doing to the cuckoo.

    Broker sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.
    "It is, perhaps my fault for not being, more specific.
    Here."

    Broker reaches out and plucks the cuckoo from Felsted's hand.

    Walking over to the reading room's table, Broker looks for an available workspace, before unceremoniously dumping a bunch of the papers on top of a bunch of other, probably differently sorted, papers.
    The system was likely only intelligible to Sammy if we were to be honest.

    Broker sets the cuckoo down in this evacuated space, sits down, bridges his fingers in front of his mouth, and concentrates.

    The others wait as Broker engages in an intense staring match with the inanimate bird.

    But in the quiet, the sussurations start being heard, with a quickening and intense frequency.
    The light above flickers. Dimming but not blowing completely.
    The shadows in the room shift and start lengthening.
    And in the midst of this, Broker and the bird motionless. Until the bird starts rising up to meet Broker.

    Geth roll 2d6+3 for Use Magic

    Use Magic:
    2d6+3 9 [2d6=5, 1]

  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    Broker is attempting to use Magic to look through the bird back into the property; 9 has a glitch, so let's say that this draws unwelcome attention.

  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited September 2018
    I got that you wanted me to use magic, but it didn't seem the wisest considering the location
    ;-)

    Egos on
  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    Egos wrote: »
    I got that you wanted me to use magic, but it didn't seem the wisest considering the location
    ;-)
    Broker wouldn't get that I don't think.
    Using magic is just something you do

  • FencingsaxFencingsax It is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understanding GNU Terry PratchettRegistered User regular
    Sammy briefly objects to the disruption.

    "Hey, what're you...." but stops as Broker begins his spell. At the flickering lights and the ascending bird, Sammy pipes up

    "Is... is that supposed to happen?"

  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    edited September 2018
    There's barely a pause in the ritual as Broker replies with a smile, but no other movement:
    "I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Sammy"

    discrider on
  • MagicPrimeMagicPrime FiresideWizard Registered User regular
    edited September 2018
    As the magic begins to coalesce, a whisp of immaterial ether rises from the small bird, and begins to fly about like a pale grey firefly. After a moment, this whisp of light settles, hovering about a foot over the table. It starts to grow a bit wider, while also flattening out into a circular plane with a rough edge. Everyone in the room can see an image manifest on this 'window' of magic. It's a washed out silver image, like a TV from a few decades earlier.

    A woman is walking up a staircase, in what looks like an old house. There are prominently clocks all over the walls. In her hand is what looks like a bag of some sort. She is cautiously moving up the stairs, her mouth is moving - but no sound comes from the image, just the white noise of the strong wind, now whipping through the room causing books and objects to fall and scatter about. Suddenly, the image changes to a shadowy shape, it floats a foot or two over what you would assume is a floor. It is a horrible, dead looking figure. The skin dried like leather and pulled tight against old sharp bones. It's mouth is wide open, a black maw with grey splotched teeth.

    Strangely, it appears to be holding something in front of its chest. What looks like a hand, mummified, with some type of wax candle, attached to the knuckles and lit.

    Almost in a blink, the figure is against the magic window, and it's hand is REACHING through. It penetrates the membrane, and for just a moment it's hand and arm become material, the skin is putrid and blotted. The spell collapses with a FLASH and a loud bang that gives everyone severe ear ring for the next few minutes.

    The cuckoo bird is now nothing more than a pile of fine ash.

    @Egos - You can ask your 1 question, regarding what has just happened. Or something else about these events.

    MagicPrime on
    BNet • magicprime#1430 | PSN/Steam • MagicPrime | Origin • FireSideWizard
    Critical Failures - Havenhold CampaignAugust St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    I'll go with: "What can hurt it?" , it being the Ring-like ghost

  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    Broker stands up, flattening his tie against his chest, just in case it had had it in its knot to move at all.

    "I think we're done here. Unless we wish to interrogate things further whilst that woman dies?", he says, slightly wistfully.
    "Ah, I don't believe, we approve of that. But still we best hurry."
    He tilts his hat brim against the resurgent glare of the reading room's bulbs, as he moves to exit.

  • MagicPrimeMagicPrime FiresideWizard Registered User regular
    You don't really have enough information to know exactly what hurts this ghost in particular. But you do have a general knowledge and essentially a 'rule set' for creatures like this. Things you know: iron can temporarily disperse most ghosts, same with rock salt. As well, ghosts are typically anchored to a location or an object, destroying this object (usually with fire) is the most basic strategy to take care of a ghost. If you can't find whatever is keeping them attached to the material world, then some magic rituals and spells can 'trap' a ghost inside some kind of vessel. However, you always risk them escaping said vessel, and that can be even more dangerous in some respects.

    From what you have seen, and what you currently know -there is no reason to believe this ghost isn't weak to these same strategies.

    So when the group is ready to move on, we shall move on.

    BNet • magicprime#1430 | PSN/Steam • MagicPrime | Origin • FireSideWizard
    Critical Failures - Havenhold CampaignAugust St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    (A tire iron works as iron right?
    It also doubles as a holy symbol in a pinch...
    Broker's happy to move on; Sort of feel like delaying too long will be detrimental to that lady's health.)

  • MagicPrimeMagicPrime FiresideWizard Registered User regular
    edited September 2018
    This gets into a debate about iron v steel. I am going to make the judgement that the process of turning iron into steel diminishes the innate magical nullification properties present in pure iron. So if you managed to find a tire-iron or crowbar that wasn't actual steel - then yes. But to go to your local hardware store and pickup one? No. It would be steel. Common things you could use for an iron weapon would be things like -- an old railroad spike or a slat from an old iron fence.

    Expanding upon that -- the older, and less worked by 'modern' engineering the better when it comes to iron objects being effective against the supernatural. For instance, if you happened to have a 10th century iron horse shoe that hadn't completely rusted away to nothing, it would be exponentially more effective than say a modern cast-iron skillet if you're trying to disperse or harm a spirit for some type of fae creature.

    People that are 'in the know' with the supernatural world, know that vintage lightly worked iron artifacts are a huge money maker in the trade - so to speak.' A properly cared for iron figurine, for instance, could be potent enough to ward an entire house, if setup properly.

    I would also argue, that due to your monstrous nature, prolonged skin exposure to iron, without a pair of gloves or something, would cause some skin irritation or even a slight burn. Nothing that would actually cause you harm in a game sense. But it would be like someone trying to avoid cats, if they have a moderate cat allergy.

    MagicPrime on
    BNet • magicprime#1430 | PSN/Steam • MagicPrime | Origin • FireSideWizard
    Critical Failures - Havenhold CampaignAugust St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    ((I'm good with moving on, was just waiting on answer to question O_O ))

  • MagicPrimeMagicPrime FiresideWizard Registered User regular
    Egos wrote: »
    ((I'm good with moving on, was just waiting on answer to question O_O ))

    Long answer to a short question, but I saw it as a great 'worldbuilding' opportunity to set in some ground-rules on how things work.

    BNet • magicprime#1430 | PSN/Steam • MagicPrime | Origin • FireSideWizard
    Critical Failures - Havenhold CampaignAugust St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    (Did I get enough rest in to recover my wound?)

  • ReynoldsReynolds Gone Fishin'Registered User regular
    edited September 2018
    Max notices lights flickering down the hallway, drawing his attention back to the room where the other three were gathered. He began to rise from his seat, pamphlet tossed aside. And, as the loud noise broke the silence and the flickers became a burst of light, he hurried to the room. Almost running directly into Broker as the mostly humanish creature started to exit the room.

    "...what the hell have you guys been doing in here?" Maxwell scowled at the group, although there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary with the room after that disturbance. Just the books and papers they'd used for research. And...a pile of ashes? If they'd stuck a firecracker to that creepy old toy, or something, it would explain the flash and pop...

    Reynolds on
    uyvfOQy.png
  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    "Hmm? Nothing, just making some, enquiries.", states the tall man, pulling himself straight and away from the intruder.
    "We were leaving in fact. The auction appears to have gone ahead and the house's, spectral tenant is being reticent.
    It seems the lady in charge of the sale might be in some danger."

  • MagicPrimeMagicPrime FiresideWizard Registered User regular
    Yes, Broker's harm has healed. You estimate that by car it would take about 20-Minutes to get up town where the estate is. It's one part of the city where people still have lawns.

    BNet • magicprime#1430 | PSN/Steam • MagicPrime | Origin • FireSideWizard
    Critical Failures - Havenhold CampaignAugust St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
  • FencingsaxFencingsax It is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understanding GNU Terry PratchettRegistered User regular
    Sammy is clearly unhappy with the delay. "Let's go already! We gotta get there before the whatever it is dissipates and hides again!"

Sign In or Register to comment.