"I just think we should work in no less than pairs," Thorn opines. "The underworld's close here. Never know what might set a spirit off, or what else might be sleeping in an old place like this. If you guys who can't see spirits want to do other stuff, that's fine...but you could do that while you're with one of us, right? I mean, why all search separately when we all have to cover the same ground anyway?""
"That seems true enough, but the grouping together still remains. Since we apparently choose our own groups, I believe I'll accompany you to the upper floors. Will anyone else be joining us, or shall we be off?"
Assuming everyone goes through with Thorn's plan, Jeremiah will go off to find a nice, deserted corridor, double check for anyone else following him, then carefully drop his Mental Shield.
Jeremiah walked discreetly out of the dining room, past the staircase, and into the antechamber. Outside, he saw Arathnos having a cigarette, shivering in the cold New England November. Lucky break. He ducked into the gift shop, and pulled a cherry wood cylinder out of his jacket pocket.
OOC
Quote:
Originally Posted by Solarious
He will then cast his shiny new Synchronicity spell (2 Dex + 2 Occult + 1 Fate + 2 High Speech = 7 die), and let Fate guide him to an auspicious exhibit.
4 successes.
Jeremiah shook the cylinder, moaning arcane formulae in the ancient tongue. A strip of bamboo fell out of the slit in the bottom of the cylinder, into his palm. Carved in a florid, gold-inlayed strip, it read: "When people hear good music, it makes them homesick for something they never had and never will have." -Edgar Watson Howe
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shayuri
"Better make it twenty," Thorn suggests. "It's a big house, and we want to check every room. Uh...Gabriel, you start at the basement and work up, I'll go to the attic and go down. When we meet on the ground we'll do left and right, I guess. Or..."
She glances at the Hierarch. "Don't suppose there's a map, is there? Even a cheesy tourist one would work."
"Not really," the Nemean answered. "You'll find your way around easy enough. Now that I think of it, though, you'd be better off if you didn't examine the spirits in the cellar."
OOC
Wits+Empathy rolls:
Gabriel: 4/2
Levanna: 2/1
Prometheus: 1/0
Thorn: 2/0
Gabriel and Levanna took his meaning. The Nemean was clearly capable of entrapping powerful spirits, and whatever he was keeping under Cormant House, it probably wasn't pretty.
"Yeah, I think we'll skip the cellar for now," Mitchell agreed. "C'mon Levanna, let's go take a look around." With a parting nod to Thorn and Prometheus, he announced, "We'll take the ground floor."
Turning, he made his way out of the dining room and into the hallway back towards the antechamber. "Keep your eyes and ears peeled," he advised, hoping that Levanna was following right behind him and that he wasn't talking to himself. "Oh yeah, holler if you happen to spot a bathroom. 'Cause I kind of drank a lot of water during dinner."
Okay, now if I was a spirit of history, where would I be hanging out? he wondered. Probably in a musty museum area.
Quote:
OOC: Mitch is gonna check out the museums on the ground floor.
The floorboards creaked as Gabriel stepped into the quiet, drafty sitting room that served as the first gallery of Cormant House's museum. There was an old upright piano with handwritten sheet music laid out in front of it on the opposite side of the room, with a swivel stool sitting in front of it. On top of the piano were a book of matches and a candle. Three display cabinets were arranged around the room, and a braided rug covered much of the floor. An open doorway on Gabriel's left led into the next room of the museum. The room was dark, lit only by the antique lamps in the adjoining antechamber, so he took the book of matches from the top of the piano, struck one, and lit the candle. He then used the candle to light the four oil lamps on each of the walls.
Once the room was lit, Gabriel examined each of the room's features. The rug looked fairly new. The red and gold dye hadn't yet faded, and it had little in the way of staining from foot traffic and spills. The display case nearest to the entryway, on Gabriel's left, contained scale models of old houses, with little placards near them: "Example of Colonial Style," "Example of Painted Lady Style," "Example of Gingerbread Style," etc. To his right was a larger cabinet full of plaques, awards, and photographs, and they formed a sort of narrative of the major achievements of construction in Salem since the 1800s. The far wall's display cabinet held a mannequin dressed in faded overalls, boots, and gloves, with a small sign on the case that said, "Typical Construction Outfit, 1890." The piano was a Steinway, with yellowed ivory keys, a scuffed wood body, and a handful of handwritten sheetmusic in the stand. The piece was entitled, "My Dear Old Home at Howard's Rock." The top of the piano, which one might open to tune it, was locked shut with a small padlock.
As Gabriel examined the sheet music, he felt oddly compelled to add onto it, but suppressed the urge.
Last edited by Hella_Tellah; 26th November 2008 at 11:02 PM..
Mitchell quietly examined the gallery, walking its circumference at a slow and deliberate pace. He scanned the room and peered into the various displays, allowing his intuition, unseen sense, and spirit tongue to do their work. Eventually, one of placards caught his eye. So he read it aloud, "Example of Gingerbread Style." He turned to study the scale model that it corresponded to. Unfortunately, it didn't look edible at all. Needs more chocolate, was his professional opinion.
Stifling a bored yawn, he made his way over to the opposite side of the gallery. A piano sat there looking like it hadn't been played in decades. Too bad I never took lessons. And though he was tempted to press a key to see if the darn thing still worked, he didn't. It was the disastrous mental image of the piano falling to pieces at his touch that had dissuaded him. The last thing I need to do right now is break The Nemean's stuff.
Slowly backing away, Mitchell prepared to move on to the next room to continue his investigation, but halted when some of the sheet music caught his attention. That's odd, he thought. He couldn't read a note of music to save his life and yet he felt a strangely insistent urge to finish the piece that was laying there.
Shaking his head clear, he turned and shouted back towards the dining room, "Hey guys, come take a look at this!"
"That seems true enough, but the grouping together still remains. Since we apparently choose our own groups, I believe I'll accompany you to the upper floors. Will anyone else be joining us, or shall we be off?"
Thorn nods and gets up to go over towards the entrance to the dining room.
"Hold on a sec."
She produces a small, intricately ornamental dagger made entirely of what looks like brass or bronze...maybe even copper. The images graven into it look distinctively mesoamerican...Incan, maybe, or Mayan. With a quick grimace, she murmurs a spell and pricks the tip of her finger with the knife's end.
Then Thorn nods at Prometheus and tucks the thing away in her back pocket again.
With a quick grimace, she murmurs a spell and pricks the tip of her finger with the knife's end.
Spirit Tongue with a Death 1 option?
Gnosis (2) + Spirit (2) + High Speech (2) = 6 dice, 2 successes
As Thorn ascended the staircase, everything took on a deeper, more significant edge. Peering into the Twilight, she saw two realms at once, and her mind reeled a few seconds before she could reconcile the two images into one. At the top of the stairs, she began to hear a child softly sobbing in the bedroom to her right.
Having moved to a location with less magical noise, Prometheus will attempt drop his sight, and attempt to reweave it to help detect any unusual emotion in the resonance. After a quick pause and a nimbus flare or two, he will follow Thorn up the stairs. Unsure what to expect from the spirits, he sticks fairly close to Thorn, always within sight distance, and usually within reach. Unless prompted, he'll examine the resonance of any item that Thorn stops near, and continue to search it until she leaves.
rolls
Casting Prime 1/Mind 1 conjunctional Supernal Vision until he succeeds
6 dice
Analyzing Resonance
Int + Occult + Density
8 +/- Density Dice
Casting Prime 1/Mind 1 conjunctional Supernal Vision until he succeeds
6 dice
4 successes
Quote:
Analyzing Resonance
Int + Occult + Density
8 +/- Density Dice
I'm going to go ahead and roll scrutinize as an extended action until you get enough successes to analyze at least 1 Quality.
3 Int + 5 Occult -2 Density = 6 dice, 3 rolls, 6 successes.
Prometheus rewove his spell of unveiling, and felt the emotions of the house rush into him. He gasped, as a wave of shrieking fear rose up out of the staircase. He doubled over, staring down at the carpeted staircase, and a trail of pure terror stretched out at his feet. He traced it with his eyes, up to the top of the staircase, and into the bedroom to their right.
"Mmm," Thorn said as she paused. "Spirit in the bedroom over there," she jerked a thumb towards the right. "Sounds like a crying kid. I'm gonna try to talk to it."
She glances at Prometheus and raises a quizzical eyebrow on seeing him react to nothing she could sense.
Standing back up, and attempting to remain steady, Prometheus glances back to the fear once more, and quickly averts his gaze.
"I will be fine, there is just such strong emotion in this place. Maybe the fear on these stairs and the bedroom could have something to do with your ghost therein. In any case, I would advise caution, for anything that could cause such strong emotion may be powerful in its own right."
Having regained his calm at this point, he'll follow the trail of fear and attempt to locate its source, from a safe position of behind the spirit seer.
Thorn and Prometheus crept carefully toward the bedroom on the right. The door was slightly ajar, and Thorn pushed it open, her body poised and ready to act. Inside, moonlight shone in through the window on the right, making a square shaft of light in the dust hanging in the air. To the left was a twin sized bed, about the right size for a ten-year-old kid, and a dresser stood under the window, to the right. Thorn heard a child's sniffling, shuddering breathing from behind the closed, sliding closet doors.
Prometheus heard nothing, but saw the trail of brilliant orange terror wind through the center of the room and back into the closet.
Levanna fell into step behind Mitchel. Despite her snooty attitude that she came into the house with, she was grateful that Mitchel was taking the lead and inwardly sighed with relief. With her spirit sense she was afraid that the other mages were going to be looking to her to be some kind of leader, or something.
Holding onto her second sight, she tried to ignore the old artifacts and art objects they passed, no matter how appealing they were. She instead focused on the "Spirit World," as she knew the Twilight.
Thorn warily approached the closet, mindful of her companion's warning.
"Stay back a bit," she says to Prometheus. "I've got protections against spirits going."
Then she turns her attention to the closet door...which she knocks on softly.
"Hey in there," Thorn calls through the door in a slightly higher pitched voice, speaking slowly as if to a child. "What's the matter? Are you lost? Do you need help?"
Holding onto her second sight, she tried to ignore the old artifacts and art objects they passed, no matter how appealing they were. She instead focused on the "Spirit World," as she knew the Twilight.
As Levanna approached the piano, she noticed that it's Twilight form was shaking slightly. On closer inspection, it appeared that something was struggling to open the lid, rattling the lock on the front. She felt something inside the piano reach out to her weakly, whispers in her mind that vanished without effect.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shayuri
"Hey in there," Thorn calls through the door in a slightly higher pitched voice, speaking slowly as if to a child. "What's the matter? Are you lost? Do you need help?"
"I'm s-sorry, momma!" returned a child's voice, audible only to Thorn. "We didn't mean to see. We were just p-p-playing!"
As Thorn leaned in to hear the voice, Prometheus felt the fear wash over him again, mixed with confusion and regret.
"Wait, it seems that when you move closer it becomes much more agitated. Perhaps it would be better to attempt to calm it from farther away. Actually, there is no anger at present, only confusion and regret, so perhaps you may safely approach it."
Racking his mind for a spell that could be of use in the situation but finding none, Prometheus will begin to search for other resonance patterns in the area, while ensuring that he maintains focus on the current one.
rolls
only taking one action this time, just in case something comes up. He'll likely take another, but if he does, I'll repost.
3 Int + 5 Occult -2 Density = 6 dice
"Hold up Mitchell. There's one... um.. I think inside this piano," Levanna said hesitantly. Unsure of what sort of horrors she could loose on this or other worlds, she didn't touch the latch.
"Uh... hi Mr. Ghost. Or Mrs. You having trouble?" She felt positively stupid.
Prometheus will begin to search for other resonance patterns in the area, while ensuring that he maintains focus on the current one.
rolls
Quote:
Originally Posted by magic_gathering2001
Only taking one action this time, just in case something comes up. He'll likely take another, but if he does, I'll repost.
3 Int + 5 Occult -2 Density = 6 dice
3 successes. Enough to identify the resonance, but needs 2 more successes to get a Quality.
Prometheus examined the child's room, scanning its resonance. The room was filled with the aura of fear, confusion and regret that was radiating out from the closet, but was strongest along a trail from the door to the closet. He also noted another potent resonance, related but distinct.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shayuri
Then she heads for the bedroom door, meaning to complete the sweep of the upstairs before going on to the attic.
Thorn stood in the doorway to the child's room. Directly across the hallway, the door to the bathroom was ajar. She saw an old clawfoot bathtub with a vinyl curtain around it, and a sink with a mirror over it just to the right of the bathtub. Down the hall on her right were three more doors, all of them open. At the far end of the hallway, a cord dangled from the ceiling for pulling down the stairs to the attic; she figured she could just barely grab it if she stood on her tiptoes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueLotus
"Uh... hi Mr. Ghost. Or Mrs. You having trouble?" She felt positively stupid.
"I seem to be trapped within this piano, I'm afraid," came the reply from inside the piano. The voice was that of an older man, warm and full, and it was accompanied by a smell of musky cologne and pipe tobacco. "The Council then decided that these homes must be preserved. When asked about the location of the pendant, he merely replied, 'neither above the earth, nor below it.' Do take notes, please. They resolved, therefore, to leave their daggers behind. Ever cautious, Lucretia made no mention of her apprentice."
Last edited by Hella_Tellah; 3rd December 2008 at 07:01 PM..
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