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Modern/Delta Green - The Beginning of the End (COMPLETED)
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<blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 4726633" data-attributes="member: 3285"><p><strong>Player of Hell: Prologue</strong></p><p></p><p>NEW YORK CITY, NY—Caprice leaned back in his seat at the Asian-fusion restaurant and stared hard at Daniel Mays.</p><p></p><p>Simon Magnus had invited them to an Asian fusion restaurant in SoHo called the "Itchi-Leng." The decor was old brick walls, hardwood floors, timber ceilings, and paper lanterns, which lent the rooms some appearance of a Japanese country inn. </p><p></p><p>In his early forties, Magnus had a very closely trimmed goatee beard, and was extremely pale and thin. He wore dark-tinted glasses and a strange Indonesian cap. He wore a dark black leather coat. Magnus recommended a hot dark broth served with half-cooked exotic vegetables, sesame seeds, and noodles. He ordered a dish of boned chicken, scallops, and blanched spinach, and as an appetizer avocado with shrimp in miso sauce</p><p></p><p>"Thank you for agreeing to see me," Magnus said to Archive. "After your experience in defeating the Green Grove Vampire, I thought you would be just the right kind of men to defeat this threat that is haunting poor Mr. Mays."</p><p></p><p>Daniel Mays was a pale, gaunt-looking young man who was also a graduate student interning with Magnus, presumably in the art of vampire hunting. </p><p></p><p>Hammer looked back and forth between Magnus and Mays. "Take it from the top."</p><p></p><p>"Someone gave me a free MP3 player," said Mays, poking at his broth. "Some freaky looking old chick. But I wasn't about to turn down some free hardware. That's when the trouble started …"</p><p></p><p>"The next day he seemed a bit haggard and worn," said Magnus. "He approached me after class and, knowing my interest in unusual events, related a terrible dream. Go ahead Daniel."</p><p></p><p>Mays reluctantly related the dream. "I was asleep in my apartment when I had this horrible nightmare. It felt like the room was cold and it seemed like I was in this black void. Out of the blackness came this terrible face … the face of the old woman. She tore at my throat …I woke up screaming, with blood on my pillow."</p><p></p><p>"Let me see that MP3 player," said Hammer.</p><p></p><p>Mays handed it over.</p><p></p><p>Hammer held it up, turned it around a few times, tapped it on the table. "There's no battery compartment to it."</p><p></p><p>"You can't take the batteries out of iPods either," said Caprice, clearly skeptical.</p><p></p><p>"That's not what I mean." Hammer held up the MP3 player. "It doesn't look like it should even work." He put one of the ear buds to his ear. "Mind if I play it?" </p><p></p><p>Mays shook his head. "Be my guest."</p><p></p><p>Hammer hit the play button and nodded for a moment. "Britney Spears," he said, smirking. "Interesting play list."</p><p></p><p>"Give me that." Caprice snatched the player from Hammer and examined it. "No known brand I've ever seen."</p><p></p><p>"No bar codes on it, no identifying marks," said Hammer. "Nothing."</p><p></p><p>"Could have been made in China …" began Caprice when Archive stretched out one hand over the player, whispering a chant to himself. "What are you doing?"</p><p></p><p>"Inspecting its aura," said Archive. "It's pulsing with magic. That's no ordinary MP3 player."</p><p></p><p>"A mark of the vrykolakas," lectured Magnus, "is that it must present its intended victim with a physical item that creates a foul spiritual link between victim and victimizer. The victim must freely take this item, but once it is in the victim's possession it proves to be indestructible and unavoidable. It has been speculated that the item is not, in fact, a physical object at all, but a manifestation of the creature itself."</p><p></p><p>Caprice rubbed his forehead. "Seriously?" He banged the MP3 player on the table a few times, causing some of the other diners in the restaurant to look at him. </p><p></p><p>Caprice shrugged and turned to Mays. "Let's just assume for a moment that you're not completely insane and that you didn't experience some hallucination. Why should we waste our time surveilling your place—"</p><p></p><p>Mays cut him off. "I thought it was a bad dream, but …" he lifted his collar to show bite marks that looked like puncture wounds made from fangs. </p><p></p><p>"It's pretty clear to me that the kid's lost a lot of blood," said Archive. </p><p></p><p>"I believe that we might be dealing with a vampire," said Magnus, "but not the usual European variety. I think it is likely a Greek revenant known as the vrykolakas.”</p><p></p><p>“A what?” asked Hammer.</p><p></p><p>“A vrykolakas,” said Archive. “The history of these creatures dates back to the time of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. To become a vrykolakas, one had to be cursed, die a violent death, do a dishonorable act, or be excommunicated from the church. Such vampires usually return to complete some unfinished business in their lives.”</p><p></p><p>“The method of destroying a vrykolakas is usually with fire,” said Magnus. “Crosses and sunlight are not mentioned as being effective. Neither are stakes; many accounts describe vrykolakas being impaled over and over, beheaded and so on, and still returning to haunt the living.” </p><p></p><p>Hammer and Archive looked to Caprice. He threw up his hands.</p><p></p><p>"Fine, fine! But if it turns out the kid is high, don't blame me!"</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="talien, post: 4726633, member: 3285"] [b]Player of Hell: Prologue[/b] NEW YORK CITY, NY—Caprice leaned back in his seat at the Asian-fusion restaurant and stared hard at Daniel Mays. Simon Magnus had invited them to an Asian fusion restaurant in SoHo called the "Itchi-Leng." The decor was old brick walls, hardwood floors, timber ceilings, and paper lanterns, which lent the rooms some appearance of a Japanese country inn. In his early forties, Magnus had a very closely trimmed goatee beard, and was extremely pale and thin. He wore dark-tinted glasses and a strange Indonesian cap. He wore a dark black leather coat. Magnus recommended a hot dark broth served with half-cooked exotic vegetables, sesame seeds, and noodles. He ordered a dish of boned chicken, scallops, and blanched spinach, and as an appetizer avocado with shrimp in miso sauce "Thank you for agreeing to see me," Magnus said to Archive. "After your experience in defeating the Green Grove Vampire, I thought you would be just the right kind of men to defeat this threat that is haunting poor Mr. Mays." Daniel Mays was a pale, gaunt-looking young man who was also a graduate student interning with Magnus, presumably in the art of vampire hunting. Hammer looked back and forth between Magnus and Mays. "Take it from the top." "Someone gave me a free MP3 player," said Mays, poking at his broth. "Some freaky looking old chick. But I wasn't about to turn down some free hardware. That's when the trouble started …" "The next day he seemed a bit haggard and worn," said Magnus. "He approached me after class and, knowing my interest in unusual events, related a terrible dream. Go ahead Daniel." Mays reluctantly related the dream. "I was asleep in my apartment when I had this horrible nightmare. It felt like the room was cold and it seemed like I was in this black void. Out of the blackness came this terrible face … the face of the old woman. She tore at my throat …I woke up screaming, with blood on my pillow." "Let me see that MP3 player," said Hammer. Mays handed it over. Hammer held it up, turned it around a few times, tapped it on the table. "There's no battery compartment to it." "You can't take the batteries out of iPods either," said Caprice, clearly skeptical. "That's not what I mean." Hammer held up the MP3 player. "It doesn't look like it should even work." He put one of the ear buds to his ear. "Mind if I play it?" Mays shook his head. "Be my guest." Hammer hit the play button and nodded for a moment. "Britney Spears," he said, smirking. "Interesting play list." "Give me that." Caprice snatched the player from Hammer and examined it. "No known brand I've ever seen." "No bar codes on it, no identifying marks," said Hammer. "Nothing." "Could have been made in China …" began Caprice when Archive stretched out one hand over the player, whispering a chant to himself. "What are you doing?" "Inspecting its aura," said Archive. "It's pulsing with magic. That's no ordinary MP3 player." "A mark of the vrykolakas," lectured Magnus, "is that it must present its intended victim with a physical item that creates a foul spiritual link between victim and victimizer. The victim must freely take this item, but once it is in the victim's possession it proves to be indestructible and unavoidable. It has been speculated that the item is not, in fact, a physical object at all, but a manifestation of the creature itself." Caprice rubbed his forehead. "Seriously?" He banged the MP3 player on the table a few times, causing some of the other diners in the restaurant to look at him. Caprice shrugged and turned to Mays. "Let's just assume for a moment that you're not completely insane and that you didn't experience some hallucination. Why should we waste our time surveilling your place—" Mays cut him off. "I thought it was a bad dream, but …" he lifted his collar to show bite marks that looked like puncture wounds made from fangs. "It's pretty clear to me that the kid's lost a lot of blood," said Archive. "I believe that we might be dealing with a vampire," said Magnus, "but not the usual European variety. I think it is likely a Greek revenant known as the vrykolakas.” “A what?” asked Hammer. “A vrykolakas,” said Archive. “The history of these creatures dates back to the time of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. To become a vrykolakas, one had to be cursed, die a violent death, do a dishonorable act, or be excommunicated from the church. Such vampires usually return to complete some unfinished business in their lives.” “The method of destroying a vrykolakas is usually with fire,” said Magnus. “Crosses and sunlight are not mentioned as being effective. Neither are stakes; many accounts describe vrykolakas being impaled over and over, beheaded and so on, and still returning to haunt the living.” Hammer and Archive looked to Caprice. He threw up his hands. "Fine, fine! But if it turns out the kid is high, don't blame me!" [/QUOTE]
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Modern/Delta Green - The Beginning of the End (COMPLETED)
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