Day 2 - The Abode of Memphis

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Dec 24, 2023 12:43 am
The entire attic space is given over to Memphis’ library. The sloping walls restrict the amount of floor space and thus the bookshelves are close to the ground. Skylights offer enough natural illumination to read by, and there are a couple of desks and comfortable study chairs.
Dec 24, 2023 1:00 am
Yuna walks to one of the more cluttered or used-looking desks and starts casually sifting through some of the contents.
Dec 25, 2023 12:06 pm
Most of the books contain a monogrammed bookplate identifying them as belonging to Memphis the Great, although some just have the initials "A.S." written on the flyleaf in pencil. The library looks as if its grouped into three sections. On the shelves nearest to the door are standard works of historical and anthropological interest. Halfway in, abruptly, the collection turns to books about theatrical magic; many are contemporary, but mixed in are much older volumes. The final section, at the back, contains occult books.
Dec 26, 2023 9:50 am
Barrington is distracted from his careful watch over Wilde by the theatrical magic section of the library - Barrington himself is a stage magician, and he can't stop himself from wondering what Memphis's collection is like. Maybe there are some rare, hard-to-find books here? Maybe there are books, ideas, tricks, theories in this library that he's never even heard of?

Barrington scans the shelves of this section intently, looking for works of this kind...
Dec 26, 2023 1:35 pm
Man of the books are contemporary, but mixed in are much older volumes, including a 1665 edition of The Discoverie of Witchcraft—an exposé on the work of medieval charlatans and the first published book on magic.

KCC

Dec 27, 2023 3:23 am
OOC:
Trying to get back on the horse today…
Charles stops a moment and holds the gaze of the evil eye at the top of the stairs, almost willing it to move and follow him as he moves about to room. Before long he moves on, and inspects the rows of books the man has collected. The scale of the collection was a marvel in its own right, but then Charles found himself perusing the Occult collection.

His hands go to the spines, reading each one in turn.
OOC:
Having a few points in Occultism, do any of these things really stand it from the rest?
Last edited December 27, 2023 3:23 am
Dec 27, 2023 12:48 pm
OOC:
Hold on Sir Charles, I need a POW roll for staring down the evil eye lol. A retcon might be in the works!

KCC

Dec 27, 2023 1:03 pm
OOC:
Oops!

Rolls

POW! 45 - (1d100)

(79) = 79

1d3

(2) = 2

Dec 27, 2023 1:11 pm
OOC:
You suffer a momentary faint! You fall down the stairs and take 1d3 damage. Narrate as you will!

KCC

Dec 27, 2023 1:23 pm
Charles is preoccupied with holding the things gaze, and so he missteps as he’s about to mount the top of the stairs. He stumbles forward, banging flat against the floor with a dull pounding thud as his palms his wood. Then he slips down a number of steps, his shins scraping painfully against each step as he goes.

Nothing but a pained and surprised sound comes from the man!
Dec 27, 2023 2:01 pm
Wilde is just ahead of Barrington as Wilde is moving up the steps. As Wilde falls, Barrington spins around and tries to hold he up, to prevent the fall - but Wilde slips through Barrington's hands.

As Wilde comes to a halt, Barrington pushes past the others and comes over to Wilde. and checks him out using his First Aid skills to assess Wilde's condition.

"How are you doing, Wilde? You look like you've seen a ghost! That could have been a really nasty fall."
Dec 28, 2023 1:12 am
At the sudden sound, Yuna is pulled away from the objects on the desk. "Oh! Mr. Wilde, are you alright?" she says, rushing toward the stairs, then, "Is he alright, Mr. Van Ness?"
Last edited December 28, 2023 1:13 am

KCC

Dec 28, 2023 6:04 am
"Yes, yes. I’m quite alright!" the man says, huffing. Even as he speaks he feels the pain blossoming in his palm, shins and wrists. A gentle wet makes his trousers stick to his skin, as blood starts to seep out of the graze.

"Quite ordinary to expect a fall at my age! Just be glad I didn’t break a rib or a hip!" he says, rubbing his slightly blooded palms into his trouser leg too!
Dec 28, 2023 8:51 am
Seeing the blood and obvious pain that Wilde is in, Barrington says to the older man

"Would you like me to take a look at that, Wilde? I was a paramedic in The War, I know my way around wounds and bruises and so on. I'd like to check to see whether you've broken anything - sometimes you can break a bone and not even realise it."
Dec 28, 2023 11:42 am
OOC:
Go ahead and roll First Aid if you want!
Dec 28, 2023 12:58 pm
If Wilde is comfortable being treated by him, Barrington follows Wilde to where Wilde takes a seat, checks over Wilde's wounds, and treats his bleeding and any sprains he has.
OOC:
Post-Roll... oops
Last edited December 28, 2023 12:58 pm

Rolls

Skill Roll against First Aid Regular Difficulty 50% - (1d100)

(88) = 88

Dec 28, 2023 1:12 pm
As Barrington is checking over Wilde, he grabs the elder man's hand to check his scrapes, and Wilde's arms falls off at the shoulder! Recoiling in horror, Barrington drops the arm in disgust. Looking at Wilde's face he sees an emaciated corpse looking at him with red eyes. Barrington blinks and everything is back to normal.
OOC:
3 Sanity damage for the crit fail and getting a terrible vision.

Rolls

Sanity damage - (1d3)

(3) = 3

KCC

Dec 29, 2023 6:51 am
"I think it’s I that needs to examine you, Van Ness!" the man says, looking at the man with odd concern.

"What is it your experiencing, man? Is it more of that vertigo at the doorway? Speak quick!" Charles commands. He knows something odd is at work. The eye confirmed that, if none of the other slightly strange occurrences did. He suspected Van Ness was having trouble now too.
Last edited December 29, 2023 6:52 am
Dec 29, 2023 7:55 am
Yuna sighs impatiently, then returns to the books once it's clear the men were - mostly - fine.
OOC:
Nothing on the desks? That's where she was looking earlier.
Dec 29, 2023 8:47 am
Barrington hesitates. Yet again this man is pushing Barrington to share his thoughts and feelings, while Wilde resists and refuses most any inquiry into his own.

Barrington could just stonewall him. Prevaricate. Respond in kind.

But no, he thinks to himself. I get the feeling that the only way I'll get this old egg to open up is by doing it myself.

So Barrington looks at Wilde and tells him

"Aye, Wilde, there was a bad moment there. But it wasn't like the dizziness on entering the building - did you feel that too?"

"This time it was a vision - as I took your hand to check your injuries, your arm fell off at your shoulder. And as I looked then up into your face, I saw only the red eyes of your emaciated corpse staring down at me."

"I've seen many dreadful awful things in my life. Now I can add that vision to the list. Gave me quite the shock, it did"
he says, sighing.
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