Day 2 - The Abode of Memphis

Nov 28, 2023 10:36 am
11:00

The Schwartz residence is hidden behind pines and maples, on its own grounds, in an affluent suburb. It is an 1890s construction in the Shingle style. A short flight of steps leads to a veranda which wraps around the entire house. A solid oak door with frosted panels at head-height and a brass knocker in the shape of a wizard's top hat stands closed in front of you.
Nov 28, 2023 7:54 pm
On their way over to the Schwartz residence, Barrington and Mr Wilde discussed what they were interested in investigating when they arrived.

Barrington would like to look at:

- the prop room i.e. the scene of the murders
- the library, that Memphis prefers Caleb stays out of
- the path the burglars took into the property - and whether there is any evidence of a fourth person who left after the murders

He asks Wilde what he's interested in looking into - and whether he has any thoughts on Barrington's plans.
Nov 29, 2023 11:02 am
OOC:
Ok we'll start at the outside while we wait for Mr Wilde.
Barrington takes a walk around the property to get a lay of the land. The back wall of the property faces a vacant lot and you find three sets of footprints in the dirt there, leading from the wall toward the rear of the house where they end at a boarded up window. No footprints return.

KCC

Nov 29, 2023 11:56 am
"No fourth." the man says with a wink. "That answers that riddle.

Unless the fourth stole inside through some other means. With a clever enough story, you can bypass almost any threshold.

Still, our eyes tell us three, so three it is for now. What do you think occurred inside the residence, Mr. Van Ness?

Don’t hold back! Only your wildest guesses shall suffice!"
Nov 29, 2023 12:01 pm
Barrington carefully looks along the path of the footprints that the burglars seem to have taken into the property and up to the house - maybe they let fall something of interest as they made their way in?

Barrington will also look through the grounds in general - he doesn't expect to spot anything important, but it's worth a try. Presumably there are lots of footmarks from the police, from Caleb, from the days since the murders - presumably there has been no rain since then, though, given that the dirt path is clear along which the presumed burglars made their way into the property. Maybe there is an unusual print (a huge one? a tiny one? something that, hm, maybe isn't human?). Maybe there is some other article that Barrington is surprised to find there, which just might have something to do with this situation?

KCC

Nov 29, 2023 12:19 pm
OOC:
A crosspost perhaps? I posted five minutes before Beardhare.
Nov 29, 2023 12:21 pm
Barrington is disappointed to detect no such obvious clues during his perusal. The footprints are all men-sized shoes. The police were smart enough not to step near the footprints and Caleb doesn't tend to anything back here other than perhaps mow the back lawn occasionally.
Nov 29, 2023 12:29 pm
OOC:
I got a 504 error on GP while trying to make my post BUT it seems to have gone through anyway - I guess that's why timings are off. Also, KCC, again, I'm just LOVING how you're playing Charles!!
Nov 30, 2023 9:05 am
Barrington pauses, and looks over Mr Wilde. He's an odd one, of that there's no doubt - Barrington really can't get a bead on him. Always asking questions, always prompting others for what they're thinking and feeling - and yet Barrington has no sense that he understands what Wilde himself knows, what he's thinking or feeling.

"Hm. Mr Wilde. That sure is an interesting way of asking that question. I get for me a sense that there's a lot here that you know, or suspect yourself, that you're keeping to yourself."

"Wouldn't be at all surprised to find out that you know a lot, see a lot, are even smarter and more distinguished and experienced that you appear. I gotta say, Mr Wilde, you both impress me, and, yeah, worry me a bit too."

"I'd be happy to give you my take on what might be going on here - but I'd feel a lot better about that, if you could share a bit yourself here. We've seen and heard some mighty strange stories, seen some shocking and - to me at least - surprising and scary things play out."

"But I have the sense that you're neither shocked, surprised, nor particularly scared by any of this."

"Maybe we could go inside the Schwarz residence, sit down, make ourselves a hot beverage of our choice, and have a bit of a chat about all that?|".

"Or, if you're not adverse, we could maybe find ourselves some hooch. Wouldn't be shocked if Mr Memphis had a decent store of the good stuff."
OOC:
Maybe I'm trying to charm Wilde here? Or get a read on him? GM, is there a roll you'd look for from Barrington here?

KCC

Nov 30, 2023 11:02 pm
OOC:
Much appreciated! He’s not what I expected him to be, to be honest. Good thing Van Ness is so action oriented and down to business!
"Well, a man always suspects, doesn’t he? Suspects there’s something afoot, or something astir. Often he suspects he knows more than he truly does. A fact our wives are only to happy to remind us of, I’m sure." He says with a polite chuckle.

"Oh, dear! You are worried by me? Do you suspect that something is afoot?" he says, smiling at the corners of his mouth.

"I am happy to share my wild accusations with you, of course. Though I have warned you of their… niche quality. Let’s see what the house has in store for us.

After you, sir!"
Dec 1, 2023 12:23 am
OOC:
No roll needed yet. I like PCs to get to know each other through role-play. If Wilde tries to hide something or deceive you then we can have a roll. Who goes into the house first?
Dec 1, 2023 6:53 am
OOC:
Ah, great, very happy to do this through RP!
Barrington gives Wilde an appraising look. If he's honest, he kinda likes the old guy - Barrington enjoys Wilde's sense of theatrics and curiosity, his bumbling act and old-fashioned courtesies mixed with, hm, a more 'modern' sense of. Well. Sense of something Barrington can't put his finger on.

But, yeah, also... Barrington doesn't trust Wilde. He's kinda creepy.

Nah, more than creepy.

He feels...? Dangerous? As if he's keeping a lid on something that might be unleashed at any moment?

"Alright, Mr Wilde, let's go inside and get ourselves something to drink and have that chat."

Barrington makes his way through the door ahead of Wilde.
Dec 1, 2023 7:50 am
As Barrington crosses the threshold of the door, a wave of dizziness sweeps over him. A wave of lightheadedness and colors dancing across his vision, similar to when you stand up too quickly and the blood rushes out of your head. And just as soon as it came it is gone.

A small entryway greets you with a small endtable next to the front door and old magician posters on the wall. There is a door on your left and one on your right. Straight ahead is a small hallway which contains a set of spiral stairs not he west side. The hallways continues a short way before opening up into a larger room beyond. The wallpaper is a pale yellow with brown arabesques and all the floors and doors are dark polished wood.
Dec 1, 2023 1:18 pm
Barrington pauses uncomfortably as he crosses the threshold - reaches out a hand to steady himself - but as the dizziness clears, he continues on into the house.

The first thing Barrington is looking for is somewhere to sit down and have a drink and a chat with Charles - he's looking for the kitchen, or a living/drawing room. Somewhere they can make themselves a tea, or a coffee, or snag a cheeky tipple of some of the prohibited-but-let's-face-it-not-so-hard-to-find hooch.

He expects the kitchen to be on the first floor.
OOC:
I'm using North American floor-naming here - in the UK this would be the "ground floor").
With that in mind, he tries the door on his left, to see if it gives hints to either the kitchen or living room.
Dec 1, 2023 1:36 pm
OOC:
I'm fine with ground floor too.
The door on the left opens onto a sitting room. This circular room is a very pleasant space with couches and a fireplace. The sheer area of window space makes it feel almost like sitting outside. The trees in the grounds are carefully arranged to offer a view of downtown Boston, scenic both by day and night. An internal window lets light through to the rotunda stair. Under a western window is a drink cart.
Dec 1, 2023 2:02 pm
"Ahhhh.", thinks Barrington, "That's just what I was looking for!"

He makes his way into the sitting room, heads to the drink cart, and turns back towards the door, expecting Wilde to be through the front door, maybe already with Barrington in the sitting room.

"What can I get you, Wilde?" he asks - Barrington is intending to hit the bourbon... or maybe he's lucky and there's some decent French brandy here... only had the good stuff a few times while over in Europe for The War, and he remembers it very fondly.
Dec 1, 2023 2:20 pm
OOC:
Memphis is a world-traveler for his stage shows so he makes sure to grab a bottle of alcohol from every country he visits so there is a large variety of imported liquor.
Dec 1, 2023 2:31 pm
Glancing down at the drinks trolley, Barrington is impressed, and his eyebrows raise involuntarily - definitely going to have some of that interesting-looking brandy there...

"Goodness. Memphis has quite the collection here, Wilde - I expect he has something for almost any palate!"
Dec 2, 2023 12:49 am
There is a brown bottle of liquor called "Old Prospector Hooch" on the label with a black and white image of a man who looks remarkably similar to Mr. Wilde, but in shabbier clothes and a more unkempt beard.

KCC

Dec 2, 2023 9:25 am
"A man seldom fixes any drink better than he fixes his own. I’ll have whatever it is that you’re pouring for yourself."

The man says with a smile, as he takes a seat.

"Ah, yes. Good to get off the feet. Such a tiring few days. And for you too, it seems. Or are you afflicted with bouts of vertigo regularly?" he asks, referencing that behavior at the door.
Dec 2, 2023 10:03 pm
Barrington pours two generous glasses of neat french brandy, then comes to sit down with Wilde, handing over one of the glasses.

"Oh? You saw that I felt a bit odd as I was entering the house? No, thankfully that isn't something that happens to me often."

"As to your question - or, rather, request - earlier."

"As to what happened here? Wilde, I have to say, I am at a loss. An argument over something so valuable that they fought savagely for it? A discovery of a betrayal? Some other person there who somehow compelled them to behave like that? Maybe hypnotised them?"

"Now, though, I would like to hear your thoughts on what could have happened? Both here in the Schwarz residence, but also at Hawkings's show."

KCC

Dec 3, 2023 10:11 am
"I did. Still, no embarrassment in talking about these things now; not men of your caliber. Talking of our afflictions is all the rage, in fact, in certain academic circles."

He snorts humorously as they work through the possibilities:

"We can agree, to start, that men will fight and kill over valuables such as those found in this house, yes? They’d fight and kill for much less, to be sure.

Whole families will fall upon themselves to divide the spoils of those gone before. Now say… there were artifacts that preyed on that affliction…"
Dec 3, 2023 1:57 pm
Barrington's eyebrows almost shoot off his forehead at this, they raise so high, so fast. What is this talk of "artefacts' - artefacts that 'prey on that affliction'? What could Wilde possibly mean by that?

But, yes, also, Wilde's reminder that people can do awful things to each in some awful moment - awful things that otherwise they might never have imagined. This rings true to Barrington. And surely something like that has happened here.

"You're right, Wilde. Some of worst I've seen have been what happens within families. Some of the most awful crimes, the most shocking murders. I hadn't thought of it like that."

He pauses.

"But 'artefacts', Wilde? What could you mean by that? Some kind of mechanical device? An electrical device? That can control minds and feelings?"

KCC

Dec 4, 2023 3:07 am
"Something spiritual perhaps; religious even. Given the man’s history of travel, I wouldn’t be surprised to find more than a few artifacts belonging to religions less… organized." he says, raising an eyebrow to the gentleman.

"The world has no shortage of strange and exotic cults. And this man exposed himself to them more than most due to his globetrotting habit, wouldn’t you say?"
Dec 4, 2023 4:52 am
He's doing it again, thinks Barrington. His words are like a bundle of slippery eels - wriggling, writhing, you can touch them but not hang onto them. What is he even TALKING about here?

"Exasperated" would be a fair description of Barrington's response to Wilde's answer here.

"Wilde. Again. Please. I want to understand. Talking with you about this feels like boxing with shadows. Feels like you know a LOT more than you're letting on.

"Spiritual or religious artefacts? Like crosses or shrines or relics? Those are just tools for charlatans to pull money out of the poor and downtrodden! They don't have any kind of power - well, not of the kind that you're describing here.

"And 'strange and exotic cults'? What could you possibly mean by that?"

"Have you seen something like this before, Wilde? Have you experienced artefacts that can overpower, can influence someone as you say here?"
- Barrington is scoffing in disbelief here.

And takes a sip of the brandy. And, yeah, it's good.

KCC

Dec 4, 2023 9:55 am
Deciding he can’t simply answer Barrington’s barrage, Charles slouches forward and props himself up on the table by his elbows.

"What is your experience with the Occult?" he asks, staring at the man now.

"My own experience is rudimentary enough, on a cosmic scale. But frighteningly enough for one human lifetime.

Are you prepared to have an open mind?"
Dec 4, 2023 10:34 am
A week ago, Wilde's first question would have just left Barrington scoffing internally. People sometimes assumed that stage magicians were closer to some fanciful "real magic" because of the tricks, deceptions, the engaging performance, the slights-of-hand, because of the illusions they brought into their work. But Barrington had never had any truck with that. Yes, OK, some of his fellow magicians played at rituals they seemed to hope would bring them closer to supernatural powers - but Barrington knew that to all be nonsense. Had never seen the slightest sign or suggestion that any of that had any spark of reality to it.

Until what he'd seen at Harold's show.

Because Harold should NOT have been able to do what he did.

So now. Now. Now, instead of politely humouring the old man with his talk of the Occult. Of Barrington's need to bring an open mind - but considering it ridiculous.

Instead of that, Barrington's eyebrows shoot up, again. Barrington involuntarily leans forward, closer towards the old man.

"I have seen some of my colleagues dabble in practices they said were 'Occult', but I never saw any evidence that it was more than lights and mirrors, never saw that any of this had any grounding in reality."

"But, these last few days. Things are happening. Things are happening that do not seem grounded in reality - or at least the reality I know."

"So, Mr Wilde. To answer your first question - as far as I'm aware, I have no experience with the Occult. And to answer your second question - a few days ago I think my mind would have been closed to deliberating on, to taking any serious consideration of such things. But today. Yes. Today, I think my mind is much more open to such things than it was."
OOC:
Sorry if that was an unhelpfully large number of questions in one post. I guess I intended it to all kinda summarise down to "TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK IS GOING ON!" and, yeah, it's a lot of questions lol. Hm, next time I'll try and add that summary either in-character thoughts or just as a ooc for clarity.
Dec 5, 2023 8:28 pm
Some time later, Yuna, Idella, and John arrive at the Memphis House. It is just a short bit before their 2pm meeting time. She walks up to the front door and checks the handle.
Dec 6, 2023 12:32 am
The door is unlocked. You can hear two voices coming from a circular room on the right. Looking through a window you can see Mr. Wilde and Mr. Van Ness sitting and drinking while having a conversation.
Dec 6, 2023 2:44 am
Yuna opens the door slightly and announces their arrival to those inside. "Mr. Wilde, Mr. Van Ness - we're here as assured. Letting ourselves in!" Yuna comes inside and instinctively takes her shoes off at the door before going around the corner. "I see you two are comfortable. Mind if we sit and we can share with one another what we've discovered?"
Dec 6, 2023 5:41 am
Barrington stands up as Yuna enters the room.

"Why yes, Ms Yuna, please join us. Can I get a drink for any of you? Memphis has an enjoyably well-stocked drinks trolly here – Wilde and I can speak to the quality of his french Brandy?"

Barrington walks over to the drinks trolly in anticipation of hearing a yes...

"Wilde and I were just in the middle of an intriguing conversation - we were just getting to the topic of the Occult. Wilde's experience of it. And how it might perhaps be related to what happened both here in the Schwarz residence and at Harold's show."

"Truth be told, we haven't done a great deal of investigating here yet - confirming that evidence points to only the three slain men in the party that broke into the residence, no evidence of a fourth. They appear to have made their ingress from a vacant lot that connects to the back end of this property. We followed three sets of footprints through the dirt from there, leading toward the rear of the house, ending at a boarded up window which is presumably the one through which they entered. There is no sign of any footprints returning."
Dec 6, 2023 6:34 am
"As to the occult, I'd much like to stick to the facts that you've laid out here. Quite interesting. We did manage to get in and speak with the detective, learning a good deal about the exact nature of the men's deaths. At least one of them was killed with a prop blade, aptly named Wrist Chopper. I will be curious to find out what kind of trick that might have gone to - do either of you have a clue?"

KCC

Dec 6, 2023 12:47 pm
"Speaking factually… I could hazard a guess. The tamest option being a simple knife trick. You know, you know… the blade passes through the barrel and out the other side, or some variation of such!"

Ingrid Schwartz

nezzeraj

Dec 10, 2023 10:44 am
Ingrid Schwartz
As you are talking, Ingrid Schwartz walks in. "Sorry I'm a little bit early. My lunch date canceled so I thought I'd come by and wait for everyone, but it seems you beat me here!" she gives a little laugh. "Enjoying my father's spirits collection, I see."

KCC

Dec 10, 2023 11:38 am
"Yes, quite the collection of spirits inside this house." he says, with a sly smirk.

"Though we’ve only had the pleasure of these ones for the moment. The others will surely come later, despite our reporter-friend’s objections.

Please, please. Sit down, Ms. Schwartz!"
he says, standing to give her his own seat as a courtesy.

Ingrid Schwartz

nezzeraj

Dec 10, 2023 2:04 pm
Ingrid Schwartz
"Oh, no, that's quite all right. I don't drink before dinner. Anyway, since I moved out I don't like to be here with father gone. I feel like a stranger in this house now. What is it you are looking for here?"
Dec 10, 2023 5:07 pm
Barrington greets Ingrid. They know each other, given that they move in similar circles, in the stage magician and performers scene here in Boston - they're not particularly close, but close enough to use first names with each other.

"Thank you for joining us here, Ingrid - particularly as you don't like being here without your father being around."

"We are trying to piece together the events of that awful night - we've spoken with the police, and started looking around the house ourselves. Maybe, given our very particular set of skills, we will get some additional insights into what might have happened."

"To help us with that, we wanted to ask if you could show us around the house yourself. We'd be particularly interested in hearing from you about anything you notice seems out of place, or new, or somehow changed since that night, or indeed that strikes you as unusually different compared to a few months ago."

"Also, whether there are perhaps some concealed spaces or locations or drawers in the house, that the police might have missed, where we might find some useful clues?"

"And finally, Ingrid, I wanted to ask you about what happened at Harold's performance. The way I saw the two of you acting together there - I don't know, it struck me unusual. That things have changed between you over the last few months, over the kind of time in which your father disappeared - and whether, in some strange way, that might be linked to this grim happenstance we are investigating here?"

"Can you help us with any of that? Perhaps we could talk as you guide us around the house?"
Dec 11, 2023 2:11 am
Yuna smiles, "A tour of the home would be most welcome. And how familiar are you with your father's tricks and props? Would you be able to identify anything here that wasn't part of his normal repertoir?"

KCC

Dec 11, 2023 10:13 am
Charles just grumbles along, agreeable to each pertinent point as they are made. He plays up the doddering man once again, in this new and unfamiliar company.
Dec 11, 2023 11:18 am
If Ingrid responds to his questions, and indeed takes them on a tour of the house, Barrington falls in step next to Charles - and tries to follow up on their previous conversation. To learn more about Charles's thoughts around the occult, and how it could be involved in these mysteries.

Ingrid Schwartz

nezzeraj

Dec 11, 2023 12:15 pm
Ingrid Schwartz
"Such a barrage of questions!" she chuckles a bit awkwardly. "I would be glad to give you a tour, but I won't be much help for the rest. I have been living on my own downtown the last two years and only visit father occasionally. I'm not sure I would notice if there were any recent changes. As for hiding places, no, nothing of the sort. As far as I know, the burglars didn't make it very far into the house at all. Just the prop room, isn't that right? Why don't we start there?" She heads out the northern down, through the kitchen and into the room beyond. This is the prop room.

The room is filled with magic tricks and boxes containing more magic tricks. Various paraphernalia can be found, including lengths of velvet fabric, over-sized playing, cards, coils of rope, bundles of silk handkerchiefs, and assorted magical apparatus. Of course, the bodies have been removed, but the blood is still there, waiting to be cleaned up. Although not cluttered, the room contains many pieces of equipment,
three of which were used in the incident. A broken window on the far side is boarded up. On the left wall about halfway up to the ceiling are several holes in the plaster and splashes of dried blood.

Just inside the door are three objects with police evidence tags still hanging on them. A long canvas duffle bag, a pot with a coiled rope inside, and a small guillotine with two circle cutouts the size of wrists.

Ingrid resumes, "As for me and Harold, that is personal and has no relevance to the murder of three burglars. Harold has been under a lot of stress lately--months before my father disappeared--and I suggested he see a therapist to work out his problems before we are married. Nothing more."
Dec 12, 2023 10:22 am
Barrington watches Ingrid carefully as she answers his question about her and Harold. She is being, understandably, close-lipped about their relationship. But she may not realise that Harold's stress might be related to these current goings on - given the closeness of the relationship between her, Harold, and Memphis.
OOC:
Does Barrington get any sense of what Ingrid might be concealing here, or what her particular feelings when she talks about her and Harold?
Dec 12, 2023 1:18 pm
OOC:
Barrington gets the feeling that she is worried about Harold and doesn't know why his behavior has changed.
Dec 12, 2023 1:50 pm
Getting the sense that Ingrid is worried about Harold, Barrington makes a mental note to call Harold later today to see if he'd be free to catch up this evening. Barrington wants to talk to him again, to try and learn more from Harold about why his behaviour might have changed recently.

Maybe Barrington can convince Harold to meet up if Harold is curious to learn what Barrington and the others find out today? Maybe they learn something today that gives Barrington some extra leverage to persuade Harold to be more forthcoming on the topic? Or maybe Barrington can just turn on the charm - Barrington is a very charming fellow - and that helps loosen Harold's lips a bit more than they have been so far...
Dec 13, 2023 9:05 am
Yuna starts to circuit the room, looking for anything that seems amiss - anything the police may have overlooked or missed. It wouldn't be the first time, in Yuna's experience, especially if they were in such a rush to close this case.

Rolls

Spot Hidden (60) - (1d100)

(6) = 6

KCC

Dec 13, 2023 12:01 pm
"Goodness, the blood has been left where it was first spilled. Ghastly stuff, though I’ve never seen so much of it up so close. A fortunate turn for myself, I think you’d all agree."

A lie, of course. Still, the man takes the opportunity to study the blood, for anything odd or out of the ordinary. Smell, texture, pattern, and the like…
Dec 13, 2023 1:18 pm
Nothing seems out of the ordinary as you survey the room. There are five holes in the wall from the swords that had pinned one of the brothers high on the wall. As you inspect it, you hear a loud metal grating sound and a thunk as a prop guillotine activates by itself.
Dec 13, 2023 2:34 pm
John flinches as the guillotine thunks. He turns and looks curiously at it.

"Did anyone else see that?"

Ingrid Schwartz

nezzeraj

Dec 14, 2023 12:31 am
Ingrid Schwartz
Ingrid jumps and rubs her arms as goosebumps break out. "What a ghastly state. I do hope the cleaners and glazers are here soon to clean up. This place gives me the willies now. If you're done inspecting we can continue the tour?"

KCC

Dec 14, 2023 8:41 am
Charles gives the props a quick once over, checking the swords and guillotine for their sharpness. Dangerous things to have set and ready to drop, if they were the genuine articles.
Dec 14, 2023 9:50 am
"Certainly doesn't seem very safe," Yuna ponders, then turns back to Ingrid. "Yes, of course. Lead the way Ms. Schwartz."
Dec 14, 2023 2:11 pm
When Charles first entered the room he could have sworn the duffel bag was just an ordinary bag and had assumed the swords were inside. But now that he looks at them again he notices the bag has been cut in several places and he can see some of the swords inside.
Dec 14, 2023 2:15 pm
Most of the house is pretty normal. Ingrid walks you through the dining room and kitchen. The most impressive is the private theater and stage Memphis had built to rehearse his acts. This room, occupying two stories, is not part of the original house design. Memphis sacrificed rooms on both the first and second floors in order to construct a small but usable theater within his home. A gallery for the theater was created on the second floor at the same time by opening up one of the corridors. Heavy drapes line the theater’s exterior walls; these can be closed to entirely block the windows. There is a proper theatrical stage occupying around 50 percent of the room’s width; it is raised 3 feet off the ground with a slight incline toward the audience space. There is also a simple curtain mechanism around the stage itself and some stage lighting rigged from the second-floor gallery. The audience space has room for four or five rows of chairs; these are currently stacked to the side, against the wall. Behind the audience space, the real reason for this room is revealed: a massive mirror, as might be found in a dance studio, occupying the entire wall. Memphis can thus try out new illusions here and check the angles without assistance.
Dec 15, 2023 3:52 am
Yuna, curiously, walks up onto the stage and stands, looking toward the mirror, turning her body to see different angles. "Memphis truly is dedicated to his craft," she says, "This is impressive.
Dec 15, 2023 12:38 pm
OOC:
Give me a hard Spot Hidden roll for Yuna please. On a fail, give me a Jump roll too.
Dec 15, 2023 10:20 pm
Yuna squints - what was that?

Rolls

Spot Hidden (60) - (1d100)

(15) = 15

Dec 16, 2023 3:39 am
As Yuna steps onto the stage and crosses it, she notices two well-hidden trap doors in the stage floor.
Dec 16, 2023 7:25 am
"Oh," Yuna says, pulling her foot back just before stepping onto what clearly is a broken leg waiting to happen. That's where they get the saying from, she wonders to herself. "Careful up here, there appears to be a false floor here. There must be an area under the stage. Ingrid, were you aware of this?"

Ingrid Schwartz

nezzeraj

Dec 16, 2023 8:13 am
Ingrid Schwartz
"Of course. Most magicians use trap doors for vanishing acts and illusions. The area under the stage leads to behind the stage where my father or his assistant can reappear." A brief flash of movement catches the corner of Yuna's eye and she sees her reflection step on the trapdoor and vanish from sight. Blinking, her reflection is back to normal. Ingrid calls out, "Are you ok, Ms. Nakane? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

KCC

Dec 17, 2023 8:33 am
"In carrying out our due diligence, we ought to investigate beneath the space. I wouldn’t put it past a magician to utilize strange mirrors in pursuit of his craft. We ought to inspect them too." the man says, thinking out loud.

He wanders about the room, and then turns his head to Yuna when the point is raised.

"You're not ill, are you? Mr Van Ness reported feeling nauseous upon entering the house. Vertigo perhaps!"
Dec 18, 2023 1:53 am
Yuna's gaze does go distant a moment as she questions what she has seen. Has she seen it? Certainly no. Some kind of trick mirror. "I-I'm fine, yes, thank you." She carefully steps down from the stage and approaches the mirror, losing herself in the reflection while she studies it.
Dec 18, 2023 11:34 am
The mirror is large and of impressive quality but it appears to be a regular mirror.
Dec 19, 2023 4:46 am
"I'd like to take a look behind the stage, and down below," she says, feeling drawn to whatever's down there.
Dec 19, 2023 7:16 am
Nakane Yuna's instincts must be thrown off from being spooked by the mirror. Under the stage is a small area about 3 feet square with a tunnel that leads towards the back of the stage. The back of the stage is almost non-existent. It's a four foot wide strip behind the curtain that is just big enough for a few stage props to be hidden and for two people to pass by each other. Currently the back stage is empty as all the props are stored in the prop room.

KCC

Dec 19, 2023 8:46 am
"An immensely organized and tidy fellow, wouldn’t you say? Everything in proper place." the man says, inspecting the wood under the stage for any markings or carvings.

"The only thing out of place here is us! Let’s not lose hope! We should inspect his props. It’s there that, I suspect, we’ll find something of interest!"

He turns to Ingrid and asks her:

"Would you be so kind as to show us the prop room please! That’s of the most primary interest here, I believe!"
Last edited December 19, 2023 8:47 am
Dec 19, 2023 10:41 am
OOC:
We kind of started in the prop room, I think. HERE
Yuna rejoins the others and shrugs. "Nothing of interest behind or below," she reports, then listens to Charles. "Mr. Wilde, unless there is a secondary prop room, I believe we can circle back to the first once we see the rest of the house."

"Ingrid, what about your father's study? or his bedroom? Where would he have kept private notes regarding his comings and goings?"

Ingrid Schwartz

nezzeraj

Dec 19, 2023 2:22 pm
Ingrid Schwartz
"Oh, that would be his library on the top floor. Only he goes up there. It's in the attic at the top of the stairs here," she says as she takes you to the carpeted spiral staircase in the rotunda.
Dec 19, 2023 8:09 pm
Barrington moves over to walk next to Charles...

"Wilde" Barrington speaks quietly.

"You have an idea what's going on here. Something to do with the Occult. I'd bet my life on it."

"I thought you were almost ready to start telling me some of your thoughts on that when the others arrived. Wilde. I shared with you my take on this - please, back me up here, let me know what YOU think might be going on here..."

KCC

Dec 20, 2023 12:29 pm
"How foolish of me. Perhaps I’m suffering from the same affliction as Mr Van Ness." and the reporter, if her pale completion a moment ago was to be believed.

"Let us see the man’s study before I make any final judgements. Surely that is where he would keep his most private artifacts. If something occult is to blame here, we may find it there!" he mutters back to the man, trying to keep his voice low.

"Well, then that is where we must see! No where else will provide such a private insight into the man and this house!"
Dec 20, 2023 1:29 pm
Barrington sighs in loud audible frustration at Wilde's continued avoidance of Barrington's increasingly direct questions. Especially given that Wilde was so persistent in hearing Barrington's thoughts about what was going on.

"Alright, Wilde, alright." Barrington says quietly to the older man.

"Just so you know, you are extremely close to the edge of my patience with you - you better come good on this... I'll leave you alone about this for now, but believe me, a reckoning is on the cards between you and me on this..."
Dec 20, 2023 11:40 pm
Yuna starts to follow Ingrid to and up the stairs to the library. "Best to get on with this. Even if the thieves never made it this far, there could be a clue as to what they had hoped to find. Or, maybe, what they did find, after all."

At the bickering behind her, she stops, turns, and scowls. "Are you quite done back there? Focus on what's at hand, gentlemen." She nudges her head up the stairs and sets her feet forward.

KCC

Dec 21, 2023 10:52 am
A reckoning?…

Charles’ eyes lose any of that put-on quality of being a simple old gentleman when word of a reckoning between himself and Van Ness is mentioned. His eyes are sharp then, and his body square.

"Are you still dizzy, Mr Van Ness? Do you need to lay down?" he says, giving the man a firm squeeze on the shoulder.

"Yes, yes! We’re quite ready to continue. I fear we’ll need to call for another ambulance before long. Mr Van Ness seems lightheaded!"
Dec 21, 2023 8:39 pm
Barrington looks over at Wilde. His eyes harden at this change in Wilde's demeanour.

"Now the old man is finally showing us - or me, at least - his true colours" thinks Barrington.

Barrington flexes his powerful shoulders against Wilde's grip, but says nothing.

"We'll see who needs to 'lay down' soon enough, old man, if you keep this up much longer..." muses Barrington to himself.
Last edited December 21, 2023 8:39 pm
Dec 22, 2023 10:15 am
OOC:
Who is going first up the stairs to the library?

KCC

Dec 22, 2023 10:34 am
OOC:
Tis I! Unleash your best Home Alone ruse!
Dec 22, 2023 11:03 am
Seeing Wilde head up towards the stairs, the library, Barrington makes sure he is next in line behind the wily old man. Barrington will be keeping a careful eye our for any tricks Wilde might want to try out, that Wilde might try to conceal from Barrington and the others...
Last edited December 22, 2023 11:04 am
Dec 22, 2023 10:52 pm
Yuna allows the men to go before her as they push past her, then follows along close behind.
Dec 23, 2023 1:42 pm
Above the stairs, guarding the entrance to the attic, is an eye inscribed into the woodwork; it looks like the Evil Eye from European cultures.
Dec 23, 2023 6:49 pm
Looking over the heads of the others on the stairwell, John sees the engraved eye.

"Well that looks like something my Gramma might call some bad hoodoo."
Dec 23, 2023 8:59 pm
At the sight of the Evil Eye, Barrington's hand moves involuntarily to the silver cross he keeps on a chain around his neck - a gift from his brother before Barrington went off to The Great War.

But he doesn't let the symbol hold him back here - he keeps on going, up the stairs, aiming to enter the library.
Last edited December 23, 2023 8:59 pm
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.
Dec 29, 2023 12:52 pm
C1NDER says:
OOC:
Nothing on the desks? That's where she was looking earlier.
OOC:
Nothing on the desk. I'm sure if you look in the occult section however...
Dec 30, 2023 7:18 am
Yuna curiously scans the rows of books until she reaches the odd, occultish books. Many of them are old, the covers worn. "Quite the collection," Yuna says - she knows nothing of the works themselves, but can tell by the age of the covers and how worn they are, they must have taken quite some effort to gather together and display here.
Dec 30, 2023 12:43 pm
Yuna notices a gap missing among the occult selection. One book in particular catches Yuna's attention, an old black-leather book with a heavily cracked spine. Unlike many of the books, this one has an English title on the spine in flaking gilt: Book of Eibon.
Dec 31, 2023 7:19 am
Yuna feels drawn to pull the book forth and does so, turning it over to inspect it more closely before opening it carefully to read the title page within.
Dec 31, 2023 8:06 am
[ +- ] Book of Eibon
It looks old and well-worn. The spine is heavily cracked in two places. As Yuna opens the book in naturally falls open to one section titled "Contacting Yok Zothoth" followed by what looks like a combination of mathematical formula and a ritual. The second spot is titled "Call Forth Ye Form Beyonde" followed by a similar formula and ritual.
Dec 31, 2023 9:07 am
Yuna waits for Charles, then holds the book up to the man. "Mr. Wilde, what do you make of this?"
Jan 1, 2024 12:48 am
OOC:
Anyone inspecting the book can give me History or Occult checks.

KCC

Jan 1, 2024 10:02 am
"You’re quite alright, lad. You’re quite alright!" Charles says, as tenderly as he can while patting the disturbed man on the shoulder.

"Im in one piece, for now at least! And you too! Now, it sounds like our reporter friends has uncovered something."

He stands, painfully at first, and crosses to the book!
OOC:
Not sure I can justify a push, can I?
Last edited January 1, 2024 10:04 am

Rolls

Occult 10% - (1d100)

(93) = 93

Jan 1, 2024 1:05 pm
KCC says:
OOC:
Not sure I can justify a push, can I?
OOC:
Sure you can! Scratch that old noggin and think harder!

KCC

Jan 3, 2024 6:49 am
Something about the name alarms the man, but he isn’t sure why. Something beneath his skin. He knows he shouldn’t expose the others to whatever this being is, that exists at the tip of his tongue and the fringe of his mind for now.

"If I may take a closer look…" he says, gently taking up the book from the reporter and turning his back on the others before leafing through the thing again!
OOC:
I’ll use 13 luck, if allowed!
Last edited January 3, 2024 6:49 am

Rolls

Occult! - (1d100)

(23) = 23

Jan 7, 2024 11:50 pm
OOC:
No need, nothing else to be gained from a hard success.
Wilde has heard things about this book. This particularly edition is a flawed translation from the Latin Liber Ivonis, the earliest and most complete version of a manuscript alleged to have been written by the notorious wizard Eibon. Wilde thinks he could cast these spells with a day's study and the proper ritual techniques.
Jan 8, 2024 6:32 am
"What's your take on this," Yuna asks about the book, "I don't suppose it leads to any understanding about the murders or the disappearance of Memphis the Great, does it? We should keep looking, but I'm getting more and more a sense there's nothing here that will explain these things further."
Jan 8, 2024 7:24 am
"Yes, Wilde, what do you make of this? Looks like it ties in to some of the mentions of the occult you were making earlier today?"

Barrington is hoping, again, that maybe now finally Charles will start to spill the beans a bit about his thoughts on the occult and how they might be relevant to this situation...

KCC

Jan 8, 2024 10:07 am
"That all depends on the quality of your Latin! This very tome… It could indeed hold the answers we seek, provided I am given time to unravel the secrets within.

These spells…"
he says, already knowing that the reporter would be brushing him off even now. "… could lead us to our man. I just need time to understand which spells are contained within, and… if you are all willing, to carry out the magicks within and see if they lead us to him."
Jan 8, 2024 11:25 am
"So you really meant it, Wilde? That the occult, that "real magic" might be involved here?"

Barrington shakes his head. He doesn't want to even consider this as a possibility... but...

"I would have scoffed at that a few days ago. But after what we've seen and heard and felt now... If you tell me more about what's involved, and what might happen if we try these spells out, I'm here to help you with that."

"Does finding this book give you any more ideas of leads we could try and follow up? If not, my next step would be to try and talk again with Harold - it sounds like he might know more than he let on when we last talked to him."

"Anyone else any other ideas or plans for what we could check out next?"

KCC

Jan 8, 2024 12:09 pm
"It will take me some time to prepare, of course. Perhaps, if you are all willing… we could try something tomorrow evening!"

He paces the room then, trying not to dive right into the book! There was still something to be found here:

"If it isn’t too presumptious, perhaps we ought to search the man’s bedroom? A delicate proposition, I understand, but there’s just as much to learn there as there is in this library, wouldn’t you say?"
Jan 8, 2024 2:14 pm
"If you think it could be useful to check it out, I'm with you, Wilde"
Jan 8, 2024 11:50 pm
Yuna narrows her eyes. "So. Just to make sure we're on the same page here - you're going to cast spells to determine what happened here?" She takes a deep breath, holds it, then lets it out. "I'll check the bedroom."

She looks to Ingrid, "Which way to Memphis's bedroom? Perhaps you'd like to join me?"

KCC

Jan 8, 2024 11:55 pm
"Why don’t you meet with us and watch? You can write up a report about it, if you like. If I’m correct, you’ll have quite the scoop, as you say.

If I’m wrong, well, you’ll have a few inches in your paper about a washed up old man with a failing mind. Good for selling copies, no doubt!"

Ingrid Schwartz

nezzeraj

Jan 10, 2024 10:05 am
Ingrid Schwartz
"Yes, I feel sort of strange to have you snooping around my father's room but if there are any hints, I can't deny it's a good place to look. I'll accompany you." Ingrid leads you down to the second floor. Straight you see what should be a hallway but has been opened up to become the balcony overlooking the stage. The hallway turns left at the end of the balcony. On your right is a door. Ingrid opens it.

There is a door immediately inside the bedroom on your left and double doors at the far end of the bedroom on the right. The bedroom’s restful decor is in stark contrast to all the pomp and ostentation of his persona as Memphis the Great. Even the wallpaper is muted. A plain, comfortable double bed and a bedside cabinet are the room's only furnishings.

KCC

Jan 10, 2024 10:11 am
"A far less ostentatious affair, wouldn’t you say? A window into the mind of the man."

And where better to find a man’s mind than among the effects he keeps closest to him when he sleeps. Charles crosses to the bedside cabinet, and looks through.

"Forgive me, Ms. Schwartz. I have little interest in rummaging through your father’s delicate belongings, but needs must, as they say!"
Jan 10, 2024 7:56 pm
Barrington searches the room for possible concealed hiding places - particularly checking for a safe in the wall, in the cabinet, behind any pictures.
Jan 12, 2024 12:27 am
Wilde, inside the drawer you find a battered pocket-size notebook bound in brown leather and embossed with a gold outline of an ibis hieroglyph. Resting on top of the notebook is a well-worn key.

Barrington, behind a framed poster of what you guess is Memphis the Great's first ever show, you find a keyhole in the wall.

KCC

Jan 12, 2024 1:30 am
"Aha! This will certainly be the clue we seek!" Charles says, holding up the objects for the others to see.

"Ms. Yuna, you have a keen eye for detail. Perhaps you ought to search through the man’s writings? You will surely find it anything is amiss.

As for this key…"
he says, looking as Barrington uncovers the very keyhole they now seek. "… would you care to do the honors, Mr. Van Ness?"
Jan 12, 2024 10:56 am
Yuna considers Charles's words. "Mr. Wilde you may just talk me into it, when you keep using logic like that."

She leaves with the others to Memphis's bedroom and follows them inside.

She nods at the suggestion and takes notebook in hand. She sits casually on the bed and begins to look through it while the men busy themselves with the key.
Jan 12, 2024 1:06 pm
"Why thank you, Wilde, don't mind if I do."

Barrington takes the key and slides it into the lock, turning it counter-clockwise to try and unlock... well... what ever it unlocks.
OOC:
Can Barrington see a door or something else that the lock seems perhaps connected to, that might open when the lock is turned?
Jan 14, 2024 5:53 am
The book is a travel journal and is about 80 percent full and dates back to early 1917, recording tours of Europe and North America. The journal has not been updated for six weeks. Three pages catch Yuna's journalistic senses.
[ +- ] Page 1
[ +- ] Page 2
[ +- ] Page 3

When Barrington turns the key, he hears a click and a hidden door swings open. Beyond lies a room the size of a small closet. Inside is a single item: an intriguing hamper-sized cabinet decorated in an Asiatic style. From the external bangs and scrapes, it’s certainly had some adventures. It seems like it should open, but there is no obvious lid. Being a magician himself, Barrington thinks it is some kind of large puzzle box and solving it is the only way to open it.
OOC:
It'll take a Locksmith or Mech Repair to open, but I'll allow a hard success on Stage Magic as well.
Jan 14, 2024 6:54 am
Yuna sets the journal down having taken the information in. She quietly looks up to Ingrid, "I apologize for the question, but were you aware your father had gone insane?"

KCC

Jan 14, 2024 7:30 am
"As I expected below! An artifact quite hidden away from all the rest!" Charles says, peeking over the shoulder of Van Ness. "An not of American make or design. It is exactly as I thought!" and then he turns on his heel as Yuna makes her accusation:

"What is it? What did you read?"
Jan 14, 2024 7:57 am
Yuna looks to Charles. "Memphis had traveled to a remote area to find a mystic of sorts. He had about given up, then found him. Some 'keeper of gates' or some such. He became convinced the man could perform real magic. Then, from his last entry, it appears he had grown quite sure that he could - what did he say-" she picks up the book and flips back to remind herself, quoting him, "'travel the very structure of the cosmos.'" She puts the journal back down and adds, "Sounds like your sort of thing, Mr. Wilde."

KCC

Jan 14, 2024 8:08 am
"Well, I could never make such a bold statement. The Cosmos!? I could hardly convince you that a man could travel across the space of a single room on the night of the performance!" he chuckles. It’s meant to dismiss the notion, and yet it confirms every of Charles’ suspicions.

"I must decipher the exact spell that our man cast, if you’ll indulge the idea for a moment. It’s imperative that I know its function and how to carry out the thing myself."
Jan 14, 2024 8:27 am
Yuna stands and crosses to the revealed room. She hands him the journal, "Be my guest, if this helps you."

"What is this?" she asks, looking the cabinet over. Her eyes narrow as she sees something that looks like it could be manipulated, hidden within the woodwork. Cautiously, she reaches her hand toward it...
OOC:
Heyooo!
Last edited January 14, 2024 8:28 am

Rolls

Locksmithing (41) - (1d100)

(38) = 38

Ingrid Schwartz

nezzeraj

Jan 14, 2024 10:18 am
OOC:
Not that I enjoy taking away a successful roll right away, but Yuna would have to take at least a minute to look through the book, talk to Ingrid and Charles, and then walk over, so I think Barrington should still have the spotlight for his part of the scene while Yuna is doing those other things.
Ingrid Schwartz
Ingrid puffs up in indignation. "That is a very defamatory statement, Ms. Nakane. My father is quite sane. I let you into this house with the goal of finding what happened here, not to besmirch my father's name!" She reaches out and tries to take back her father's journal.
OOC:
Going to need a Charm or Persuade roll to convince Ingrid you didn't just insult her father lol.
Jan 14, 2024 10:46 am
Barrington looks carefully at the cabinet. He's somewhat more cautious than he would have been earlier today, having experienced the strange feeling as he entered the house, and the vision on the stairs to the library.

Having given it a once-over he calls out to Wilde

"Wilde, come and check this out! It looks right up your street, with your interests and knowledge of the occult. Maybe we can work out together how to open it?".

Without waiting for Charles, however, Barrington has a go at finding a way into it himself.
OOC:
Barrington's stage magic is 70, so I'm rolling against 35... I think...

EDIT OOOF almost - I'd spend three luck to move it to a success if that works for you GM?
Last edited January 14, 2024 10:47 am

Rolls

Stage Magic (70) hard (so against 35) - (1d100)

(38) = 38

Jan 14, 2024 11:15 am
OOC:
Yeah sounds good, mark off 3 Luck.
Barrington notices several pieces that slide, rotate, and pivot. After some manipulation, the pieces slide apart revealing a latch in a recessed part of the box. Pushing the latch opens the box. Inside the puzzle box lies a velvet tray holding seven spheres the size of oranges. Their surfaces have a milky, shifting consistency.
Jan 14, 2024 11:22 am
"Not besmirching, Ingrid. Perhaps he was writing a piece of fiction, I apologize," Yuna says politely.

Rolls

Persuade (60) - (1d100)

(71) = 71

Jan 14, 2024 11:49 am
"Wilde! Look! I got this thing open! What do you make of these spheres...? I'm getting cautious enough to look at them with you and the others first before I try touching them...!"

KCC

Jan 15, 2024 1:15 pm
OOC:
What do I make of the spheres? Better to give an educated answer!

Something that can be rolled? Or do they require… handling? :D
Jan 15, 2024 2:45 pm
OOC:
You can make a Cthulhu Mythos roll but I think that's only a 1% chance of success. Otherwise you would have no idea.
Jan 15, 2024 6:45 pm
Barrington notices Wilde's hesitation when it comes to checking out the spheres - and this gives Barrington even more of a sense of trepidation around them. He continues to wait for Wilde's prompt about how to deal with them.

KCC

Jan 16, 2024 3:21 am
OOC:
Mythos 10%! Come on!
"Remarkable." Charles says, scooping a small handful of the things into his palm for closer inspection.

"Ive never seen anything of the sort. What say you, Ms. Yuna?"
Last edited January 16, 2024 3:23 am

Rolls

1d100

(79) = 79

Jan 17, 2024 2:44 am
"No, nothing," she says. "It is of interesting design though. Perhaps he brought it back from his travels?"
Last edited January 17, 2024 2:46 am

Ingrid Schwartz

nezzeraj

Jan 17, 2024 7:00 am
Ingrid Schwartz
"I doubt my father would write fiction in his travel journal," Ingrid replies, clearly unpersuaded. She takes the journal back and puts it in its prior place. When talk turns of the device in the hidden storage room, Ingrid says, "He got the puzzle box during his tour in the Far East, I believe. I've never seen those balls before. Does it look like they're glowing a little bit?"

KCC

Jan 17, 2024 10:33 am
Charles both lifts the balls up to eye level and lowers his head in to get a closer look at the few that he has gathered in the palm of his hand!

"Mmm… does it?"
OOC:
Does it?
Jan 17, 2024 11:26 am
The spheres have a very slight glow about them.

KCC

Jan 18, 2024 6:46 am
"Now, what do you suppose that is?" Charles asks, rubbing the things between his hands to try and generate heat. He crosses to the windows then, and holds them up to the light too…
OOC:
At a loss here, maybe! :D
Jan 18, 2024 7:09 am
Barrington reaches for a couple of the spheres and holds one up to an ear, shaking it, to see if he can hear anything rattling inside it.

He then takes the two and taps them against each other, to see what sound that makes.

"What do you think, Wilde? Maybe there's something about using these spheres in the 'spells', or the book we found?"
Last edited January 18, 2024 7:09 am

Ingrid Schwartz

nezzeraj

Jan 18, 2024 2:53 pm
Ingrid Schwartz
Ingrid peers at the orbs. "Maybe it was a new trick dad was working on. Maybe Reuben Levy knows. He runs Ace Emporium, the best magic shop in the state. Or one of the regulars at Nelson's restaurant."

KCC

Jan 21, 2024 11:45 am
"Well, that does little to illuminate things for us at the present, doesn’t it?" Charles says, clicking his tongue. "I suppose we could call the man on your father’s telephone, yes? That would save us the trip. Still… I feel like it would be for nought.

By Ms. Yuna’s account, the man was quite mad by the end of his entries. Forgive me for saying so. If we suppose that Ingrid here is right in saying that he wasn’t writing fiction, then it must be the case that something serious occurred. And with the placement of this box, the two must surely be connected, and assuredly kept secret from the average restaurant-goer."
Last edited January 21, 2024 11:46 am
Jan 21, 2024 2:50 pm
BeardHare says:
Barrington reaches for a couple of the spheres and holds one up to an ear, shaking it, to see if he can hear anything rattling inside it.

He then takes the two and taps them against each other, to see what sound that makes.
OOC:
Does Barrington hear anything inside when he shakes it, anything happen or change when he taps them against each other?

KCC

Jan 22, 2024 3:18 am
"Perhaps they are to be used in conjunction with the book." Charles offers weakly. "Some means of channeling power, perhaps?

I understand this is all very theoretical."
Jan 22, 2024 8:23 am
Yuna's curiosity is piqued. "Why one of the regulars at the restaurant? Was your father fond of practicing for them there?" she asks Ingrid.
Jan 22, 2024 1:09 pm
BeardHare says:
OOC:
Does Barrington hear anything inside when he shakes it, anything happen or change when he taps them against each other?
OOC:
Oh, sorry, give me a Luck roll.

Ingrid Schwartz

nezzeraj

Jan 22, 2024 1:12 pm
Ingrid Schwartz
"Oh, not like just a regular customer. All of the local magicians gather there for dinner once a month to socialize. They're meeting tonight, in fact, so I figured if you had any questions you couldn't find a better group to ask. Although magicians are protective of their secrets so might not be willing to open up to outsiders, but as long as your questions don't pry into their acts it should be fine."
Jan 22, 2024 5:31 pm
"I see," Yuna says thoughtfully, "well, it couldn't hurt to try both. We could meet with the other magicians tonight, and seek a meeting with Reuben Levy for tomorrow. Would you mind if we borrow the spheres, Ingrid? I fear trying to describe them might be less impactful than being able to show them."
Jan 23, 2024 6:59 am
OOC:
Luck roll here for shaking the spheres and tapping them against each other.

EDIT: eeek not rolling very well this game... ouch...
Last edited January 23, 2024 6:59 am

Rolls

Luck roll against 37 - (1d100)

(82) = 82

Jan 23, 2024 7:17 am
"I often join the monthly magician dinner. I'll turn up on my own this evening, separate from you all - maybe some of them will be more likely to talk to me about Memphis as they know me already."
Jan 23, 2024 10:02 am
OOC:
duplicate, please delete
Last edited January 23, 2024 10:14 am
Jan 23, 2024 10:13 am
"Very well," Yuna says, "I will try to arrange us a meeting with Reuben Levy. Shall we meet at his office? I'll attempt to schedule for noon. Ingrid, can you help with that?"

Ingrid Schwartz

nezzeraj

Jan 23, 2024 2:56 pm
Ingrid Schwartz
"Reuben usually attends the dinners as well since he is the owner of the magic shop and knows all the gossip. Oh, and please be careful with those-" but it was too late.

As Barrington taps two balls together they shatter in his hand. A thin vapor escapes the spheres and inside they are now hollow. Suddenly the house shakes a bit like a small earthquake passes through the house. It lasts only a few moments and then all is still.
Jan 23, 2024 4:10 pm
A look of chagrin crosses Barrington's face as the balls shatter in his hand. He looks around at the others and asks

"Did you feel that? That tremor that went through the house just now, as I, er broke these spheres?"
OOC:
- Are the broken spheres no longer glowing i.e. it might be the vapuor that made them glow?
-Was there any smell as the vapour escaped?
- What do the spheres appear to be made of? Glass? If so, Barrington carefully places the broken pieces of glass down on the table by Memphis's bed and dabs any fine shards off his hands with a piece of dampened tissue.
Last edited January 23, 2024 4:10 pm
Jan 23, 2024 7:30 pm
John moves to the nearest window and looks outside. Checking to see if there's any signs of damage. He's never been in a 'earthquake' so he has no idea if that is what just happened.
Jan 23, 2024 7:48 pm
"Did you feel something too, Brown? I've had several strange feelings and visions inside this house - and I was starting to wonder whether it was only me and my imagination. Or whether other people felt it too."
Jan 24, 2024 2:47 am
"Seems to me people have be reacting to things I haven't seen. But I'm pretty sure I felt the house shake. Never been in an earthquake, but that kinda matched what I've heard about.
Jan 24, 2024 4:49 am
"That was...oddly coincidental," Yuna says with a frown, her faith and confidence slightly shaken.
Jan 24, 2024 7:47 am
BeardHare says:
OOC:
- Are the broken spheres no longer glowing i.e. it might be the vapuor that made them glow?
-Was there any smell as the vapour escaped?
- What do the spheres appear to be made of? Glass? If so, Barrington carefully places the broken pieces of glass down on the table by Memphis's bed and dabs any fine shards off his hands with a piece of dampened tissue.
OOC:
The broken sphere's do not glow. It might be the vapor that made them glow, but you aren't sure since it dissipated too quickly. They do appear made of glass or fine crystal.

KCC

Jan 24, 2024 10:08 am
Charles takes his finger, and inserts it into the space within the set down sphere. Then, he sticks the fingertip under his nose to see there is an odor. Following on from that, he puts the tip of his tongue to the tip of his finger to see if there’s a taste.

"Yes. At times I’ve wondered if we needed to call someone for our friend here, Van Ness. But I assure you that that was very real, my man." he says, as he goes through with his experiment.
Last edited January 24, 2024 10:08 am
Jan 24, 2024 12:20 pm
OOC:
Give me a POW roll for Charles please.

KCC

Jan 24, 2024 12:29 pm
OOC:
Strike me down and I shall become more POWerful…
OOC:
Is it more illuminating to succeed or fail here, GM? For luck purposes!
Last edited January 24, 2024 12:30 pm

Rolls

Pow 45 - (1d100)

(48) = 48

Jan 25, 2024 12:43 am
OOC:
More illuminating to fail, but also more dangerous to your Sanity! The choice is yours mwahaha.

KCC

Jan 25, 2024 1:31 am
OOC:
Oh noooo… I almost succeeded. I guess if the dice gods will it…

I fail!
Jan 28, 2024 12:07 pm
For a few moments, the world swims funnily. The house seems to become like a dollhouse, small and segmented. The rooms of the house all expand outward away from each other like an architect's exploded diagram. And between the rooms, you can see the blackness of space. But it is not empty space. You can sense more than see creatures beyond, things pushing at the boundries, making the walls bulge and ripple at their pressure. And then, inexplicably, you sense something more mundane, something human. The rooms all rush back together and collapse back into the house and reality you are familiar with.

Rolls

Sanity loss - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Jan 29, 2024 6:43 am
"What happened, Mr. Wilde? You seemed to have gone quite distant for a moment."
OOC:
Assuming the rest of us didn't see anything bizarre here other than Charles losing his attention / spacing out?
Jan 29, 2024 7:38 am
OOC:
Correct. But anyone else is free to sniff it lol.

KCC

Jan 29, 2024 10:36 am
"I fear…" the man says, his head woozy and his voice shaky. "I fear I know where our man is.

Utterly beyond our grasp, in our present state, I assure you."


He puts a hand to his head. Had that feeling been there man? Was he trapped in some odd space beyond this house? Behind the walls, or some wall in any case…

Ingrid Schwartz

nezzeraj

Jan 29, 2024 10:45 am
Ingrid Schwartz
"You do not look well, Mr. Wilde," Ingrid says. "I think we should call it a day, what do you say? How about we meet again tonight at Nelson's? Mr. Barrington and I can introduce the rest of you to the other magicians and maybe you will learn some more there. My treat," she offers with a reassuring smile.

KCC

Jan 29, 2024 10:49 am
"I think the time would be better served by trying to unlock the secrets of whatever it was I just experienced." the man answers, thinking that he was close to same solution here. His mind turns to trying the odd substance within the ball once again…
Jan 29, 2024 7:43 pm
"If you think there could be more for us to find out here, Wilde, then I'm happy to stay here a while longer. Have you, or anyone else, any more ideas about where or what we could look into here?"

"One thing I'm curious about is whether it could be useful to stay here in the house overnight - it seems like something may have surprised the burglars once they got into the house. Given the strange sights and experiences we've had here in the house ourselves, I wonder whether the thing that surprised them might make another appearance some other night."

"We could perhaps come back here after we've been at Nelson's this evening."
Jan 30, 2024 1:49 am
"I would second the interest in staying overnight. Perhaps there is something further we could learn."

KCC

Jan 30, 2024 2:19 am
"If we plan to remain overnight, then I will remain here to pour over this book. I need time to prepare.

It would be better if we focused our efforts, and gathered ourselves. I will be here when you return, if you feel like Nelson’s might illuminate something. I fear that we have all we need right here, however…"
Last edited January 30, 2024 2:19 am
Jan 30, 2024 6:36 am
"If you're going to be wait and prepare in the hose, Wilde, then I'm going to stay here with you. It feels ridiculous to say it - I can't imagine saying this if I hadn't spent now some time in this creepy unsettling place - but it seems like something is going on here. Something I don't understand. Something threatening. So I don't want to leave you here alone.

I can just sit here quietly while you read through your book, Wilde, maybe look through more of Memphis's library on stage magicianship. But ready to join you if you call for me. And you ready to join me if I call for you!"

KCC

Jan 30, 2024 7:23 am
"That just leaves Ms Yuna then." Charles says, nodding in agreement and thanks to Van Ness.

"Nelson’s offers a meal and a show. What you’ll see here tonight will be something you’ll not soon see again, believe me. If I am correct, we’ll be with our man by midnight!"

He with us, or us with he…
Jan 30, 2024 7:59 am
"I said I'll stay and I will. Perhaps I can revisit some of the house while you do your thing, Charles. Finding Memphis is one thing, and part of the job, but I don't know if that will solve the mystery of how those men died. There still must be something here in the house that can explain that."

KCC

Jan 31, 2024 9:40 am
"Forgive me if I repeat myself. I feel somewhat unsteady! Some rest in one of the house’s fine chairs and a chance to pour over that tome and I’ll be quite alright again!"

Ingrid Schwartz

nezzeraj

Feb 2, 2024 12:41 am
Ingrid Schwartz
"Well, I will leave you to it then. I will be having dinner at Nelson's so if you need to reach me, I will write down the phone number for you. I'll swing back by after to check in on everyone." Ingrid grabs an eyebrow pencil and a business card and writes the number on the back. She hands it to Yuna. "Good luck and I hope you find what you need to."

KCC

Feb 2, 2024 12:51 am
OOC:
Charles needs a few hours with the book to get things really cooking!

Time skip?
Feb 2, 2024 2:18 am
OOC:
Yeah if everyone wants to tell me their plan for what their character does for the next few hours we will do a roll + summary.
Feb 2, 2024 3:44 am
John not entirely sure what's going on here, but he's intrigued. His education hasn't included much of what these folks are talking about, but something interesting is surely to come of it.

"While you two study, how's about I run down to a diner and pick up some sandwiches or such. Whatever we're about to do might work out better on a full stomach."
OOC:
If no one objects, John will grab a round of sandwiches and some Cokes from the nearest diner.
Feb 3, 2024 10:14 am
"Ah, that'd be great, John - thanks for thinking of that. I hadn't realised how hungry I am!"

Barrington hands over some cash to John. Barrington's a generous guy - this is more than what his fair share would be.

For the next few hours Barrington works through books in Memphis's library. Half the time he spends on the stage magician section - there are some unusual, hard-to-find volumes in there, and he keeps his eyes open for any new ideas or tricks he could add to his own repertoire. The other half of his time is spent with the books in the occult section. Not a topic he has ever really spent much attention on before, so he's just trying to get a bit of a background on current ideas around the topic.
Feb 4, 2024 5:02 am
"That would be agreeable," Yuna says to John, "thank you." She proceeds to give him a meticulous and specific request for a specific condiments and toppings for her meal. She pays him with some coin from her pocket.

Yuna will spend more time looking over the props and searching for any rooms they hadn't already explored to some extent. Otherwise, she spends time pouring over Memphis's letters and missives scattered around his desk.
Last edited February 4, 2024 5:02 am

KCC

Feb 4, 2024 8:22 am
OOC:
Charles gets his head into the book, unwittingly preparing to kill everyone!
Feb 4, 2024 9:38 am
OOC:
Barrington will have brought the books he's looking through to wherever Charles is reading the book - or has pursuaded Charles to read it up in the library. Barrington wants to be nearby Charles while they are both doing their reading.
Feb 7, 2024 10:52 am
Yuna makes her way through the rest of the house, checking they didn't overlook anything. She finds a few guest bedrooms, bathrooms, and of course the basement.

The basement is a chilly, dark space and rather empty. Kitchen supplies and chopped firewood can be found near the access stairs, while numerous food sacks contain vegetables and grains. It seems rats have found a way to access the basement and now forage among the food sacks. Some very old props from the early days of Schwartz’s pre-Memphis career are piled at the back of the basement, including trick canes, an escape trunk, a small valise, hatbox, and so on. These are rather cheap and do not feature his later trademark Egyptian styling. Their paint is flaking and the wood is rotten in places.

While she is down in the dark, Yuna becomes aware of a gentle breeze blowing in one direction, then the other. In and out. The wind picks up and there is a wheezing quality too it, as if she's in a giant set of lungs. It gets stronger and stronger.
OOC:
DEX save from Yuna please.

Barrington reads through many of Memphis' rare and expensive volumes. There he finds new tricks and illusions that have been long forgotten or for sets that haven't appealed to modern audiences' tastes but are still impressive if mastered.
OOC:
Add 1d10 skill points to Stage Magician.

Charles pours all his attention into the book. He eats the food John returns with barely tasting it. The book is fascinating. In it are many spells and rituals of mind-bending complexity but would take months to understand everything. It's like looking at a book of theoretical physics from some alternate universe. But one spell called "Call Forth Ye Form Beyonds" seems simple enough. The book outlines a ritual that will make manifest any psychic or incorporeal forces nearby.
OOC:
Casting the spell costs 5 magic points and 30 minutes of chanting as well as 1d4 Sanity. Any number of people may participate, spending 1 MP to reduce the casting time by 1 minute per point.
Feb 7, 2024 11:16 am
OOC:
Ah! Thank you for the stat boost, Keeper!

EDIT hey +1 is better than +0 lol
Last edited February 7, 2024 11:17 am

Rolls

Add 1d10 skill points to Stage Magician - (1d10)

(1) = 1

Feb 8, 2024 3:33 am
Yuna can't shake the feeling as if something is breathing upon her body, some large unseen creature in the dark.

Rolls

DEX (60) - (1d100)

(34) = 34

KCC

Feb 8, 2024 11:55 am
Charles calls to the others, not fully sure where they are within the house.

"When you’re quite ready, I shall perform the ritual!" she calls to the empty space around him, summoning the others to him!

"I suspect you’ll want to document this, Ms. Yuna, yes?! Come quickly now, and I’ll begin!"
OOC:
I deplete all of Idella’s life force to cast this spell! :D
OOC:
Spell-time!
Last edited February 8, 2024 11:56 am

Rolls

1d4

(3) = 3

Feb 8, 2024 12:36 pm
OOC:
As a first-time CoC player I'm curious - what are your rolling here @KCC?
Feb 12, 2024 2:00 am
The breath in the basement huffs and puffs but Yuna isn't blown down. She staggers a step but holds her balance. Up above she hears Charles shouting that he is ready to perform the ritual.
OOC:
Everyone describe your places as the ritual is performed. Are you helping? Hiding? What are you doing and where are you? Where is Charles performing the ritual?

KCC

Feb 12, 2024 2:28 am
OOC:
Charles will carry out the spell in the very same place he sensed the human presence earlier!
Feb 12, 2024 5:55 am
Yuna, perturbed what she just experienced, decides to leave the basement for the time being and rejoin the others. She finds Charles and stands to watch him as he begins the odd ritual.
Feb 12, 2024 11:26 am
Barrington joins Charles where he's conducting the ritual. He asks Charles how he can help – and as long as it doesn't involve some kind of heinous awfulness, will try to give that help.

KCC

Feb 13, 2024 12:08 pm
Domine deus meus in te speravi conlitebor tibi domine in toto corde meo quem ad modum desiderat cervus ad fantes aquarum. Ouver! Chameron! Aliseon! Mandousin! Premy! Oriet! Mayorus! Esmony! Estiot! Dumosson! Danochar! Casmiel! Sadirno! Eparinesant! domine meus Lucifer!
Feb 14, 2024 10:46 am
Charles reads from the book as the other stand around, unsure of what to expect. As the spell reaches completion, you all hear the front door of the house slam open far away. A voice cries, "Where are you? What are you doing here?" You recognize it as the voice of Harold Hawkings. Heavy footsteps approach the stairs and quickly begin mounting. Charles's spell is nearing its crescendo but he realizes he won't finish the spell before Harold arrives at his current speed.

The room also begins warping and bending as reality begins to fray. The room seems to open up at the seams of every wall and ceiling joint and begins to unfold like a paper flower. Above and beyond you is the infinite darkness of space speckled with shining stars, colorful nebulae, and halos of exploded stars. And beyond them, more sensed than seen, is some indescribable shape larger than the human mind can comprehend. But nearer, smaller, more definite, you sense the shape of a man screaming in rage. The sound rings more in your mind than your ears.
OOC:
Sanity roll from everyone. 1d3 on a pass, 1d6 on a fail.
Feb 14, 2024 1:29 pm
Barrington falls to his knees, rams his palms against his ears, squeezes his eyes shut, in a hopeless attempt to block out the AWFULNESS assaulting his body, his mind, his very soul...

Rolls

Sanity test (vs 42) - (1d100)

(50) = 50

Sanity loss on failed Sanity check - (1d6)

(4) = 4

Feb 14, 2024 2:54 pm
OOC:
Just making sure, a Sanity check is versus our current Sanity?

Rolls

Sanity Test (vs 70) - (d100)

(1) = 1

Sanity Loss - (d3)

(2) = 2

Feb 15, 2024 6:18 am
Esidrix says:
OOC:
Just making sure, a Sanity check is versus our current Sanity?
OOC:
Correct.
Feb 15, 2024 8:35 am
Yuna can't help but feel her gut shift from the strange sights. Her head spins and she places a hand to her forehead while trying to center her thoughts.
Last edited February 15, 2024 8:36 am

Rolls

Sanity (70) - (1d100)

(75) = 75

Sanity Loss - (1d6)

(4) = 4

KCC

Feb 15, 2024 8:46 am
"Clutch your minds tight!" Charles bellows, with the hoarse and defiant frailty of an older man. He barks over the swirling chaos, careful not to step outside the bounds of the circle he had drawn on the floor.

"Bar the door!" he barks again. "I fear that is Harold in voice only! Don’t let him inside!"
Last edited February 15, 2024 8:48 am

Rolls

Sanity - (1d100)

(42) = 42

1d3

(2) = 2

Feb 15, 2024 11:30 am
Responding to Charles, Barrington rushes over to the door - pushes furniture up against it, pushes his whole weight against it.
OOC:
Barrington doesn't think about staying inside the circle while doing this - he's overwhelmed and focused on trying to respond to Charles's call for help.
Feb 19, 2024 11:03 am
Barrington bars the door just as something begins pounding on the other side. "Let me in! You don't know what you're doing!" The voice definitely sounds like Harold Hawkings. But just then Charles completes the ritual.

As the ritual concludes, the house shudders. A harrowing, unearthly cry, still recognizably human and male, echoes through the space. You feel this event as vibrations throughout your entire bodies. Pieces of the ceiling plunge to the floor, windows shatter, and lamps topple and smash.
OOC:
Dodge roll from everyone please.
Finally, the architecture itself tears and buckles, pulling and thrusting into a huge sculpture: the frozen face of Memphis the Great! Its expression is one of terrible agony and despair. At this precise moment, the remaining glowing orbs cease to glow. The giant face statue splinters apart and the visage is no more. The house is still and quiet.
OOC:
Also a Sanity roll from everyone!

KCC

Feb 19, 2024 11:26 am
OOC:
Roll now, roleplay later!
OOC:
Fail on both!!
Last edited February 19, 2024 11:30 am

Rolls

Parkour! 35 - (1d100)

(52) = 52

Sanity - (1d100)

(54) = 54

Physical damage - (1d4)

(3) = 3

Sanity damage - (1d4)

(3) = 3

Feb 19, 2024 11:45 am
OOC:
1d4 damage from flying debris, 1d4 sanity loss!
Feb 19, 2024 11:47 am
OOC:
So this is how we roll...

EDIT i.e. really badly doh!
Last edited February 19, 2024 11:47 am

Rolls

Dodge against 27 - (1d100)

(72) = 72

Sanity against 38 - (1d100)

(72) = 72

Physical damage - (1d4)

(2) = 2

Sanity damage - (1d4)

(4) = 4

Feb 19, 2024 12:08 pm
OOC:
Rolling

Rolls

Dodge (30) - (1d100)

(30) = 30

Sanity (66) - (1d100)

(10) = 10

Feb 19, 2024 12:52 pm
OOC:
Barrington's fail is so bad I'm waiting to post, in case there are some extra punishing rolls he needs to make on his fails here...
Feb 19, 2024 1:59 pm
OOC:
Rolls

Rolls

Dodge 35 - (d100)

(3) = 3

Sanity 68 - (d100)

(15) = 15

KCC

Feb 20, 2024 5:49 am
Breathing heavy, and suddenly feeling a hundred years older than his already old age.

"I…" is all he can muster, as the quietness settles over them.

"Are we… quite alright?" he stammers, his voice croaky and frail.
Feb 20, 2024 6:26 am
OOC:
I rolled damage for Charles and Barrington. Go ahead and narrate what your failure or success looks like.
The strong pounding at the door resumes. "Open this door right now! I have already called the police so you are just making this worse for yourselves. What are you doing in there?" Harold's voice is muffled by the door and everything piled in front of it.
Feb 20, 2024 8:09 pm
OOC:
Rolling for physical damage and sanity loss...
OOC:
Oooooh that was close - a fifth of Barrington's initial 45 Sanity points is 36 - so if Sanity falls to 35 today then Barrington goes Indefinately Insane. After loosing that point of sanity he's now down to 37... (p156)
Barrington is struck hard by the flying debris, feels his mind shudder at the inexplicable effects of Wilde's spell - and continues to try and push the door shut against whatever is attempting to gain access to this room.
Last edited February 20, 2024 8:18 pm

Rolls

Flying debris (physical damage) - (1d4)

(3) = 3

Sanity loss - (1d4)

(1) = 1

Feb 21, 2024 3:48 am
"Is...is it over?" Yuna asks, "What WAS that, Charles? And why are we keeping Harold out!? We should be explaining to him, we have all rights to be here, Ingrid gave us permission!" Yuna starts to head toward the door.

KCC

Feb 21, 2024 10:21 am
"I fear… I feared…" the man stammers, trying to put into words something altogether unexplainable. Even now, as she crossed to the door, something in the man’s gut screamed no.

He crossed to a chair or bed, and sets himself down to sit. He waits for the woman to reveal the man behind the door.
Feb 22, 2024 4:23 am
Yuna starts to pull the barricade away, ready to open the door when able.

KCC

Feb 22, 2024 4:33 am
"Let him in, Barrington. Let’s see what waits on the other side." Charles offers weakly, feeling responsible for the man’s place barricading the door.
Feb 22, 2024 5:41 am
Barrington turns to Wilde, nods at him, and then turns to help Yuna taking apart the barricade.

"It all happened so fast..." he says to Yuna

"I had no idea what was going on... no idea what just happened..."

"I can feel my mind slipping away from me. Do you feel that too?"
Feb 22, 2024 5:46 am
Yua sets her jaw, "No, Barrington. I...I don't know what I saw, except some codger playing magicians tricks."

KCC

Feb 22, 2024 6:43 am
"Oh, please…" Charles scoffs weakly, in no mood for the reluctant believer act now. "A reporter that doesn’t believe what’s placed in front of her nose…"
Feb 22, 2024 7:23 am
Yuna turns on Charles, "What else could it have been? If...if that was real, then everything, the whole world, is wrong. Truth is no longer truth, and in a world like that...well that's not a world for reporters. That's a world for laughing stocks. If I wrote about what I saw, what I think I saw, I would be run out of town!"

Harold Hawkings

nezzeraj

Feb 23, 2024 7:48 am
Harold Hawkings
When the barricade is removed and the door unlocked, Harold bursts into the room with a pistol in his hand. "What is going on here? Where is Memphis? I heard his voice!" Harold is out of breath, panicked, wild-eyed.
Feb 23, 2024 8:44 am
"Memphis is not here, Mr. Hawkings, and we are present by permission of Ingrid. Unfortunately, it seems your mentor remains missing, though it has been our hope in staying here that we might learn a clue as to his whereabouts. You could not have heard his voice." Even as she says the words, she realizes she's trying to convince herself more than Harold. Had she heard him too? How would they possibly explain all the damage that has been done?
Last edited February 23, 2024 8:46 am

KCC

Feb 23, 2024 10:33 am
Charles just huffs, and nurses the wound above his eye, as the reporter tells her lie. He didn’t have the mind to convince her at present. Barrington knew what they had seen, surely. If anyone could truly know…

"Yes, well… wherever he is, he isn’t here." Charles says then, feeling it to be a hair more truth than lie to say so.
Feb 25, 2024 6:51 am
"We heard his voice too, Harold."

Barrington pauses.

"I've seen things in this house, Harold, that beggar belief. But I'm left with no others choice THAN to believe. To KNOW.

"What we do, we stage magicians, what I do, on stage, is mere illusion. Tricks of the eye. Misdirection. Show. Clever mechanical tricks."

"But there is something else. Something I'd never imagined, out there. True magic. I've felt it."

"I first started to suspect the night of your recent show. I could NOT work out how you did that trick. It felt somehow off."

"But here. In this room. In this house. I experienced things that. Well. I don't want to talk about them. But I can feel them draining the sanity out of my mind. Like I'm seeing things, becoming aware of them, that are too large for my brain to comprehend without breaking."

"Harold. You have to tell us. What happened at your show? What is this change that has come upon you? What do you know of Memphis and his disappearance? This is something bigger than all of us. We have to work together, I feel it in my gut, if we are to have any hope of getting out of this mystery, this awfulness, with our lives, with our sanity..."

Harold Hawkings

nezzeraj

Feb 25, 2024 9:54 am
Harold Hawkings
Harold turns toward Barrington, gun not pointed directly at him...but very close. He shakes his head. "A magician does not reveal his secrets," he whispers. Stronger, he continues, "I advise you, for your own sanity, to forget anything you saw here. You said it yourself, it is too large for you to comprehend. It is best to walk away. Memphis is gone. The burglers turned on each other. End of story. Any other story you try to write will not have such a clean and satisfactory ending."

KCC

Feb 25, 2024 11:04 am
Charles stifles at the not-so-implied threat. He gets to his feet and approaches the man, the magic book still in his hand.

To see the man approach, anyone would think that he would strike Harold with the very book in his hands.

"Foolish man!" he spits, his old age suppressing some of the rage he felt. His mind was whirling after everything, and some of the calm, collected man had receded.

Getting up onto the man’s face, the old man repeats:

"Fool!"
Feb 25, 2024 1:01 pm
Barrington joins Wilde, up in the face of Hawkings.

"Too large for us to comprehend, but not for you, eh, Harold?"

"We saw what we saw, it was overwhelming - but I'm not going to be overwhelmed by you telling me what YOU know about what's going on here."

"And you can put your gun down, put it back in your holster, while you're at it, Harold."

"Out with it, man. Tell us what the hell is going on here!"

"You seem desperate yourself - maybe if you tell us what you know, we can even help each other!"
Feb 26, 2024 6:08 am
Yuna stands a little further back, but close enough to gauge Harold's reaction to the barrage against him. "Gentlemen, please," she says sternly.

"Harold, as much as I am loathe to admit it, there is clearly some very strange things going on here. Something beyond normal trickery. I...I do not know what to call it, but I realize now that whatever is going on surrounding Memphis, the burglars, you, is normal - even for magicians of such great renown as you and your mentor. Please, help us understand, so that we can find the truth and help. We are in a unique position to perhaps understand and offer assistance where no-one else can. Please, so you don't have to be alone in this."
OOC:
psychology to read him a bit, persuade to, uh, persuade him.

Rolls

Psychology (60) - (1d100)

(15) = 15

Persuade (60) - (1d100)

(3) = 3

Harold Hawkings

nezzeraj

Feb 26, 2024 11:01 am
Harold Hawkings
Harold turns to Barrington, gun clearly pointing at him now. "Yes, desperate. Desperate to be free of Memphis. Desperate to move on with my life. But someone always has to be interfering! Always digging! I want it in the past, and now here you are, digging it up and shoving my face in it! No more!"
OOC:
Yuna can sense Harold is in extreme distress and will shoot if he is pushed any farther. What are you trying to persuade him to do?
Feb 26, 2024 11:30 am
"Put the gun down, Harold, and let's be reasonable. Talk about it."

Harold Hawkings

nezzeraj

Feb 26, 2024 11:39 am
Harold Hawkings
He lowers the gun, but still keeps it in a white-knuckled fist. "Why don't you listen? I don't want to talk! I am free! I just want you to leave and stop poking around. That's all you have to do. Just leave and we can all continue our lives happily." He turns around and starts walking out of the room.

KCC

Feb 26, 2024 11:50 am
"You know something! Speak…" Charles commands, lurching after the man and putting a rough hand to his shoulder in anger, in an attempt to drag him back for questioning.

"What did you do?!"
Feb 26, 2024 12:28 pm
Seeing Hawkings moving to leave, and Wilde taking a hand to him, Barrington rushes forward to try and take the gun off Hawkings. Barrington is worried that, in his highly distressed state, Hawkings will respond to Wilde's assault by raising his gun and firing at them.
Last edited February 26, 2024 8:20 pm
Feb 26, 2024 8:02 pm
"Don't-" Yuna starts as Charles throws himself at Harold.

Harold Hawkings

nezzeraj

Feb 27, 2024 7:20 am
Harold Hawkings
Harold spins around as Charles roughly grabs his shoulder and fires instinctively.
OOC:
Clearly got the roll formula wrong, but that's a 10, which is a hard success. I'll need a dodge roll from Charles. 5 damage on a fail.

Rolls

Shoot - (2d100kl1)

(1048) + 1 = 59

Damage - (1d6)

(5) = 5

KCC

Feb 27, 2024 8:26 am
Charles freezes up, as the gun barks. He holds the position, even as he falls away and backwards. It’s only when he falls to the floor that he finally puts a hand to his bloody wound.

"Ah… Ah… Ah…" he stammers, pain coursing through his body!
OOC:
If you can dodge a wrench…
Last edited February 27, 2024 8:28 am

Rolls

PARKOUR! - (1d100)

(76) = 76

Feb 27, 2024 8:34 am
Barrington continues towards Hawkings, intent on the weapon out of Hawkings's hands. Barrington is counting on Hawkings being shocked by the sound and the recoil of making the shot, and of the fact that Wilde was hit, to distract him enough for Barrington to grab the gun and take it from Hawkings.

With his experience, both of acting under fire, and of dealing with grievous wounds, he is able to act deliberately and with focus. He tends to panic around unexpected loud noises - but this noise was not unexpected...
Last edited February 27, 2024 8:37 am
Feb 27, 2024 12:37 pm
OOC:
Give me a Brawl check to get the gun.
Feb 27, 2024 1:28 pm
John has been standing here, quietly unsure of what he's witnessed. However, that strangeness is temporarily pushed aside by Hawkings and his weapon. Seeing Barrington moving towards Hawkings, John tries to knock him out before more shots are fired.
OOC:
Trying to either knock him out or disorient him.

Rolls

Brawl 50 - (d100)

(60) = 60

Feb 27, 2024 2:31 pm
OOC:
Posting this while holding my breath and not expecting it to end well...

EDIT AND IT DIDN'T END WELL
Last edited February 27, 2024 2:32 pm

Rolls

Fighting (Brawl) 25 - (1d100)

(68) = 68

Feb 28, 2024 3:33 am
"Stop this madness!" Yua says, running for the nearest thing to take cover behind - she's not about to get into a scuffle with three men, all larger than her, over a loaded gun.

KCC

Feb 28, 2024 3:35 am
Charles gasps, as the wound makes itself known, and he points as shaky, accusatory finger at the gunman. Then he slumps, and his eyes roll about until they land on Nakane Yuna.

Blood on his lips, the man mouths something inaudible, and reaches for her.

Harold Hawkings

nezzeraj

Feb 29, 2024 11:43 am
Harold Hawkings
Barrington tries to grab the gun. In the scuffle, the gun discharges into Barrington! The shot is white hot pain and he stumbles back. In that brief span of time John seems to materialize from nowhere and try to karate chopt the gun out of Harold's hand. Frantically Harold backs away and fires again! Another grazing shot to John!

"You made me do it! I told you to drop it!" Harold attempts to flee once more.
OOC:
2 damage to Barrington. Looks like a grazing shot luckily!

Rolls

Barrington Luck (37) - (1d100)

(51) = 51

Damage - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Shooting - (2d100l1)

(3561) = 35

Damage - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Feb 29, 2024 12:37 pm
Barrington stumbles back, holding his hand over the shoulder he's been shot in.

He breathes through the pain and looks around him to check on Wilde - who seemed in the moment to have been more heavily injured than Barrington or John.

Finding Wilde, Barrington stops to administer first aid to him with his one good hand.
Last edited March 1, 2024 2:24 pm

Rolls

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

(29) = 29

Feb 29, 2024 1:39 pm
Seeing Hawkings is more than a little unhinged and willing to keep firing. John tries to tackle him to knock the gun out of his hand.

Rolls

Brawl 50 - (d100)

(54) = 54

Mar 1, 2024 1:10 am
OOC:
Do you want to burn 4 Luck on that roll?
Mar 1, 2024 10:28 am
Yuna, frantic, watches as Charles stumbles toward her. "I-I don't know what to do! Stop this!" She reaches into her bag and pulls out her little purse gun - something she keeps on her for self defense, but she's not a good shot by any means. She watches as John tries to tackle Harold - if he drops his gun, she's ready to run for it and keep it from the obviously unhinged magician.
Mar 1, 2024 1:51 pm
OOC:
I'm not sure I have any luck :(
Mar 1, 2024 2:06 pm
OOC:
It's not written on the pre-gens so you'll have to roll it. 3d6*5
Mar 2, 2024 2:54 pm
OOC:
Gotcha
OOC:
It didn't like the *, but that's 50 luck, so yes, I'll spend 4 if it to connect with Hawkings.
Last edited March 2, 2024 2:56 pm

Rolls

Luck, why yes, I'll have some. - (3d6*5)

(163) + 5 = 15

Mar 3, 2024 4:05 am
John rushes the retreating Harold and tackles him, the gun flying out of his hand.
OOC:
Dex roll from Yuna to try to get the gun first.

KCC

Mar 3, 2024 6:39 am
Charles flops down with a heaving grunt, as the woman pulls her pistol rather than tending to the man.

"Good man, Barrington." he forces out of him. "You’re injured yourself, man." he states, gripped by the delirium of adrenaline shooting through him.
Mar 3, 2024 6:47 am
"Don't worry about me, Charles. I've had much worse" says Barrington through his pain.

"We have to get you to a doctor, I can only give you first aid here, we need your wound looked at and treated somewhere safe and with better facilities."
Last edited March 3, 2024 6:48 am

KCC

Mar 3, 2024 6:52 am
"I doubt our man here will permit that. Subdue him, Barrington, or he’ll finish us!" Charles says, patting the man’s shoulder with a rough, old hand.
Mar 3, 2024 7:58 am
Yuna dives for the man's gun.

Rolls

DEX (60) - (1d100)

(74) = 74

Harold Hawkings

nezzeraj

Mar 3, 2024 8:06 am
Harold Hawkings
Harold dives for the gun as well. Harold and Yuna collide and the gun goes skittering under some of the furniture previously used to bar the door.

Rolls

Dex (85) - (1d100)

(91) = 91

Mar 3, 2024 9:07 am
Yuna stands and points her gun down at Harold. "Stop! or...or I'll shoot you! You stop it, Harold!"

KCC

Mar 4, 2024 3:28 am
Charles tries to drag himself free of Barrington’s tender, aiding grasp, and crawls weakly for the weapon. There are doubts the man would ever actually be able to reach the thing before collapsing from the pained effort.
Mar 4, 2024 9:50 am
"For the Lord's sake, Charles, stay still will you!" shouts Barrington.

"Look, I'm taking out my gun, pointing it at Harold." (Barrington does this).

"Will seeing that finally bring you to your senses and stop you making your wound even worse?!"

Barrington now turns his attention to Harold, pointing his .45 Revolver towards him.

"And now, Harold, it's YOUR turn to stay still, for God's sake. Don't you move or I'm going to shoot YOU this time!"

Harold Hawkings

nezzeraj

Mar 4, 2024 10:20 am
Harold Hawkings
Harold slumps in defeat. "You stupid fools," he whispers. "All you had to do was let me go. But no, look at what you made me do." He shakes his head and stares at the floor.
Mar 4, 2024 10:59 am
Barrington strides up to Harold and slaps him across the face, to try and get him to finally properly talk to them.

"Snap out of it, Harold! Plenty of time for your self-pitying indulgences later!"

"Talk to us!! Now, man! What in heaven or hell or somewhere else is going on here?"
Last edited March 4, 2024 10:59 am

Harold Hawkings

nezzeraj

Mar 4, 2024 11:44 am
Harold Hawkings
Harold reels back. "You dare hit me?! Adding insult to injury! I'll make sure you never get another show in magic ever again! Who are you to come into my fiancée's house and treat me this way? I hope you have an excellent lawyer, Mr. Barrington."
OOC:
You can make a Hard Persuade roll, otherwise he's not going to reveal anything.
Mar 4, 2024 11:53 am
Glacial calm spreads over Barrington's face.

"How dare I hit you, Harold?" he says in a low, quiet, steely voice.

"You dare ask me that? After you have just shot three of us? Nearly killing one of us?"

"You ask me about my lawyer, Harold. I don't think even the best lawyer in the land is going to be able to do anything for you, given this sorry miserable scene that you have just caused here."
OOC:
Barrington's not trying to persuade Harold here. Barrington is just furious with the man. He will, however, based on Harold's behaviour and words, try and better understand Harold motives, what he's thinking and feeling here - in case it's relevant for that, I'll make a Psychology roll.

Rolls

Psychology 65% - (1d100)

(2) = 2

Harold Hawkings

nezzeraj

Mar 4, 2024 1:48 pm
Harold Hawkings
Harold chuckles bitterly. "This was self defense! You all attacked me first after I told you to walk away! Four against one, no less! No, I will be fine. Yes, fine. Finally free!"
OOC:
You can tell Harold will not tell you about what happened and would rather kill than reveal whatever secrets you are asking about. He is clearly relieved with whatever you have done tonight and wants to walk away to enjoy the rest of his life.
Mar 4, 2024 4:19 pm
"You ridiculous, pathetic, craven piece of crap, Harold!" bellows Barrington at him, switching from calm fury to raging fury in an instant..!

"Look at you! Ready to kill us rather than tell us what's going on here - and, I can tell, you're happy, smug even, that we have somehow done your dirty work here - and you want to just walk away from this as if nothing has happened, off into what you imagine will be some blessed happy life...?!"

"You DISGUST me!"


Barrington turns to the others.

"He's not going to tell us his secrets. I can tell. And I'm not going to stoop to his level, not going to try and drag them out of him."

"I don't know what we can do, other than leave him to go free, taking our curses with him..."
Mar 5, 2024 3:48 am
"He wants to leave? Perhaps we tie him up and find the most uncomfortable place in the house for him. Maybe he can sleep here overnight - maybe in the prop room? Or maybe the room with the cabinet?" She watches Harold for any sign of a response indicating distress at the idea she's floating.
Last edited March 5, 2024 3:50 am
Mar 5, 2024 2:00 pm
Harold shows no signs of distress at these suggestions. In fact, he seems at peace with this idea.
Mar 6, 2024 1:52 am
Yuna shakes her head and sighs. "Let him go," she says, "The man is completely mad. We'll get to the bottom of this without him, and we'll see just how bright his future is when my article drags his name through the mud as an accomplice to Memphis's disappearance. The headline writes itself, I think - 'Jealous Pupil Disappears Beloved Magician' - I think that will play nicely."

Harold Hawkings

nezzeraj

Mar 6, 2024 3:55 am
Harold Hawkings
Harold flinches for a brief moment when Yuna mentions the details of the headline, but doesn't take the bait. Instead, he says, "At least one of you can think clearly. The rest of you better get to the hospital to see about those accidental wounds. I will cover the costs." Whether this offer is a bribe, a reward, or a sense of guilt is hard to tell.
Mar 6, 2024 5:05 am
Yuna stares at the man, nodding slowly. "Come on, I'll drive. You men need to be seen after."
Mar 6, 2024 11:17 am
Wincing through the pain, Barrington nods to Yuna

"Aye, you're not wrong there, Yuna. Let's see about getting us all to a doctor - and Charles here to a hospital."

KCC

Mar 6, 2024 11:54 am
Charles weakly groans his assent, and leans his weight on one of the others, once he’s back on his feet.
Mar 6, 2024 1:39 pm
Shaking his head at the apparent madness, John helps the others to the car.
Mar 6, 2024 1:48 pm
The three injured investigators are treated at the local hospital. Normally there'd be questions with the police for multiple gunshot victims but Harold Hawkings had called ahead and explained how a new bullet catching trick he was demonstrating for all of you went horribly wrong and he was covering the medical expenses for his negligence.

Harold and Ingrid were married six months after the events in the Memphis House. Memphis was never heard from again and eventually he was presumed dead but no evidence of foul play ever surfaced. Harold blossomed into a famed stage magician and his career brought him fame and fortune with every increasing magical tricks that no other magician could even begin to understand the mechanisms. Then five years later he disappeared one night just like Memphis and was never seen again.

Fin.
OOC:
Feel free to narrate a summary for your character in the aftermath.
Mar 6, 2024 6:56 pm
OOC:
@KCC would it work for you that Barrington and Charles start working together to discover more about the mythos? Barrington ended up kinda liking Charles despite everything, and I think is desperate to learn more of The Truth...
Mar 7, 2024 1:18 am
Yuna writes her article after turning in her work to Memphis's lawyer. It didn't win her any favors, as she failed to learn what truly happened. She left much of the strange events out of her writing.

The article graced page six of the paper, hardly catching the attention of her editors. Nevertheless, the experience opened her eyes to the possibility of things beyond, of things magic, dark, and secret. Once so, she started seeing the strangeness of the world work its way into normal life, where before she would have written it off.

Eventually she would start seeking these stories out, asking and probing about things no journalist would typically question. She was shunned from her own publication as her writing skewed more and more toward the esoteric, but she gained a following amongst certain readers, who were glad to continue reading her work when she started her own small paper, focusing on the unseen world.

KCC

Mar 7, 2024 4:15 am
OOC:
That suits me just fine, yeah!
Charles spent far longer than the others in the hospital, given the grievousness of his wound, and the agedness of his body. Recovery was slow, if a man of his years could ever truly recover from something like that.

At times, long after, he fell in with Barrington, sharing what he knew and learned about things odd and unusual. For his own part, he was one of the readers that Ms Yuna picked up as she veered towards odder and odder stories. He allowed himself the satisfaction of knowing that he had been right in the end, even if she wouldn’t admit it.

There were odd things out there. Things that couldn’t be explained, and often times shouldn’t be explained to the unready mind…
Last edited March 7, 2024 4:15 am
Mar 7, 2024 1:22 pm
John puts his sister in the car and they drive back to the air circus. Hopefully to never think of the events of last night again.
Mar 8, 2024 9:38 am
Barrington was profoundly changed by his experience in the House of Memphis. Over the course of a couple of days, his understanding of the way the world, the universe, worked, were shaken to its core.

He continued to work as a middling stage magician - avoiding Harold at all costs, keeping away from those circles in which they had previously frequently encountered each other.

He needed to know more. To understand more. About what he'd seen and experienced in that awful place.

He and Charles stayed in touch. And he visited Charles frequently during Charles's recovery, talked with and learned from him. And once Charles could get around on his own again, they even stuck their noses together into some of the very odd things out there...

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