Scene 1 - And the gunslingers followed...

Oscar feels the box pulling at his mind. He shuts his eyes and thinks of open doors. Thick wooden doors that line a tasteful hallway, a gallery hallway lit by the soft glow of candlelight.

He concentrates and one by one each of those doors slams shut. The sound reverberates off the shiny wooden floor. He catches a glimpse of an oily smoke creeping towards the last open door. It's rainbow slickness mesmerizing to behold. Oscar wrinkles his nose and the door slams shut.

He opens his eyes and looks at Mattie, "We need to wait for Henry and Rose. That thing is dangerous."

Last edited December 28, 2023 4:41 pm

Dec 28, 2023 6:36 pm

OOC:

Sorry for the confusion @SenorDeebs/Henry. I expect the message/clarity of the scene got lost in my dialoging.

For clarity:

It is very obvious to all of you that Spline and Beretta want to present themselves to you as trustworthy and that they want you to trust them. (Whether or not they are indeed trustworthy is of course a different and not resolved issue/question).

The glamour from Spline was also very clearly only offered in the face of Mattie's resistance to taking Spline and Beretta seriously, in the face of Mattie's clear distrust of Spline and Beretta.

Given that Mattie declined the offer to stay around for this, Spline is giving the sense that it may now not be a good idea, given the high cost of the spell. He'll still do it, though, if one or both of you want it. But if Henry and Rose already mostly trust the two no-longer-gunslingers, you could just ask them questions without having to go through the spell.

Hope that's clearer. If there is any further confusion, please just let me know.

Dec 28, 2023 6:57 pm

Henry looks at Spline. What would the cost be- for you?’ Henry asks. ‘Speak plainly- I’d know that much before I agree.’

Last edited December 28, 2023 7:05 pm

Dec 28, 2023 7:14 pm

"Plain words it is then, gunslinger" says Spline - who then switches to the Arch Speech, something Henry hasn't heard in quite a time, a speech that manages both to be clear and unambiguous yet also formal and respectful.

"The cost to me is chosen by the people who join me in the spell - if you and Rose join me, then each of you would choose a cost to me."

"The cost needs to cause harm to me, and it needs to be a harm that I will carry with me the rest of my life."

"For example - you could choose that the length of my life is shortened by one year; you could choose that I loose my fondest memory; you could choose that I loose someone I love dearly; that I loose my ability to shoot my gun."

"I offer this freely, and hope I will not feel resentment towards you for the costs you choose - although I'm just a man, and maybe I will resent it once the cost is extracted. I'm afraid I have no way to know if that will happen or not."

Dec 28, 2023 7:25 pm

Henry translates the man’s words to Rose. Towards the Tower, at all cost- isn’t that right?’ Henry asks, knowing the answer already. He was sure all of his ka-tet would agreee.

‘I trust you both-‘ Henry says and then smiles down at the knife bearing Corgi.
‘You three… he grins. ‘You know of our need and of the place we’re headed. Glamour me- and apologies for your loss, but the Tower is our goal.’

Last edited December 28, 2023 7:33 pm

Dec 28, 2023 7:38 pm

"I see your heart, your commitment to your quest, gunslinger" says Spline, still in the Arch speech.

"If you already feel you trust me enough, I can work the spell so that instead of compelling me to truth, each of you will instead receive a boon. A gift from me, to help you in your quest to the Tower".

OOC:

If you took this option, then you would not get three guaranteed truthful answers from Spline. Instead each of you who joins the spell can choose a Gift (see p22 and p23 of the rules

Dec 28, 2023 7:43 pm

‘No- your gift should cost both you, and us. nothing good can come without sacrifice.’

Mattie Adler

Adrasthea

Dec 29, 2023 2:45 pm

Mattie shrugs her shoulders, weighs the parcel in her hand, then shakes it some more. She listens, but cannot guess the content. Hm, if it is a demon - then at least it is well shook now. Mattie feels a mischevious little grin on her face before she puts the thing into her bag. The relief she feels when it wanders into the cloth and doesn't touch her skin anymore is instant. It seems she breathes easier now.

"Let's go find 'em then. And let's take the scenic route." Mattie offers her fist, so Oscar can bump it. A gesture she has learned from her companions. It means friendship and is used to celebrate small successes - at least that is how Mattie uses it.

She makes her way down the ladder again and looks around in the barn some more. Afterwards the young blonde tries to make up her mind where to go next.

OOC:

are there any buildings close-by? Mattie would like to glance around a bit - not to disturb the magicking prematurely ;)

Oscar Potts

microtheMacroBear

Dec 29, 2023 4:02 pm

Oscar bumps her fist and with a smile says, "Alright then!".

He follows Mattie down the ladder and jumps down the last few rungs. Brushing off his knees he says, "Well, we looked at the creepy barn. Where to next, the root cellar? Maybe it's not too late to join the palaver. Eh, no let's check out the root cellar. Could be food in there!"

Oscar starts to meander back towards the house, taking Mattie's cue.

OOC:

I feel like Oscar will follow Mattie's lead if she goes somewhere or wants to check out a building.

Last edited December 29, 2023 4:08 pm

Mattie Adler

Adrasthea

Dec 29, 2023 4:50 pm

"Cellars ain't my favourite thing, but it makes sense to cast a glance down there...I reckon." While crossing over to the cellar doors, Mattie eyes them as if they are about to open up and swallow them whole. No tellin' what's down there. She can almost smell the musty air, almost feel the ancient bones beneath her feet... A shiver runs down her spine prompting a cat-like motion, before Mattie gets a handle on it and grits her teeth. She focuses on the task at hand. No use in frettin' about the future. If ravenous tarantula or moldy potato - whatever they will find, Ka works and the world moves on.

She looks around once more, then moves to open the cellar doors.

Last edited December 29, 2023 4:50 pm

Dec 29, 2023 7:14 pm

Maddie opens the cellar doors to expose a dark space, from which wafts a strong earthy, rooty, smell. She was surprised by the door that led to the cellar - shiny reflective metal. Not iron. Something else. Not a blemish on it.

About a second after opening the door, her view abruptly changes as there is a flicker of light, a second flicker, and then the space is suddenly filled by bright blue-white light shining down from strips in the ceiling.

The room is roughly 15 yards square. The ceilings, walls, and floor, are covered in shiny white tiles. In the far wall, opposite to the door Mattie is looking through, is another such metallic door - this one has a sign on the middle of it that says:

"North Central Positronics - No Admittance Except For Employees"

In the centre of the room is a metal table, with a basin at one end. Over the basin curves a metal faucet.

At the far end of the room are several piles of wooden crates - in which can be seen what is presumably the farmsteader's root vegetable crop storage. Carrots, potatoes, turnips, and more, can be seen in the crates.

Apart from the crates, the room is spotlessly clean - the tiles shining back the reflected light from the ceiling lamps.

Rose Maynard

DragonDweller62

Jan 1, 2024 12:28 am

At first, Rose was enraptured by the idea of receiving magic aid. As Spline reveals the devastating cost of the spell, she finds her dream shattered. "I don't know about this," she says to Henry and Spline. "I can't just . . . what, cripple you for life? Worse? I'm sorry, I won't." She feels shame ride to her cheeks and can't even look at Henry. She doesn't suggest a way around the cost, either. That might only make things worse than they are.

Jan 1, 2024 2:40 pm

Henry looks towards Rose 'We all must do as our conscience dictates- in pursuit of the tower.' The young man smiles and bows to the gunslingers at the table. There were too many misgivings in this avenue for his liking. For good or for ill his group seemed to want to avoid any aid from Spline. 'Might I escort you out, Rose- so we can join our errant comrades.' Henry holds his arm out to Rose in a gentlemanly and ridiculously old fashioned display. The gunslinger catches himself- 'Old habits, lady. They'll be the death of me yet...' Henry settles for holding the door for his companion, bowing formally to the gunslingers they were leaving in the rustic old house.

Last edited January 1, 2024 2:41 pm

Oscar Potts

microtheMacroBear

Jan 1, 2024 5:21 pm

"Mattie, anything good down, woah.", says Oscar as he leans his head through the cellar door. He takes in the sterile room, Mattie, and the basin. His eyes go to the door at the back of the room.

"North Central Positronics...", he whispers looking quizzically at it.

"Is that what was stamped on that broken robot awhile back. The one that looked like the tin man. It was stamped on a name plate. What was the name, Rory or Andy?", he thinks.

As he stands outside looking down at the misplaced space under the old house, he hears Henry say something. He stands and looks in the direction of that sound just in time to see a door open.

Last edited January 1, 2024 5:24 pm

Jan 1, 2024 7:01 pm

Both Spline and Beretta stand up as Henry and Rose leave their house, and touch their foreheads at their parting.

"Fare thee well, gunslingers" says Beretta.

"If we meet again - which would be strange, and unexpected, but much less so than many things we experience in these perhaps-end-of-days - I hope we can be more help to you on your quest."

"We wish you all well."

And with that, they sit back down again, and wait for Mattie and Henry to leave.

Jan 1, 2024 8:48 pm

Henry looks back at Splines revolver. ‘Damn fine weapon, Sai.’ he smiles ‘See you in the clearing at the end of the path, lord and lady.’ Henry was learning he didn’t quite know when he was talking out of politeness or nervousness.

Jan 2, 2024 7:56 pm

As Henry and Rose make their way out of the house, they notice a source of light coming from the cellar door-steps, that wasn't there before.

They don't see Oscar as he is standing at the bottom of the steps, in front of the door, and is hidden from view to them.

OOC:

Henry, Rose, do you want to move towards the cellar door? Stay waiting here? Call out to the others? Or something else?

OOC:

Mattie, Oscar, do you want to go into the room, check it out? Or retreat? Bring the package to the others? Or something else?

Jan 2, 2024 8:22 pm

OOC:

Henry will make his way over to the cellar doors.

Mattie Adler

Adrasthea

Jan 2, 2024 9:02 pm

"It spells trouble in any case."
Mattie crosses the room, looks into the basin and the crates in passing, then puts a hand on the metal door. She wants to get a feel for it. Is it cold, as it should be? Next she puts an ear to it, then tries the handle.

"Better be ready."
For whatever might be behind this door...

Oscar Potts

microtheMacroBear

Jan 2, 2024 10:04 pm