Uber-skunks. Not a bad plan, in my opinion. Non-lethal, but offensively effective. VERY offensive. I caught a wiff of Jamie and frowned. The smell wasn't up to snuff with the rotting flesh of the dead, but I've never been soaked with essence of 'dead people'. The oder la skunk wasn't an oder I was ready for, so blacking out was a welcome relief from all the stress of figuring out what to do.
When I came too, I was in a strange tub, I felt people scrubbing me, and realized my wrist was handcuffed to a bar on the tub, as was my other. Magic suppressing cuffs too. I looked over and saw a screen where a familiar Grumble could be heard over more scrubs and sloshes.
"J, you awake?" I called, not really caring if the attendants overheard. "Sorry about the whole, rotting flesh thing. I'd have warned you if I could."
Mountain(s) of Madness
-
AdamZero
- Mage/Priest War Veteran
- Posts: 400
- Joined: August 15th, 2008, 5:04 am
- Location: Behind the guy on the left of the thing over there
Re: Mountain(s) of Madness
"Now he's gone too far. NOONE ATTACKS AMERICA'S FOOD COURTS!" -Deadpool.
"Don't be so naive. I've got ulterior motives. MANY. Two, maybe three. Probably Four. I am one BIG ulterior motive." The Great Teacher, Onizuka Eikichi.
"Don't be so naive. I've got ulterior motives. MANY. Two, maybe three. Probably Four. I am one BIG ulterior motive." The Great Teacher, Onizuka Eikichi.
-
Graybeard
- The Heretical Admin
- Posts: 7182
- Joined: August 20th, 2007, 8:26 am
- Location: Nuevo Mexico y Colorado, Estados Unidos
Re: Mountain(s) of Madness
"All right, so where were we?" Faye asked.
The odor had dissipated from the hotel, and she, Layla (and Zachary), and Galina were meeting in a comfortable little conference room. Annika had stopped by to introduce herself and describe what had happened in Volkanenborg, then gone off to "talk" to the two people who'd emerged from the Lost Veracian Mine after the riot-control skunks did their thing. It wasn't clear yet what the story was there. Apparently one of the guests had known the dead woman -- "Nora" -- and had gone off with his girlfriend to do some investigating of his own, and in the process, had gotten into some places where they didn't belong. They were going to be questioned, then "invited" to leave the park, but unless the questioning turned up something suspicious, that would be about the end of it. Who knows, they might even provide something useful in investigating the dead woman, but as Annika had made clear, that wasn't Galina's, and therefore Layla's or Faye's, problem.
"We'll want to come back to security arrangements," Layla said, "since this little escapade suggests that some improvements are needed. We can maybe help with that." Set a thief to catch a thief, after all, she thought, not knowing that Annika and Galina had already had the same thought. "But I gather that the real reason why you wanted us here is to make sure that the right people are getting invited to this little peace conference, right?" Galina nodded, so Layla continued, "Fair enough. Our ... town's interests ... extend pretty well all over Farrel, it's a more ... influential ... place than most towns its size. We do know our way around most of northern Farrel. So let's get started." She sat back to drink a cup of tea (no coffee while she was still nursing) as Galina pulled the cover off a wall chart she'd brought into the room.
[OOC: And with that, let me announce the opening of a new thread in the "OOC Discussion" sub-forum, intended to help develop the attendance list for this conference -- and, in the process, both define the playing field for future episodes, and give some ideas for introducing new player characters. Please contribute ideas! There have to be more interested parties in Farrel than just the Gewehr and Eisenfaust, don't there?...]
The odor had dissipated from the hotel, and she, Layla (and Zachary), and Galina were meeting in a comfortable little conference room. Annika had stopped by to introduce herself and describe what had happened in Volkanenborg, then gone off to "talk" to the two people who'd emerged from the Lost Veracian Mine after the riot-control skunks did their thing. It wasn't clear yet what the story was there. Apparently one of the guests had known the dead woman -- "Nora" -- and had gone off with his girlfriend to do some investigating of his own, and in the process, had gotten into some places where they didn't belong. They were going to be questioned, then "invited" to leave the park, but unless the questioning turned up something suspicious, that would be about the end of it. Who knows, they might even provide something useful in investigating the dead woman, but as Annika had made clear, that wasn't Galina's, and therefore Layla's or Faye's, problem.
"We'll want to come back to security arrangements," Layla said, "since this little escapade suggests that some improvements are needed. We can maybe help with that." Set a thief to catch a thief, after all, she thought, not knowing that Annika and Galina had already had the same thought. "But I gather that the real reason why you wanted us here is to make sure that the right people are getting invited to this little peace conference, right?" Galina nodded, so Layla continued, "Fair enough. Our ... town's interests ... extend pretty well all over Farrel, it's a more ... influential ... place than most towns its size. We do know our way around most of northern Farrel. So let's get started." She sat back to drink a cup of tea (no coffee while she was still nursing) as Galina pulled the cover off a wall chart she'd brought into the room.
[OOC: And with that, let me announce the opening of a new thread in the "OOC Discussion" sub-forum, intended to help develop the attendance list for this conference -- and, in the process, both define the playing field for future episodes, and give some ideas for introducing new player characters. Please contribute ideas! There have to be more interested parties in Farrel than just the Gewehr and Eisenfaust, don't there?...]
Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.
-
Graybeard
- The Heretical Admin
- Posts: 7182
- Joined: August 20th, 2007, 8:26 am
- Location: Nuevo Mexico y Colorado, Estados Unidos
Re: Mountain(s) of Madness
[OOC: Where did everybody go? To try to get things moving again:]
Layla studied the wall chart as Galina got up to answer a knock on the door. It looked as if the Mesuinus basically knew what was going on in Farrel; most of the interested parties were going to be represented at the conference. Layla's own Gewehr were there, of course, and so were the Eisenfaust. A few other Gewehr-like outfits were on the list even though their headquarters were some distance to the east. One of them caused her a bit of concern; they had the reputation of being Farrel's main drug cartel, and they tended to be a bit ... overbearing. (A dark corner of Layla's mind wished she was a fly on the wall when this bunch met the Mesuinus, but she and Faye would be long gone when this conference occurred, letting Peter and the other big shots show the Gewehr flag.) The almost-military mob that controlled the airships was represented on the transportation side. Layla was interested to note that the Seeadler appeared to have been added as an afterthought. She didn't believe for a minute that this "Mark Hummal" was who he said he was, but it probably wasn't a bad idea to have representatives from the outfits with transportation rackets.
The list generally looked pretty good, but Layla felt a need to ask about two things. "I've heard of some bunch of weird religious cultists over in the real Mountains of Madness, an offshoot of the Veracian Church that the Veracians more or less disowned. Should they be on this list?"
Galina's face darkened peculiarly. "Hardly. Our security people have orders in dealing with those nutjobs that stop just short of 'shoot on sight.' For their own part, they do shoot on sight when their compound is probed. In a more civilized country, there'd be some official means of taking them down, probably with quite a bit of bloodshed. In Farrel, of course ... Anyway, they'll be an agenda item, but everyone will be just as happy not to have them in the room."
"I see," Layla said, nodding. Exactly as Galina said, she was just as happy not to have to deal with the Malletarians; she'd never encountered them herself, but by all accounts, they were a spooky bunch. "The other thing: who are this thing called 'The Nine'?"
Galina's face changed again, this time adopting a mask of bland neutrality. "I was hoping you'd know. We'd never heard of them before yesterday, but it turns out that the dead woman was connected to them in some way that we don't understand. And, by the way, so was one of the people being interrogated for that intrusion into the Lost Veracian Mine ride ... and he mentioned your name."
Layla studied the wall chart as Galina got up to answer a knock on the door. It looked as if the Mesuinus basically knew what was going on in Farrel; most of the interested parties were going to be represented at the conference. Layla's own Gewehr were there, of course, and so were the Eisenfaust. A few other Gewehr-like outfits were on the list even though their headquarters were some distance to the east. One of them caused her a bit of concern; they had the reputation of being Farrel's main drug cartel, and they tended to be a bit ... overbearing. (A dark corner of Layla's mind wished she was a fly on the wall when this bunch met the Mesuinus, but she and Faye would be long gone when this conference occurred, letting Peter and the other big shots show the Gewehr flag.) The almost-military mob that controlled the airships was represented on the transportation side. Layla was interested to note that the Seeadler appeared to have been added as an afterthought. She didn't believe for a minute that this "Mark Hummal" was who he said he was, but it probably wasn't a bad idea to have representatives from the outfits with transportation rackets.
The list generally looked pretty good, but Layla felt a need to ask about two things. "I've heard of some bunch of weird religious cultists over in the real Mountains of Madness, an offshoot of the Veracian Church that the Veracians more or less disowned. Should they be on this list?"
Galina's face darkened peculiarly. "Hardly. Our security people have orders in dealing with those nutjobs that stop just short of 'shoot on sight.' For their own part, they do shoot on sight when their compound is probed. In a more civilized country, there'd be some official means of taking them down, probably with quite a bit of bloodshed. In Farrel, of course ... Anyway, they'll be an agenda item, but everyone will be just as happy not to have them in the room."
"I see," Layla said, nodding. Exactly as Galina said, she was just as happy not to have to deal with the Malletarians; she'd never encountered them herself, but by all accounts, they were a spooky bunch. "The other thing: who are this thing called 'The Nine'?"
Galina's face changed again, this time adopting a mask of bland neutrality. "I was hoping you'd know. We'd never heard of them before yesterday, but it turns out that the dead woman was connected to them in some way that we don't understand. And, by the way, so was one of the people being interrogated for that intrusion into the Lost Veracian Mine ride ... and he mentioned your name."
Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.
-
AdamZero
- Mage/Priest War Veteran
- Posts: 400
- Joined: August 15th, 2008, 5:04 am
- Location: Behind the guy on the left of the thing over there
Re: Mountain(s) of Madness
It'd only been in passing, after Jamie and I had been split up and I'd been dressed in simple clothing. My stave/switchblade wasn't returned to me, of course, and I could only guess it was locked up with Jamie's guns.
Over the course of an hour I'd been asked various questions, and I'd answered them as best I could. I wasn't about to deceive generally decent people. Not in the rule book, but it's just my sorta way. So when they asked me if there was anyone in the park besides Jamie who I knew, worked with, I mentioned Sally, Lucas (who I remembered only as a flash leaving my room to meet Nora), The runner who was now in the shadow plane behind me that got the mage in the room scanning like a mad ferret which he had on his shoulder, and the sherif lady who I helped out a week or so ago. Layla.
That got me shuffled out of the room, down a dark corridor, into a brighter room. Where I waited.
{ooc: Sareth's out of it, sickly I mean, and Viking sensei's got a kid so he's not that active. Were it Graybeard.]
Over the course of an hour I'd been asked various questions, and I'd answered them as best I could. I wasn't about to deceive generally decent people. Not in the rule book, but it's just my sorta way. So when they asked me if there was anyone in the park besides Jamie who I knew, worked with, I mentioned Sally, Lucas (who I remembered only as a flash leaving my room to meet Nora), The runner who was now in the shadow plane behind me that got the mage in the room scanning like a mad ferret which he had on his shoulder, and the sherif lady who I helped out a week or so ago. Layla.
That got me shuffled out of the room, down a dark corridor, into a brighter room. Where I waited.
{ooc: Sareth's out of it, sickly I mean, and Viking sensei's got a kid so he's not that active. Were it Graybeard.]
"Now he's gone too far. NOONE ATTACKS AMERICA'S FOOD COURTS!" -Deadpool.
"Don't be so naive. I've got ulterior motives. MANY. Two, maybe three. Probably Four. I am one BIG ulterior motive." The Great Teacher, Onizuka Eikichi.
"Don't be so naive. I've got ulterior motives. MANY. Two, maybe three. Probably Four. I am one BIG ulterior motive." The Great Teacher, Onizuka Eikichi.
-
Sareth
- RPG All-Star
- Posts: 2604
- Joined: August 23rd, 2007, 8:54 pm
Re: Mountain(s) of Madness
[OOC: I am plague boy, destroyer of mesoamerican civilizations... Never the less, I'll try.]
I wandered the cell I'd been tossed into. After my bath I'd been given a simple gray smock that had the luxurious advantage of not smelling of 1000 skunks, marched to an interrogation room, and questioned at length. They'd primarily wanted to know two things, it seemed. What connection did I have with the body in the cart and what did I think I was doing down in restricted parts of the park? Well, the answer to the first question was simple enough. Nothing. Nothing whatsoever. The second was a lot trickier.
I attempted to explain about the note, about some sort of mysterious invisible group calling themselves the Nine telling me to go poking around and breaking things. When asked why in the world I'd actually attempt to follow those instructions I pointed out that some bizarre invisible time and space shifting punk had placed a letter right in my hand without me, a paranoid gunbunny knowing they were even there. Given a choice between Do It and Don't Do It, I figured Do It was less likely to get me murdered in my sleep. I don't think they were satisfied by this answer.
Present accommodations certainly reinforced that impression.
"Alright girl... think. Now what?"
I wandered the cell I'd been tossed into. After my bath I'd been given a simple gray smock that had the luxurious advantage of not smelling of 1000 skunks, marched to an interrogation room, and questioned at length. They'd primarily wanted to know two things, it seemed. What connection did I have with the body in the cart and what did I think I was doing down in restricted parts of the park? Well, the answer to the first question was simple enough. Nothing. Nothing whatsoever. The second was a lot trickier.
I attempted to explain about the note, about some sort of mysterious invisible group calling themselves the Nine telling me to go poking around and breaking things. When asked why in the world I'd actually attempt to follow those instructions I pointed out that some bizarre invisible time and space shifting punk had placed a letter right in my hand without me, a paranoid gunbunny knowing they were even there. Given a choice between Do It and Don't Do It, I figured Do It was less likely to get me murdered in my sleep. I don't think they were satisfied by this answer.
Present accommodations certainly reinforced that impression.
"Alright girl... think. Now what?"
-
Graybeard
- The Heretical Admin
- Posts: 7182
- Joined: August 20th, 2007, 8:26 am
- Location: Nuevo Mexico y Colorado, Estados Unidos
Re: Mountain(s) of Madness
[OOC:
Now that made Layla stop and think. She didn't know anything about "The Nine" or anybody associated with them, just as she'd said yesterday, when Galina asked a similar question. Furthermore, she didn't know of anyone at the park who'd be likely to know her name. In fact the only familiar faces she'd seen at all, other than Faye's and Zachary's, were the couple from the pass ... Ah.
"Let me guess," she said. "Rather beat-up-looking young man, maybe 20, carries a very unusual pack, probably with a slightly younger girlfriend?"
Galina nodded, with a faint smile. "And a rather pronounced odor of skunk. You know them?"
"Not really," Layla answered. "But they'd know my name, from an exchange we had during a foiled stagecoach robbery not too long ago. They were on the side of the good guys in that little encounter ... I think. It was an odd exchange."
"I can imagine, based on what he's been saying to the investigation. He called you the 'sheriff.' Where does he get that from?"
Layla pulled out the badge. "Deputy, actually, and yes, it's legit. You got me thinking, though. The boy is a powerful, and more than slightly weird, magic user. I saw some of it when we stopped the bandits, and got the distinct feeling that I was just seeing the tip of the iceberg. If this 'Nine' bunch is as magical as this guy, they'll pose very different issues than all the other organizations on your list." Galina nodded, and the women went back to studying the invitees.
Huh? /OOC...]AdamZero wrote:Were it Graybeard.
Now that made Layla stop and think. She didn't know anything about "The Nine" or anybody associated with them, just as she'd said yesterday, when Galina asked a similar question. Furthermore, she didn't know of anyone at the park who'd be likely to know her name. In fact the only familiar faces she'd seen at all, other than Faye's and Zachary's, were the couple from the pass ... Ah.
"Let me guess," she said. "Rather beat-up-looking young man, maybe 20, carries a very unusual pack, probably with a slightly younger girlfriend?"
Galina nodded, with a faint smile. "And a rather pronounced odor of skunk. You know them?"
"Not really," Layla answered. "But they'd know my name, from an exchange we had during a foiled stagecoach robbery not too long ago. They were on the side of the good guys in that little encounter ... I think. It was an odd exchange."
"I can imagine, based on what he's been saying to the investigation. He called you the 'sheriff.' Where does he get that from?"
Layla pulled out the badge. "Deputy, actually, and yes, it's legit. You got me thinking, though. The boy is a powerful, and more than slightly weird, magic user. I saw some of it when we stopped the bandits, and got the distinct feeling that I was just seeing the tip of the iceberg. If this 'Nine' bunch is as magical as this guy, they'll pose very different issues than all the other organizations on your list." Galina nodded, and the women went back to studying the invitees.
Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.
-
AdamZero
- Mage/Priest War Veteran
- Posts: 400
- Joined: August 15th, 2008, 5:04 am
- Location: Behind the guy on the left of the thing over there
Re: Mountain(s) of Madness
ooc: meant to say 'we're it as in 'we are it' as in we're the only ones, sides lucas. YEAH SARETH MAKE THEM POSTS!))
I sat in a pale room for a long while, I could tell there were people nearby, just outside a door, and behind a double mirror glass thing. I couldn't see anything but myself, but I guessed they could see me. Goodie.
"Wonder if I should put on a show~" I sighed. I calculated the odds and benefits of breaking out, causing an unholy mess, and turning the happiest place on earth into a rotting hellscape.
I could manage it, I'd die during the process but I could manage it.
Meh, not worth it and, totally not a good thing to do, at all. Right... Maybe I was off balance.
Honestly I had little idea on what to do or how to move this along. I wonder if the bosses were gonna do anything about it.
I sat in a pale room for a long while, I could tell there were people nearby, just outside a door, and behind a double mirror glass thing. I couldn't see anything but myself, but I guessed they could see me. Goodie.
"Wonder if I should put on a show~" I sighed. I calculated the odds and benefits of breaking out, causing an unholy mess, and turning the happiest place on earth into a rotting hellscape.
I could manage it, I'd die during the process but I could manage it.
Meh, not worth it and, totally not a good thing to do, at all. Right... Maybe I was off balance.
Honestly I had little idea on what to do or how to move this along. I wonder if the bosses were gonna do anything about it.
"Now he's gone too far. NOONE ATTACKS AMERICA'S FOOD COURTS!" -Deadpool.
"Don't be so naive. I've got ulterior motives. MANY. Two, maybe three. Probably Four. I am one BIG ulterior motive." The Great Teacher, Onizuka Eikichi.
"Don't be so naive. I've got ulterior motives. MANY. Two, maybe three. Probably Four. I am one BIG ulterior motive." The Great Teacher, Onizuka Eikichi.
-
Graybeard
- The Heretical Admin
- Posts: 7182
- Joined: August 20th, 2007, 8:26 am
- Location: Nuevo Mexico y Colorado, Estados Unidos
Re: Mountain(s) of Madness
"There's enough interest in getting that incursion into the tunnels resolved that we should maybe interrupt this," Galina said. "Let's go look at something. Faye, can you watch your grandbaby for a few minutes?" Faye didn't have to be asked twice, so Galina and Layla headed for the security center, talking about mommy-baby things on the way; whatever had caused Galina to put on her professional mask when the Nine came up, it had passed.
Once through the checkpoint and into the detention area (unusually large and well equipped for an amusement park, Layla noted), they headed for the viewing room on the other side of the one-way mirror, so that Layla could see where Marcus was being kept. She looked, looked again, nodded. "That's our boy. The first time I saw him was at that attempted stage robbery up on the pass. You heard about that?" Her ankle twinged with the memory of the incident; her conscience, despite the deaths of three Gewehr people, did not.
"Yeah," Galina said, "we got a report on it via chippy-net. The chipmunks tend to exaggerate these things, and we have to do a reality check sometimes, but what we heard matched with the investigation. The one part that was a little out there was that they said there was a troll in the area. I guess all of us just look like great big bipeds to a chipmunk."
Layla raised an eyebrow. "Actually, there was a troll up there on the ridge. We saw him when we were flying in. Surprised me too."
"Hmmm ... I'll have to report that. We don't want trolls around here, bad for business. The Farrelites are terrified of 'em. Anyway, if you say the guy in the cell is on the up and up, I'll authorize releasing him -- but we'll follow him out the gate, and we really do want to know more about this 'Nine' outfit." The women walked back toward the hotel.
Once through the checkpoint and into the detention area (unusually large and well equipped for an amusement park, Layla noted), they headed for the viewing room on the other side of the one-way mirror, so that Layla could see where Marcus was being kept. She looked, looked again, nodded. "That's our boy. The first time I saw him was at that attempted stage robbery up on the pass. You heard about that?" Her ankle twinged with the memory of the incident; her conscience, despite the deaths of three Gewehr people, did not.
"Yeah," Galina said, "we got a report on it via chippy-net. The chipmunks tend to exaggerate these things, and we have to do a reality check sometimes, but what we heard matched with the investigation. The one part that was a little out there was that they said there was a troll in the area. I guess all of us just look like great big bipeds to a chipmunk."
Layla raised an eyebrow. "Actually, there was a troll up there on the ridge. We saw him when we were flying in. Surprised me too."
"Hmmm ... I'll have to report that. We don't want trolls around here, bad for business. The Farrelites are terrified of 'em. Anyway, if you say the guy in the cell is on the up and up, I'll authorize releasing him -- but we'll follow him out the gate, and we really do want to know more about this 'Nine' outfit." The women walked back toward the hotel.
Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.
-
AdamZero
- Mage/Priest War Veteran
- Posts: 400
- Joined: August 15th, 2008, 5:04 am
- Location: Behind the guy on the left of the thing over there
Re: Mountain(s) of Madness
The door was open, there was a guard indicating I should leave, but until they told me Jamie was going too, I wasn't shuffling nor boogieing. A few calls were made, and they decided to let her off, but even as we made our way to our room through a well lit series of secret tunnels and elevators that put us only a few doors down from our place. A guard was already there, and I could tell that Lucas was nearby, and so was Sally... I closed my eyes and put the thought out of my head as I pulled in my Grey to keep Lucas from tweaking with it.
I closed the door behind us, cutting short the guard as he was telling us we'd be questioned later and forbidden to roam the park until further notice. Bastards.
Boris was still there. He'd set up an old wooden tower shield I picked up for kicks and started throwing daggers at Jamie's bear. None of them had touched the bear, which was tied with rope against the center of the shield, but there was a tight outline of daggers giving it little room to breath.
"Sup?" He asked, looking at us, then looking at the ceiling as Jamie did a rather fierce uppercut to the fool. She carefully removed her bear and went over to the bed, shooting a glare at Boris before laying down, hugging the bear.
I sighed and fell down onto the bed. How was I gonna blow up the damn thing now?
I closed the door behind us, cutting short the guard as he was telling us we'd be questioned later and forbidden to roam the park until further notice. Bastards.
Boris was still there. He'd set up an old wooden tower shield I picked up for kicks and started throwing daggers at Jamie's bear. None of them had touched the bear, which was tied with rope against the center of the shield, but there was a tight outline of daggers giving it little room to breath.
"Sup?" He asked, looking at us, then looking at the ceiling as Jamie did a rather fierce uppercut to the fool. She carefully removed her bear and went over to the bed, shooting a glare at Boris before laying down, hugging the bear.
I sighed and fell down onto the bed. How was I gonna blow up the damn thing now?
"Now he's gone too far. NOONE ATTACKS AMERICA'S FOOD COURTS!" -Deadpool.
"Don't be so naive. I've got ulterior motives. MANY. Two, maybe three. Probably Four. I am one BIG ulterior motive." The Great Teacher, Onizuka Eikichi.
"Don't be so naive. I've got ulterior motives. MANY. Two, maybe three. Probably Four. I am one BIG ulterior motive." The Great Teacher, Onizuka Eikichi.
-
Sareth
- RPG All-Star
- Posts: 2604
- Joined: August 23rd, 2007, 8:54 pm
Re: Mountain(s) of Madness
Irritated and uncaring, I stared up to the ceiling, pressing the bear tightly to my chest.
"That could have gone better." I stared, watching a small, innocent spider crawling across the expanse above me. "Now I need to steal my guns back as well as find out how to get in..." I trailed off. "No, fuck it. I just want my guns back and I'm leaving. That place is trouble. If I wanted to work that hard I'd get a real job." I threw an arm over my eyes. "This sucks."
"That could have gone better." I stared, watching a small, innocent spider crawling across the expanse above me. "Now I need to steal my guns back as well as find out how to get in..." I trailed off. "No, fuck it. I just want my guns back and I'm leaving. That place is trouble. If I wanted to work that hard I'd get a real job." I threw an arm over my eyes. "This sucks."