In Search of Sanity [IC, Group #2]

[lostsole31]

DAY 1

You regain consciousness in a grimy cell you don't recognize. You retain full memory of your dream, but no negative side effects. You have no equipment, and you are wearing the same off-white smocks and breeches as in your dream.

As you groggily awake, a voice cuts through. "Wake up, damn it!" a man on a table screams, his panic cutting through the claustrophobic near dark.

Bars separate you all from the stranger, a struggling human with split lips and skin covered in a mapwork of fresh red lines. Heavy ropes lash the man to a splintery worktable.

Another figure, unsettlingly thin and wearing a blood-smeared doctor’s coat, circles the table casually—stopping every so often to scrutinize one of the man’s wounds or select a different object from a sideboard of shiny blades. Currently, she spins one blade of a broken pair of pruning shears, which glints in the dull light of the lamp suspended overhead. With careless cruelty, the doctor draws the blade across the bound man’s bare thigh, releasing a tortured wail.

None of you recognize the man screaming on the table. As you further regain your bearings, you realize you also don't recognize anyone in the room, including the other PCs.

The smaller table next to the one upon which the victim is bound displays an array of sharp instruments, none designed for use on living flesh: a gardening trowel, forks, several long pieces of broken glass or metal, and the other blade of the tormentor’s shears. Additionally, heavily loaded sacks lie near the door to the east.

Everyone notices a set of keys dangling from a hook at the doctor's waist. In her pacing, she keeps well out of PCs' reach.

[MikelaC1]

With a speed born of her twitchy nature, one of the women backs into a corner, trying as best she can to keep her flanks covered. Who am I, and what am I doing here. A bow, she knew instinctively, she knew how to wield a bow. But none presented itself. Zarinda, my name is Zarinda, but nothing else

[stack]

Eric shakes the fog from his head. He sees the torture, it is obvious that there is no good being done here. A pressure builds in his head, a migraine threatening to split his skull. He screams, "STOP!"

spell point for hostile lift on the doctor (CL1 + 2 burning lore +2 overcharge boon) + powerful telekinesis talent to lift a medium object
burning lore backlash [roll0] 50 or lower 1 Con burn
fatigued from overcharge
Will DC 17 or lifted and slammed into the nearest bars, right by knuckles
[roll1] damage to doctor and bars

[pfm1995]

Slowly coming to amidst the screams, the man with no name but the tag around his neck mutters to himself. Counting. Counting and touching the bars of his cell.

"Two. Three. Five. Seven. Eleven. Seventeen. Nineteen..." He trails off at the other prisoner's exclamation, focusing, briefly, on the doctor and more firmly on the re-purposed tools. His eyes avoid the victim with practiced ease.

[digiman619]

Blood All Flair remembers is blood and pain and- "STOP!" The man yelling next to him snapped him back to reality. He quickly took note of his surroundings; the cell, the man on the crude operating table and the so-called doctor, but more importantly the keys at her belt. If I can get her close, I can get those keys If she gets within 10 feet from me, I can use my 1/day+5 reach and Martial Flexibility into Improved Grapple so I can nab the keys

[meemaas]

Haru wakes up dazed and confused, and immediately starts looking back on the dream. The details seem so strong and yet so vague, all at once. He moves to the bars and grabs at them, testing them, but groans as he can't get through by normal means. Watching the torture only bothers him more, and it finally gets to the point where he can't handle it anymore.

Remembering the dream, and what he did, he tries to call up the same power once more, until something snaps and he slides right through the bars, his body glowing like a massive light, while he stumbles to the other side. Once he stands back up straight, he turns to the Doctor and shouts angrily. "I'm gonna kill you you **** geezer!!!!"

Haru will place a glow on himself and activate it in the same action to use the Flicker talent. He will spend a spell point to continue it without concentration, but only because he's unsure how to control it.

[lostsole31]

R1T25: With a speed born of her twitchy nature, one of the women backs into a corner, trying as best she can to keep her flanks covered. Who am I, and what am I doing here? A bow, she knew instinctively, she knew how to wield a bow. But none presented itself. Zarinda, my name is Zarinda, but nothing else.

R1T24: Haru wakes up dazed and confused, and immediately starts looking back on the dream. The details seem so strong and yet so vague, all at once. He moves to the bars and grabs at them, testing them, but groans as he can't get through by normal means. Watching the torture only bothers him more, and it finally gets to the point where he can't handle it anymore.

Remembering the dream, and what he did, he tries to call up the same power once more, until something snaps and he bonks his head on the bars, and nothing seems to have happened. He stands back up straight, he turns to the Doctor and shouts angrily, fingers pointing from the other side of the bars and impotently shouts, "I'm gonna kill you, you **** geezer!!!!"

R1T23: Eric shakes the fog from his head. He sees the torture, it is obvious that there is no good being done here. A pressure builds in his head, a migraine threatening to split his skull. He screams, "STOP!"

Implements on the table rattle, but the doctor holds and roots herself as if something unseen acted on her.

R1T21: Slowly coming to amidst the screams, the man with no name but the embroidered patch on his chest mutters to himself. Counting. Counting and touching the bars of his cell.

"Two. Three. Five. Seven. Eleven. Seventeen. Nineteen..." He trails off at the other prisoner's exclamation, focusing, briefly, on the doctor and more firmly on the re-purposed tools. His eyes avoid the victim with practiced ease.

R1T14: Blood. All Flair remembers is blood and pain and- "STOP!" - The man yelling next to him snapped him back to reality.

He quickly took note of his surroundings; the cell, the man on the crude operating table and the so-called doctor, but more importantly the keys at her belt. If I can get her close, I can get those keys.

He has a flash of insight on grabbing and tries to press himself sideways at the shoulder and nearly dislocates it as he tries reaching for the doctor. He grabs onto the keys and there is a momentary tussle but she wrenches away and keeps the keys on her person.
Okay, let's break this down. First, attempting to take something off somebody is - if not a Sleight of Hand check - then a steal maneuver. Since that was the truth of what you wanted, even though you defined Martial Flexibility, etc., you conducted a Steal maneuver. There is an Improved Steal maneuver, but without Combat Expertise as the pre-req Martial Flexibility would do you no good. Well, at least not until you can use 2 at a time, that is.

So, the Steal combat maneuver (w/o any martial flexibility) was conducted. Btw, this is not a meta-thing, so I do encourage you to roll your own dice for combat. Still, the doctor has not gone this round and is flat-footed so no AOO. You rolled a 15, with a +2 for CMB for a total of 17. Even then, it was not enough to overcome the doctor's FCMD. However, getting a CMB result of 17 is pretty damn good, so it should tell you something; if nothing else, it seemed like she was fantastically strong despite what you would expect from her size. (Well, at least "fantastically" compared to you.)
Flair has to withdraw his arm immediately or risk injury, and it does hurt as it is.

R1T11: Knuckles, what do you do? The doctor - right now - is actually between the table of implements and the slab, but Zarinda moved so you could move farther west (left) to get a visual on the doctor.

[lostsole31]

R1T3: The doctor spins on Flair and hisses "Quiet!" as her face momentarily ... changes, to look like that of the man that tried to grab the keys ... before it changes back. She turns to go back to her bloody work, but when she turned the bloodied man on the table used his blood-soaked bindings to slip out a leg and he manages to kick her just as she turns back to him and his foot catches her in the cheek and chin for 5 NL. As her arms flail from what is actually a pretty solid kick, her right arm knocks the keys - previously loosened by the botched steal attempt (Flair) - off of her belt and in reach of Flair's cell (he or Eric can grab them). The doctor, infuriated and seemingly oblivious to her crucial loss, launches on the man on the table to stab him deep with the shears. He gives a terrifying yell of pain and it's hard to tell if he is dead and twitching or moving semi-consciously.

End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T25: Zarinda, what do you do?

Haru on deck, Eric (fatigued) in the hole, Knuckles delaying ... feel free to post as well.

[MikelaC1]

No one tells Zarinda to be quiet, especially someone who has clearly confined her. She starts shouting at the 'doctor'...serving not only to express her displeasure at being confined but also potentially distracting her from noticing if Flair or Eric make a grab for the keys.

[lostsole31]

R2T25: No one tells Zarinda to be quiet, especially someone who has clearly confined her. She starts shouting at the 'doctor'...serving not only to express her displeasure at being confined but also potentially distracting her from noticing if either of the two men near the keys grab for them.

R2T24: Haru, what do you do?

Eric (fatigued) on deck, Patient 601 in the hole, Knuckles delaying ... feel free to post.

[meemaas]

Haru growls as she ignores him, and yells out once more. "Are you just going to ignore me!!!!!?" He tries again, lighting his body up this time for only a moment as he lunges through the cell bars once more, his body bright this time only for a moment, his focus not strong enough to manage it any further.

Second verse, same as the first. Cast Glow on myself, then in the same action use Flicker to move through the bars, maintaining it with concentration until I'm on the other side of the bars.

[lostsole31]

R2T24: Haru growls as she ignores him, and yells out once more. "Are you just going to ignore me!!!!!?"

He tries again, lighting his body up this time for only a moment as he lunges through the cell bars once more, his body bright this time only for a moment, his focus not strong enough to manage it any further. But at least, this time, he is now outside of his cell.

She doesn't pay attention to him, totally focused as she is on her task of murder.

R2T23: Eric (fatigued), what do you do?

Patient 601 on deck, Flair in the hole, Knuckles delaying (feel free to post) ...

[stack]

Eric pushes against the bars in frustration, eyes attempting to bore holes in the maniac with the shears. People speak of glaring daggers, Eric's look appears more...potent. A short-bladed sword appears in the air and plunges toward the 'doctor'.
move to summon bound weapon adjacent to the doctor, burning lore to boost CL to 3 to be able to lift it [roll0] (low bad)
attack w/ bludgeon [roll1]
damage [roll2]
concentration on the lift to keep the weapon floating

[lostsole31]

R2T23: Eric pushes against the bars in frustration, eyes attempting to bore holes in the maniac with the shears. People speak of glaring daggers, Eric's look appears more...potent. A short-bladed sword appears in the air and plunges toward the 'doctor' but misses. The keys still lie next to the bars of his cell.
Why did you say "attack with bludgeon" when you attacked with the sword?
R2T21: Patient 601, what do you do?

Unknown woman (who technically is delaying) on deck, Flair in the hole (feel free to post). Remember, the keys are on the floor right next to the bars of your [Flair/ Eric] cell ...

[pfm1995]

Eyes now shifting rapidly from corner to corner, the man with no name gathers what little power he can from the angles and intersections of the room itself. Holding up his hand, his eyes settle on the key.

Casting Mage Hand to levitate the key towards me
DC 20 Concentration check to cast without implement: [roll0]

[lostsole31]

R2T21: Eyes now shifting rapidly from corner to corner, the man with no name gathers what little power he can from the angles of the room itself. Holding up his hand, his eyes settle on the key, and they lift up a few inches off the ground ... seemingly responsive to his power!

R2T14: Flair, the keys just lifted about three inches off the ground ... and other impossibilities are occuring all around: glowing, scarred creatures walking through prison bars; swords appearing and swing about. Yup. Reality has taken a holiday. What do you do?

Knuckles (delaying) on deck, bloody man in the hole (unless he's been taken out of the running, in which case the doctor is next) ...

[digiman619]

Flair stats cursing in Abyssal, his recently hyperextended shoulder throbbing. After taking a deep breath, he starts slamming the cell door, screaming, I'm going to knock this door off its hinges and rip your head off your body!
Using Martial Flexibility to get Dazzling Display (remember, I have Weapon Focus(unarmed strikes)). I then attempt to demoralize the doctor.
Intimidate check: [roll0]
It's pretty much all I can do at this point.

EDIT: Well, ****. I'm just going to assume the doctor is sure the door will hold.

[lostsole31]

R2T14: Flair stats cursing in Abyssal, his recently hyperextended shoulder throbbing. After taking a deep breath, he starts slamming the cell door, screaming, "I'm going to knock this door off its hinges and rip your head off your body!"
Dazzling Display is just that ... a dazzling display. Shaking bars and yelling is not a show of your unarmed prowess. Some type of spinning kata, shadowboxing, or something like that would fit the bill. Either way, it was as fail as fail could be.
The doctor doesn't even seem to register that Flair was making noise, let alone noting what he said.

R2T11: The burly woman (Knuckles) reaches out in anger - her arm obviously and woefully too far away - but from her anger a green dot of light comes forth from her hand and hits the doctor right at her tailbone with a crit for 14 acid!

R2T3.1: As the doctor wheels around in pain, the man has just enough energy to push-kick her against the bars to the women's cell several feet away. The effort seems to be too much for him and he slumps, possibly dying from his wounds.

R2T3.05: The female towards the back of the cell has all she needed and runs forth and reaches through the bars across the doctor's throat and her hand coming mostly back while her left hand reaches and then clasps at the woman to try and keep her at the cell.

R2T3: The doctor thrashes at the bars to try and break free of the bar-reinforced choke hold.

End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T25: Zarinda, the front-of-the cell is now crowded as two stronger-looking woman than yourself are there - the one who seemed to fire some type of acid ray, and the one currently grabbing the doctor in a sleeper hold through the bars. What do you do?

R3T24: Haru, what do you do? You are adjacent to the man (though a 5' step is better positioning if you want to do something for him). He is dead, dying, or unconscious. You are 20' from the doctor who is against the bars of the far cell in a neck hold.

Eric on deck, Patient-601 in the hole ...

[meemaas]

Haru lunges over to the doctor, held in the sleeper hold by one of the other prisoners, and shoves a fist into her stomach. To his surprise, his hand has become cold while he strikes, but the energy and the feeling dissipates the moment he moves back from the strike.

Move action: Move to the grappled doctor
Standard action: Energy Blade, punching her in the gut.

Attack roll [roll0]
Damage [roll1] + [roll2] Frost damage. DC 16 Fort save to avoid being staggered.

[lostsole31]

R3T24: Haru lunges over to the doctor, held in the sleeper hold by one of the other prisoners, and shoves a fist into her stomach (4 + 6 cold). To his surprise, his hand has become cold while he strikes, but the energy and the feeling dissipates the moment he moves back from the strike.

R3T23: Eric, you have TK control of your summoned short sword and you are fatigued. The keys are floating three inches off the deck right near your feet. What do you do?

601 on deck, Flair in the hole ...

[MikelaC1]

If she had some sort of weapon, even an improvised one, Zarinda could lend a hand to dealing with the doctor but it seems they have her under control and lets them continue

[stack]

Eric stands dumbfounded for a moment, the sword faltering as he realizes he can FEEL it, across the room. He tries to gather his wits and swing it again.attack w/ bludgeon [roll0]
damage [roll1]

the usage of the telekinesis sphere for attacking with a lifted object is called 'bludgeon', so I am listing that to keep it clear how he is attacking

[pfm1995]

Eyes not shifting from the key, the man makes as if to pull on a tether and the key glides towards him. Grabbing it, he reaches up to unlock the door of his cage.

[lostsole31]

If she had some sort of weapon, even an improvised one, Zarinda could lend a hand to dealing with the doctor but it seems they have her under control and lets them continue.

R3T23: Eric stands dumbfounded for a moment, the sword faltering as he realizes he can FEEL it, across the room. He tries to gather his wits and swing it again. He has no memory of doing anything like this and as such as no sense of what it takes to do a task. With a little bit of oomph, the sword vastly overshoots its mark to smash against a far stone wall and shatter. The pieces hang there in midair briefly and then disintegrate into the air.

R3T21: Eyes not shifting from the key, the man makes as if to pull on a tether and the key glides towards him. Grabbing it, he reaches up to unlock the door of his cage. His cell is now unlocked and he has keys in hand.

R3T14: Flair, what do you do?

Knuckles on deck, woman doing the grabbing in the hole ...

[digiman619]

Surprised by the goings on outside his cell, Flair takes a breath, watching the action intently.
Delaying; short of randomly attacking my cell-mate, there's nothing I can do right now.

[lostsole31]

R3T14: Surprised by the goings on outside his cell, Flair takes a breath, watching the action intently.

R3T11: Knuckles, a woman is holding the doctor around the neck right at your cell. Her keys are not on her belt anymore. What do you do?

Grappling woman on deck, doctor in the hole ...

[lostsole31]

R3T11: The woman that fired the blast of acid gives two punches through the bars into the doctor's kidney areas, though only the second one really landed. The puncher is just under five-and-a-half-feet tall, but she is stocky and her punch does 6 (lethal) damage.

R3T3.05: In the meantime, the woman performing the hold tries to use the bars to give her extra leverage to really apply pressure and does 4 NL (min, seems she's pretty strong herself) to the doctor.

R3T3: The doctor drops the half-shears and really struggles to get out of the hold as she is gasping for air and having trouble breathing now. In this effort, her body transforms - but not in a manner that gets her out of the hold. What remains is a gray-skinned humanoid with noseless, mouthless face and truly inhuman eyes. It is a terrifying alien in that its featurelessness and spindly limbs are a mockery of yourselves. Even the clothes she was wearing are gone, either assumed into this form; or having been "constructed" from whatever allows this creature to shapeshift.I am sure you know what it is, but none of your characters do. Don't spoiler IC or OOC. And, yes, that is including the reroll aspect of Haru's Spiritualism ability.
End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T24: Haru, creepy, grappled alien in front of you. What do you do?

Eric (fatigued) on deck, 601 in the hole, Zarinda and Flair delaying ...

[meemaas]

Haru recoils in surprise, but grits his teeth and slams his fist into the creatures gut once more.

Second Verse, same as the first. Standard action: Energy Blade (Frost Blast)

Attack roll [roll0]
Damage [roll1] + [roll2] Frost damage DC 16 Fort save or staggered for one round.

[lostsole31]

R4T24: Haru recoils in surprise, but grits his teeth and goes to slam his fist into the creature's gut. But first, he again tries to bring forth more cold and that was his mistake. The thing is ready for him this time and throws a claw right into his chest for 12 (max) and the bizarre-looking humanoid with scarred features (that's Haru, not "the Asian youth" anymore) screams and falls to the ground, dead or unconscious.

R4T23: Eric, what do you do?

Patient 601 on deck, Flair in the hole (and delaying), with Zarinda delaying as well.

[stack]

Eric stares atthe sword that disappeared as quickly as it came. He looks back to the 'doctor' and glares. A dagger appears and plunges toward its target.
move for summon equipment, MW dagger, lift as part of the summon, using per the bludgeon option to attack the doctor
[roll0]
damage [roll1]

[pfm1995]

How strange can strange things be before your brain just accepts them as is? the man idly wonders, as he takes advantage of the creature's predicament to open the other cage.

Unlocking Flair and Erik's cell.

[digiman619]

After thanking the man who unlocked his door, Flair exits his cell and prepares to engage the doctor.
I move out of the cell and Martial Flexibility into Improved Grapple

I really hope I don't waste all of it at once

[lostsole31]

R4T24: Haru recoils in surprise, but grits his teeth and goes to slam his fist into the creature's gut for 4 + 5 cold and she reels from the cold.

R4T23: Eric stares at the sword that disappeared as quickly as it came. He looks back to the 'doctor' and glares. A dagger appears and plunges toward its target, sinking into its upper left arm with enough force (7) to cause her/it to slump in the grappler's hold.

R4T21: How strange can strange things be before your brain just accepts them as is? the man idly wonders, as he takes advantage of the creature's predicament to open the other cage.

R4T14: After thanking the man who unlocked his door, Flair exits his cell and prepares to engage the doctor. However, she seems to be unconscious so he keeps his mind clear and adaptable.Read: I did not make you expend martial flexibility for this.
R4T11-3: The powerhouse woman tells the other woman to "bring her down, keep ahold of her, bring her down..." The grappling woman does so, and then the burly, black-haired woman reaches through the bars - each side of the head, grabs ahold, and then yanks. The creature's neck makes a sickening, snap-popping sound ... it sounds like someone grabbing several stalks of celery and then twisting for that wet, snapping crunch.

End Round 4, Begin Round 5 ...

Combat appears to be over.

Eric, what do you do?

[stack]

Eric sees the 'doctor' go down. The floating blade drops to the floor. "What is...why...I...what?"

"Okay, uhm, the man on the table? He...is he still alive? Also, those keys, lets open the cells. And also, DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON?"

[lostsole31]

Okay, folks. Give me a general plan of what your characters do.

[digiman619]

After commenting that he missed all the action, Flair will inspect the remains of the 'doctor'

[MikelaC1]

Zarinda comes forward to rattle the bars of her cell...Hey, let us out, theres safety in numbers.

[lostsole31]

The woman who grappled the doctor stands back from the cell to allow the door to open freely should it be unlocked. "Does anyone know first aid? That man on the table is in trouble."

[stack]

Free from the cell, Eric crosses over to the man on the table. "Uh...that does not look good. Anyone here a doctor? No? Well..." He studies the wounds for a moment, then places a hand on the man's forehead to check for fever. A burst of light and strange tingling erupt from his hand, which he immediately draws back, stepping away from the table. "I don'tknowthatwasn'tmeseriouslywhatsgoingonehere!"

life sphere cure [roll0], 1 SP

[Genth]

'Knuckles' frowns for a moment, looking down at her hands and then down at the 'doctor'.

"Huh." is all she says before looking upwards to Eric and gesturing towards the door. She takes a step back, now looking at the finger which moments ago, had been spitting acid like some kind of snake.

[lostsole31]

What color is that?
The energy that Eric deposits into the man doesn't seem to have anything at first. Then, Eric does notice that he stopped bleeding and the first thought is that he died. A second later, tenuous bits of flesh send tiny tendrils across wounds to knit together the barest bit of something, and then a little more. Some of the man's wounds are knit, but only a tiny bit given the overall trauma, and he is still unconscious. Then, as if to give the faintest bit of assurance, there is the slightest chest rise-fall of slow breathing.

[pfm1995]

Now that the fighting is over, the nameless man moves more fluidly and his eyes no longer alternately dart and focus strangely. He quickly moves to unlock the other cage.

[meemaas]

Seeing as the subject of his rage has died, Haru starts searching the room. He doesn't speak, but methodically starts looking through anything that might contain something he can't see.

[stack]

Eric watches as the man heals and breathes. He comes back and looks at the wounds, keeping his hands to himself. "Talkative bunch you all are." heal to assess his condition, take 10 for 15

[pfm1995]

"I don't have answers to your questions. I don't know what questions to ask..."

He trails off, looking down at the man and his closing wounds.

"I did something wrong, but I don't know if this is my punishment or just... normal. Is this strange?"

[stack]

"If I could remember anything I would tell you. Rather hoped that someone else could catch me up to speed."

[digiman619]

This is fascinating, but does anyone have any idea what this thing was? How could it look like a normal person?

[MikelaC1]

Clearly becoming extremely agitated, the red headed woman starts shouting. Who are all of you and what have you done to me? Why can I not remember who I am and how I got here?

[Genth]

Knuckles moves out from the cell, keeping to the wall as she looks over the others with a wary eye. "How could I fling acid from my fingertips?" she replies, looking over at Flair. Looking worried.

[lostsole31]

Haru, having already had a mind to explore, is drawn to the several sacks by the door.

Those who wish to study the body of the ersatz doctor may. What it is/was is unknown to all, but any scientists/naturalists/curious amongst you still might find value in studying its cadaver for academic purposes.

Assume everyone is now free-roaming out of their cells.

The woman that grappled the doctor answers the redheaded woman. "My name is Jacqueline with a 'q', but I prefer to be called Jacqui. That much I remember."

She is 5'10", ~130 lbs., athletic build. As she steps out of her cell to where the wan lighting is a little better you see that she is quite pretty, but not "model" beauty like the redhead. She is possessed more of that next-door charm, the vivacious farmer's daughter type with a healthy smile and bright green eyes. And hair that is blond, but seems to have some type of cosmetic dye job to have green tips on her hair. "On my honour, I have no idea what all this is aboot."

[digiman619]

After inspecting the body, Flair starts to check on the man on the table.

[lostsole31]

At 6'4", Flair is the tallest sack of water in the room. That said, the man on the table seems to be the same height. He is muscular and lean, though not without a little bit of thickness, and probably weighing 10-15 pounds less than Flair himself. Then again, Flair isn't burly, being of undefined muscle. The man has thick, black curly hair and beard, and his face, upper neck, and hands are reminiscent of someone who has spent years in the sun. He has a broad nose and he is beginning to bald up top. Flair figures he is in his early 30s or so. How he has managed to survive what has happened to him is unknown.

Haru, over by the door to the east are nine sacks. No doubt, others are drawn to follow and investigate as well. Each of the worn, poor quality sacks have markings on them - writing, pictures, or a combination of both - all crudely charcoaled in. They are as follows:

The smallest sack with a type of broken block-lettering formally defining it as "Property of R.C.M.P." and this symbol upon it...
http://www.freestencilgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Chess-Piece-Bishop.jpg
The next sack has a picture of a tree with a smiling face on it. Next to it is a type of broken block-lettering formally defining it as "Property of R.C.M.P."

The third sack has a belt buckle used to cinch up the sack's drawstrings on the outside.
http://thmb.inkfrog.com/rsz.php?username=hippo&gap=0&size=800&image=BU2055_(1).jpg
The fourth sack is different from all of the others. It is made of a bizarre, olive green material that is long and wide It has stenciling that states the following: "Tsuyoshi, Haru........038050 ...... U.S.N." There is a strange, beaded necklace around several times with an odd metal clasp going through metal grommets sewn into the end of this long sack, with two thin flaps of stamped metal in an oblong-almost-circular shape. Both stamps have the same message, and in all ways appear like duplicates:
TSUYOSHI
HARU H.
038050 B
TET - 3/39
TYPE +O
USN


The fifth sack has a turtle symbol that was actually given great care in its design more than any other sack.
https://mommymystic.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/turtle-mother-earth.jpg
And then, the sixth sack has a brand, not a stencil that is more complex than the turtle, but with less artistry.
http://www.independentageassessment.co.uk/images/royalcourtsofjustice.gif
The symbol on the seventh sack is just creepy...
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/d5/34/30/d534303b7530bc073c954017ec5bee3f.jpg
Then there's an initimidating mark on the eighth sack...
http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/gallery/album_9161/sml_gallery_74472_9161_1094.gif
And finally, the ninth sack ...
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q755/lostsole31/Jacques%20Gaston_zpsununjhhs.png

[stack]

Apparently not learning anything from the man's wounds, Eric inspects the 'doctor' to see if there is anything unusual (or if there is anything lootable in pockets).

[meemaas]

Haru grabs the bag that has his name and speaks quietly. "Haru. That's my name. I know that much. But what is this?" He studies the necklace very closely, trying to figure out what it is, before he calls over to the rest. "Check these bags. Do any of you recognize these symbols?"

[MikelaC1]

Just dump all the contents out...if there is a bow, I know that's my weapon of choice.

[lostsole31]

Apparently not learning anything from the man's wounds, Eric inspects the 'doctor' to see if there is anything unusual (or if there is anything lootable in pockets).
She/ it - has nothing in her "costume" pockets. Anything that she had on her table (see previous post) could be taken as an improvised weapon, but that's not an issue for Eric. In several rounds, btw, his dagger will go away if he doesn't release it beforehand.

Haru grabs the bag that has his name and speaks quietly. "Haru. That's my name. I know that much. But what is this?" He studies the necklace very closely, trying to figure out what it is, before he calls over to the rest. "Check these bags. Do any of you recognize these symbols?"
It seems like some type of identification necklace. (Dog tags and a seabag, shipmate.)

Just dump all the contents out...if there is a bow, I know that's my weapon of choice.
"A bow is something something any of the rest of us might know how to use, as well," Jacqui says. "If we dump the contents out, that's fine, but we should still keep them in separate piles. If we have an obvious name attached to one, I am guessing these things might belong to each of us."

Flair, seeing these strange symbols, you get to the last sack and it looks fami---

You awaken with the folks standing around you. Flair saw that bag, seemed overwhelmed, and fainted. He was only out for about 30 seconds.
Seeing the symbol of Jacques Gaston was overwhelming. Not only did every ounce of knowledge involving binding him hit you, but so did what the full panoply of your Knowledge-base. Sadly, that Knowledge base is not inclusive of who you are, who you were, where you are, nor why you are here.
As far as the other sacks ...
The man with no name and "601" on his shirt, Zarinda, and Jacqui recognize that it is a symbol for a playing piece from some board game.
Eric, Flair, & Haru recognize that the symbol is the bishop playing piece from a game called "chess."
No one knows what the meaning of "R.C.M.P." is.
Flair, Haru, and P601: The smiling tree motif is common in pagan cultures, especially of Europe, as a function of nature worship.
Flair: This particular symbol (which the DM couldn't find) is not just a function of pagan worship in Europe, but is believed to be favored by those who believed they could commune with trees. "The Church" - whomever or whatever specifically that might be, you're having trouble remembering - hunted these heretics to possible extinction. However, a group from France was believed to have escaped to the New World, and this is similar to that particular group.
All: A "sheriff" is a law enforcement term, and many law officers wear or carry badges of rank to signify their authority.
Though a six-pointed star, especially as a badge of office, wouldn't be enough, the particular make of this very specific six-pointed star fronts as a sheriff's badge, but is actually a disguised holy symbol for someone who is (assuming the wearer knows what (s)he wears) a practitioner of "Judaism" - a type of monotheistic religion.Flair: You have a sense you are either part of a religion or know a lot about another, competing monotheistic religion that has been at odds with this one, though whatever you dealt with .... again, "The Church" ... have a vastly more dominant position. You are not sure what your previous position in all of this was."Huh," says Jacqui, looking at the buckle - for it seems that what it is, even though most of this type of thing would be a little smaller and be pinned to one's tunic - smiles, "Old West replica sheriff's buckle from the U.S. Someone fancies themselves a cowboy."

For Haru to actually get the necklace, he has to unhook something. There is a very thick (but small) piece of fabric extending from near top of the long bag that has a type of hook; there is a thinner but somewhat flexible piece of metal that can be pushed away from the hook and then released to allow it to close. This is what is hooked through the grommets of the bag to close it, and then the smaller metal springs back to help keep the hook closed, and therefore the bag closed. Haru has to press back on that smaller metal flap to extricate the necklace that was also enclosed by the hook, but done in such a way that Haru also has to unhook the grommets and open the bag altogether. Just fitting inside this bag is a type of multi-compartmented pack on a metal frame. There is the sound of jingling metal and what might be a few pieces of wood inside that bag.

Sack #5 ... Jacqui says, "It looks like a common animal symbol from one of the First Nations, but not one I'm familiar with."
Haru seems to have a sense of having studied savage peoples, and this is a savage totem. Though he has a sense that "natives" of the coastal region most likely have turtles, this particular one seems related to the Delaware tribes, specifically a group known as the Unami Tribe. One of the principal divisions of the Delaware (https://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/delaware-tribe.htm), formerly occupying the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River, from the junction of the Lehigh southward about the Delaware line. According to Brinton, many of the New Jersey Delaware were Unami who had crossed the Delaware to escape the inroads of the Conestoga (https://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/conestoga-tribe.htm), and Ruttenber classes with this division the Navasink, Raritan, Hackensack, Aquakanonk, Tappan and Haverstraw, of northern New Jersey. The Unami held precedence over the other Delaware. Their totem was the turtle (pakoango). According to Morgan, they were one of the three gentes of the Delaware, while Brinton says the turtle was merely the symbol of a geographic division.


The Unami have sometimes been called the Turtle tribe of the Delaware.


Symbolism ...
The turtle symbolism is characterized by the association with the Earth and earth symbols ofgroundedness and patience:



Symbol of the world, of the Earth
Ability to stay grounded, even in moments of disturbances and chaos
Slowing down, pacing yourself
Determination, persistence
Emotional strength and understanding
Ancient wisdom

The turtle is also linked to the spirit of the water and the fluid nature of emotions.


Though there are people of possibly VERY strange heritage here ... particularly the man with the embroidered 601 patch, who seems like he is from the Middle East at first, were it not for skin the color of darker ash and ears that are long and obviously not right (think Vulcan length) ... there is only one person in this room that fits the physical characteristics by cheek bones, skull structure, and body type, and that is the woman who surprised herself by shooting acid from her finger and then snapped the neck of the doctor.

By the way, "First Nations" is a term a "Canadian" would use, and doesn't seem right for you, for all the good that does in knowing that. Your idiomatic sense of what to call such a person is an "Indian," as a result of the confusion of Christopher Columbus had in thinking he had found the East Indies but found the "New World" instead. You have a sense that you are from the "New World," but that you are from a time a hundred years after the founding of the same.
Sack #6 ... Patient 601 and Jacqui can both read the writing of the seal just fine, and she translates:
"Dieu et mon droit" = God at my right.
"Mon soit qui mal y pense" = Shame upon him who thinks evil of it.
Eric, you know what the words on the seal mean, and you do know that it is French, but only because you "know" this. You don't have a sense of actually speaking the language, merely that you are familiar with the seal. You know it is the coat-of-arms for the "Royal Courts of Justice" ... some type of legal body.
Sack #7 ... This seems to be a stylized version of an Egyptian symbol known as an "ankh," often seen as a symbol for life. What's odd is that it is a dark take on this and crows are usually seen as a symbol of impending death or doom.
Patient-601 ... you may not know your identity, but this is DEFINITELY your bag. You feel an incredible kindship with this symbol, and you are reminded of all class abilities and class-specific knowledges. This is the symbol of a group of ravenlords that specialize in occult knowledge.
Sack #8 ... nobody has a clue. It carries a smell of something that had been burnt mixed with the faint smell of sulfur.

Sack #9 ... only Flair understands the symbol (vastly, and in depth), and he knows that this sack must be for him.

[stack]

Eric leaves the corpse and helps with the bags. "Seal of the Royal Courts of Justice...not sure how I know that. May as well open it." The dagger disappears, unnoticed as Eric's tired hands open the bag.

[lostsole31]

Eric, inside the rumpled sap is another bag, a set of clothes, and a dagger in a sheath. There are more than a score loose gold coins of sometimes sloshing around the bottom of the bag. Within the backpack seem to be all kind of odd knicknacks ... a tea service, gentleman's shaving kit (mug, lather, brush), and a whole lot of writing implements of various types (basically, your normal effects).

The clothes are strange. There is a white, button-down shirt, but a type of white dikkie with wide "lapels." There is a sort of a light, black cloak that definitely seems more ceremonial than effective at guarding against the elements. Black pants, to which there are black suspenders attached. Black shoes - Oxfords - polished to a high shine. And something else ... a wig. The wig could not possibly be a wig one would use as a disguise, and doesn't even look like it would make you "handsome." It's grayish-white and is something that unlike many wigs would have the effect of making you - someone in their early 20s - look significantly older. With all of this silliness - the costume, the grooming kit, the stationary, the tea service - you have not been given much that seems particularly useful in these more desperate times. :smallfrown:
You now have all of your equipment, plus one sack.

[meemaas]

Haru takes his time slowly unhooking the pieces while absentmindedly answering what he knows about any given symbol, now that he's had time to think about them and draw upon memories and knowledge he knows he shouldn't have.

[pfm1995]

"This one... I know this symbol." A single long finger reaches out to tap it. "Safety."

Taking the bag off the hook, he opens it and peers inside.

[lostsole31]

Before Haru gets too far along things, there is an elephant in the room that needs to be addressed. See, now that the hyper adrenaline everyone had is dying down, there are certain individuals that are "not right."

Haru notes it himself when he actually notices his hands as he deftly works on unhooking everything. His hands are not what he expected to see (i.e., the hands of an adult Asian(-American) man).
Okay, before you go ... "I have a tail" and try to leave it at that, no. A tiefling is indefatigably NON-human in appearance. It is not a "diet demon" or "human-light" ... you are a bloody tiefling, of course you don't know that. In fact, you can't see your face, but still, describe what makes your tiefling most DEFINITELY NOT HUMAN other than ... a tail.

Then, to that, add the fact that you are terribly scarred. Your hands that you see (which will include your face, arms, and whatever other part of you) look like you have suffered crippling third-degree burns and yet you feel no pain and are oddly far more adroit than you remember).
Also, the man with "601" on a patch on his tunic is definitely NOT human. Oh, he might pass for it for all basic features except decidedly pointed ears that are definitely specific in nature and not mistakable with some type of birth defect. His skin is dark, but not any shade of brown consistent with his Middle Eastern features, and not even mistakable for African in descent. It is a shade that you have just never seen on a person.
Describe your character. Obviously, Middle Eastern, but there is no hiding or passing off either the half-elven side, nor the drow ancestry of it. You don't have matte black skin like a drow ... but define hue as well.

[meemaas]

In poor lighting, while not looking very closely, probably with bad vision, Haru could possibly pass as a human. If not for the bright red skin, the moving spiked tail that he hasn't even noticed yet, the sharp claws, the blood red eyes, missing even a pupil, or the misshapen feet, as though they were actually hooves, but without touching them, there's no way to be sure.

Of course, he hasn't noticed all of this, although he is surprised to find his hands red and his nails reminiscent of claws, he's far too focus on opening his bag to think about it right this moment.

Whether or not this is standard fare for a Tiefling, it's how I'm envisioning him as a Tiefling.

[lostsole31]

Congratulations, you are the proud new owner of an incredibly high-quality backpack, a set of nunchaku, and 18 gold.

[Genth]

Knuckles looks over the sacks even as the other members of the group find trinkets and belongings of theirs, and her face sags, just slightly. She places her left hand on her right bicep, hugging herself gently as she moves a little closer.

"I.. I don't really recognize any of it."

She looks down at her hands again, still frowning. "Not that I seem to need anything to hurt people..."

[digiman619]

Flair takes a sudden inhalation and almost falls over; suddenly he remembers incredible amounts of information: The significance of wolfsbane, what weapons were based off farming equipment, the effects of the Positive Energy Plane on mortal beings that go there, the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow, but most importantly the importance of the seal on the bag. Unfortunately, in all the things he now remembers, the most important questions of "Who am I?" and "What am I doing here?" remain unanswered.

After he regains his bearings, he grabs his bag and opens it. Finding the chalk he knows is there, he heads out of sight and begins to draw, in chalk on the ground, an identical seal to the one on his bag. he then begins to whisper "Jacques Gaston,Jacques Gaston, Jacques Gaston..."
I get as out of sight as possible, and then I bind Jacques' spirit.

[pfm1995]

Noticing his hand seemed to have some black sand on it, the man moved to brush it off. Then again. Then again, more frantically, rubbing his hands and then his arms and then stopping suddenly and staring, mouth agape. "Was I... tattooed?" Looking for answers, he opened the bag.

The man's skin is a soft grey, like graphite or black sand. His hair is a much sharper black and is extremely curly - his beard shows signs of having been tightly trimmed at some point, his hair is a greasy rat's-nest. His ears are pierced, and his hands are spiderlike and heavily calloused.

[MikelaC1]

Impatiently, the red haired woman dumps open the 8th sack, checking to see what lies within.

[stack]

Eric shakes his head as he looks through his gear. He dons the more useful looking clothes, leaving the wig in the bag, and sticks the knife in his belt. "Ridiculous costume, I have to say. I don't suppose anyone else has anything more useful?" His eyes linger on the stranger looking members of the group, but holds his tongue.

[lostsole31]

I get as out of sight as possible, and then I bind Jacques' spirit.
From where the cells are, and the center "operating table" upon which the comatose man still lays, to the opposite side of the room of the doors and sacks the room opens up, especially looking to the left. To the right is a table and a couple empty barrels. Straight ahead is an alcove filled with rubble and no apparent egress. The left opens up into another subsection.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q755/lostsole31/Group%202%20Furnace%20Room%20Map_zpsrpze53fc.png
Of that metal section around the corner ... A cold, iron furnace hunkers in the corner of the basement, its four-foot-square door gaping half open. Nearby sprawls a heap of gory clothes and other dubiously flammable trash. This space back here is where Flair begins his business ...

Noticing his hand seemed to have some black sand on it, the man moved to brush it off. Then again. Then again, more frantically, rubbing his hands and then his arms and then stopping suddenly and staring, mouth agape. "Was I... tattooed?" Looking for answers, he opened the bag.
Within are the tools of a warrior: an armored coat, scimitar, and jambiya (https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=jambiya+image&fr=yhs-mozilla-004&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-004&imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.medievalcollectibles.com%2 Fimages%2FPRODUCT%2Flarge%2F402118_2_.png#id=6&iurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.outfit4events.com%2Fruntime% 2Fcache%2Fimages%2FproductFull%2F120238.jpg&action=click). Then there is garb (as per your picture) - desert tunic & jerkin, short turban, breeches, slippers, etc. A pouch of gold with some threescore gold. And all sorts of loose gear - looks like this sack will be useful for lack of any separate within - that contains scrimshaw carving equipment, twine, wax, and myriad other things, including all manner of bone pieces that have been polished for future scrimshaw work.

Impatiently, the red haired woman dumps open the 8th sack, checking to see what lies within.
You're not sure if this is yours or not, but there is a shortbow and full double-quiver, so whoever's sack this is probably takes their shooting seriously. There is also a knife, like a really big knife. You remember this object, and it is called a "Bowie knife" and it has a beautiful green handle. Though it has a long blade that might be useful in all manner of utilitarian cutting, in truth the balance and construction is such that if used in combat it really is only effective to thrust. Stlll, good tool as well as weapon.
http://www.hanzoswords.com/assets/images/a17-tr74.jpgThere's a backpack in here with some gear in it, and three loose gold coins at the bottom of a deflated-looking, but attractive belt pouch. One of the odd things in the backpack is a kit with various types of needles and inks (tattooing kit). There is a small pouch that you open and it contains all manner of little metal objects and files of odd shape that fit into little sleeves.

In the folds of the black jacket (that is part of what is "armor") is a piece of parchment which, in its careful unfolding, has pretty much everyone (but that one really stunning-looking man - he went to a different part of the room, and the obvious comatose man) staring on over your back in curiosity. In really big letters at the top is "WANTED" and just below is a moderately well-drawn picture of a woman with mean-pretty features whose face you do not recognize. Underneath in letters nearly as large is likewise prominently displayed "DEAD OR ALIVE". Below that is the following:

NAME:
ZARINDA "THE HUNGARIAN" MORAVEC
(Real Name: Clementine Boudicca Swindlehurst)
(Alias: Marsha Hollins, Senorita Beauregard, Fraulein Wentz-Daly, and many others)


LIST OF CRIMES:
MULTIPLE HOMICIDE, AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, KIDNAPPING,
STAGECOACH ROBBERY, BANK ROBBERY, TRAIN ROBBERY,
SEXUAL ASSAULT, ARSON, DIAMOND SMUGGLING,
GOLD SMUGGLING, CATTLE RUSTLING, HORSE RUSTLING,
FRAUD, IMPERSONATION OF A FEDERAL MARSHAL,
IMPERSONATION OF AN ELECTED CIVIL SERVANT,
UNLICENSED PROSTITUTION, PUBLIC INTOXICATION,
LICENTIOUSNESS, SALACIOUSNESS,
AND ALL MANNER OF BIBLICAL HERESIES

REWARD: $2500
CONTACT US MARSHAL, OKLAHOMA TERRITORY


With that, it seems to the red-headed woman that she is a well-armed bounty hunter on the side or righteousness and---

"It's you," interrupts Jacqui, saying what this all-too-quiet room has not said. "The picture is your spitting image. You're Zarinda the Hungarian."

[MikelaC1]

Between the fact that she knows at least her first name to be Zarinda, and the fact that the picture is her (at least according to Jacqui) it would seem that she is the woman referred to. She looks at the paper again and it seems like I already have an impressive resume all thats missing is square dance calling...and who gets that reference?. She then looks at the needles and inks, and then at her own body with its own set of impressive tattooes I doubt much that I can do these to myself, but I likely can do for others...and given my resume, its probable that the other items are designed to circumvent locks.

[lostsole31]

"Ummm, people?" says Jacqui nervously from the far side of the room. "I think this guy is in here summoning Satan or something."

She faces towards the southern part of the room (where Flair, out of sight of the rest, is doing his ceremony).

[MikelaC1]

http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7150/6738448113_00eaeec6cd.jpg
]I had a hard time finding a picture that conveyed both the toughness and the tattoos, so settled on toughness and you just have to imagine the tats.

Zarinda, a red head beauty is very tall (6'0") for a woman, and although not overly muscled, she is clearly quite lithe and flexible. Apart from her height, the most noticeable feature about Zarinda is her tattoos. Both arms are covered as are her legs, and just before she dons her leather armour, you can see one across her belly.

[Genth]

"Still sacks left.." Knuckles says, moving forwards towards the remaining sacks. She reaches out towards one of the unopened ones, and stops, letting her hand drop to her side. "Is it.. odd that I don't want to look?" she asks to the rest of the room. "I mean, it's not exactly been pleasant news so far. None of you seem particularly happy with what you've found..."

She blinks as Jaqui speaks, looking over towards the Flair-side of the room. Looking almost relieved not to have to deal with the sacks, she moves over to where Flair is chanting. "Excuse me? What are you doing?" she asks, one hand coming to rest on her hip.

[lostsole31]

Sacks #1, 2, 3, & 5 remain...

[pfm1995]

Shrugging into the clothes, the man looks up suddenly at the strange pronouncement and trots around the corner. "What's a 'Satan'?"

http://pre10.deviantart.net/5259/th/pre/f/2016/047/6/e/occultist_by_sarroz-d9s29so.jpg
https://hydra-media.cursecdn.com/darkestdungeon.gamepedia.com/thumb/e/e8/Occultist.png/250px-Occultist.png?version=a7c17f5cf6fc29b9fcf09ae86f8f c19f

[meemaas]

Haru slides the backpack on, and gives the Nunchaku a moments try, to see if he can manage to use them. After being content that somehow, even though he can't remember knowing how to, his body knows it, he slides it into his clothes, hiding them as if to put them in a sheath, despite lacking it. He then checks the necklace again, deciding to put that on too, since it possessed his name.

Now that he's finished with his gear, he walks over to where the stranger is, doing his chant. (Do I recognize the type of magic with my knowledge checks?)

[digiman619]

Flair looks up from the seal long enough to notice the woman. "I'm meditating. Give me a few minutes." He then continues his vigil.

[stack]

"Whatever, let him go chant, we need to find a way out of here. Can we all agree to work together since none of us seem to know what is going on? Yeah? Let's check the next room then bring the guy on the table with us if that's clear. Sound good?"

[Genth]

Knuckles remains standing there for a time, before nodding, shortly, to the man and turns to come back to the group. "Meditating I can understand, but that's weird meditating." she replies, almost to herself than anyone else before her gaze snaps back upwards, looking around at the group once more. "Yes, for now, I'll agree to work with you. Although I suppose I ought to look at one of these myself..." she says, moving to the sack with the strange, star-shaped belt buckle. "RCMP doesn't ring a bell, so either the star or the turtle... I'll choose this one" she adds, grasping the star-shaped buckle and pulling the cord, opening the sack to look inside.

[pfm1995]

Finished gathering and putting on what at least ostensibly his his gear, the man pauses while winding his turban and speaks: "Agreed, outside this place, assuming there is an outside, is the best place to discuss out differences. We are a fortuitous number as well."

Fishing around in the bottom of the bag, he withdraws a clump of hair, wire, and bone and begins to knit it all together. His hands dip in and out to pull strands into shapes just shy of right and, in scant seconds, a grotesque yet oddly fascinating amulet filled with curves and sharp angles hangs around his neck.

[meemaas]

Haru returns to the door, reaching for the handle, he stops and looks at everyone else before turning it. "Get ready, I take no blame for what happens next." He then opens the door and heads out first.

[lostsole31]

Shrugging into the clothes, the man looks up suddenly at the strange pronouncement and trots around the corner. "What's a 'Satan'?"
Jacqui has a look of authoritative knowledge ... which suddenly deflates. "Something bad, that's all I remember."

Finished gathering and putting on what at least ostensibly his his gear, the man pauses while winding his turban and speaks: "Agreed, outside this place, assuming there is an outside, is the best place to discuss out differences. We are a fortuitous number as well."
"What number is that? and is this not-quite-dead guy counted in that number?"

Haru ...gives the Nunchaku a moments try, to see if he can manage to use them. ...he walks over to where the stranger is, doing his chant.
1) This is Goetic magic, based on the writings of the great German statesman, philosopher, and author of Faust, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
2) Though the magic is fantastically ancient, it is through Goethe's lesser-known skill as a binder of spirits and his own spiritual issues that led to him writing Faust as a form of cathartic work.
3) In general, Goetic magic is called "pactmaking" or "binding" and involves binding a servitor spirit to one's soul.
4) It is one of the easiest form's of magic to learn, but possibly even more dangerous in the long run than wild magic, and certainly more insidious.
5) That said, you recognize the seal now that you see Flair conduct his ritual as belonging to the spirit known as Jacques Gaston (aka, the Dazzling Duelist). It binds the essence of an ancient Carolingian pit fighter to the soul of a man who would excel in gladiatorial combat - gaining strength in combat through an audience. This is a narcissistic spirit requiring an equally narcissistic binder.

Flair looks up from the seal long enough to notice the woman. "I'm meditating. Give me a few minutes." He then continues his vigil.

"Whatever, let him go chant, we need to find a way out of here. Can we all agree to work together since none of us seem to know what is going on? Yeah? Let's check the next room then bring the guy on the table with us if that's clear. Sound good?"
Jacqui, brought to more temporal concerns of the "real" looks to this man. "How do we move him without killing him?"

Knuckles remains standing there for a time, before nodding, shortly, to the man and turns to come back to the group. "Meditating I can understand, but that's weird meditating." she replies, almost to herself than anyone else before her gaze snaps back upwards, looking around at the group once more. "Yes, for now, I'll agree to work with you. Although I suppose I ought to look at one of these myself..." she says, moving to the sack with the strange, star-shaped belt buckle. "RCMP doesn't ring a bell, so either the star or the turtle... I'll choose this one" she adds, grasping the star-shaped buckle and pulling the cord, opening the sack to look inside.
This bag weighs some 60 or so pounds. Knuckles looks inside and the first thing she has to move out of the way is a buckler. It is a buckler of very fine make and balance, and already she knows this doesn't seem at all like something she would be comfortable with handling. Looking further in is a really fine backpack on a metal frame, but outside of it in the sack proper is all sorts of metal and wood - some of it looking like some type of tubing - and obviously in need of assembly.

Does Knuckles continue rummaging in this sack?

Haru returns to the door, reaching for the handle, he stops and looks at everyone else before turning it. "Get ready, I take no blame for what happens next." He then opens the door and heads out first.
Haru grabs the handle as he hears the Goetic practitioner whispering. No, wait, that's not him ... that's a crowd he hears, softly, and getting louder ...

Within seconds, a distant crowd is heard as it becomes more distinct as some type of chant from scores of voices, all in adulation, that more and more no longer sounds distant, but loudly resounds from where the binder is sitting:
"Jacques Gaston! Jacques Gaston! Jacques Gaston!"

[digiman619]

By the time the rest of the group rounds the corner to find the source of the cheering, it is gone. Flair stands over the seal he drew a changed man; while he still wears the same dingy clothes the rest of the former prisoners were wearing, now they are so immaculate that they seem to glow. Likewise his form remains unaltered, but his bearing is one of grace and elegance that is in stark contrast to the halls in which he now stands.

A smirk now adorns his face as he starts to walk forward. "Now the dance can begin."

[lostsole31]

Haru, no doubt, refocuses on his task of opening the door. He opens it, and instantly the smell hits him ... the smell of death. He easily stomachs that, but he stands dumbfounded as in this next room there is a huge stack of bodies on the far wall.

Also, as soon as he opens the door, there is suddenly the sound of cawing and barking from that room.

Meanwhile ... Knuckles and the sacks (and Jacqui will still have to look for hers, but PCs first).

In addition, the concern for moving the man in critical condition.
Just so's you know, you got this guy at one minute to midnight. One more hit point lost and he would be dead, and he was a healthy guy so even with giving him 7 healing he's down a bit.

[Genth]

Knuckles looks within the sack, shakes her head, and moves towards the fifth sack, with the turtle design on it, quickly looking inside.

[lostsole31]

This is a sack which holds three things: some type of clothing, made for a woman but functional; a pouch with a turtle symbol on it that appears to be a medicine bag or bundle; and nearly two-score loose gold coins. You [Knuckles] recognize the medicine bundle - that it offers no physical "medicine" but has various little knickknacks in it to help you perform magic.

[Genth]

Knuckles stares down at the pouch for a few more moments, eyes wide, then, looking up towards the door, stands and quickly ties the pouch to her side, stuffing the clothing and gold back into the sack, which she slings over her shoulder and moves up to the door, keeping a few feet away and peering through - no point in getting changed if they're about to have another deadly danger on their hands!

[pfm1995]

Turning to the side and bracing against a wall, the man retches violently as a single feather of thought drifts through his mind. "Finally awake! Fool of a madman, I thought you lost in the fog!"

[meemaas]

Haru starts into the room, revulsed by the smell, he keeps his hand over his mouth to limit the intake of the smell as he heads into the room itself, staying away from the corpses as much as he can. He keeps his free hand on his Nunchaku, as if ready for the possibility of being attacked.

[lostsole31]

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q755/lostsole31/The%20Furnace%20Rooms_zpsofnjgtws.png
In that next room is the general cellar. A broad chute extends diagonally through one of this cellar’s half-crumbled stone walls. Beneath it lies heaped more than a dozen mutilated humanoid bodies. Nearby, a flight of rickety, wooden steps climbs toward the high ceiling—an escape none of the room’s current occupants seem capable of employing. The smell of rot and decay in the room is nearly overwhelming, and the buzz of flies hangs in the air. To the left, in an alcove, are two animals. Both are chained by a simple pin-and-collar (different sizes, of course).

A smaller chain and collar is tight around the foot of what seems to be a large crow with some purplish coloring on its wings.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DDv_PlrBg14/maxresdefault.jpg
Next is a large working dog of some sort.
http://www.otterhound.nl/img/wilson01.JPG

[pfm1995]

While the man marked '601' staggers into the room as if in a daze, reaches down, and pulls the pin out of the bird's shackle. Hopping over to the pile of bodies, it tears off a morsel before flapping up and onto 601's shoulder and swallowing it hungrily.

[digiman619]

Flair takes one step into the room before the scent hits him and he takes a step back, as though the scent physically pushed him backwards. After taking a breath outside the room, he ventures back into it, visibly shaken by the scent and horror. Still, he tries to keep himself steady and remarks "The fung shui is horrible. Does anyone have any pine scent?"

[Genth]

Seeing no threat in the next room, only horror, Knuckles pulls back to move to one side and start to get changed, pulling on the functional clothing, and slipping the gold into an interior pocket. When she steps out again, she seems.. a little more confident. She moves into the next room, looking down at the bodies with a twisted, uncomfortable expression. "Is now really an appropriate time to joke?" she asks Flair, raising an eyebrow pointedly. She doesn't wait much for a response before glancing towards '601' and blinking, curiously at the Raven. "A friend of yours then?" she asks, head tilted to the side.

[lostsole31]

Knuckles does not have interior pockets. She has this nifty, beat-up sack, and the gold sloshes around at the bottom.

Jacqui looks at the star-buckled bag that Knuckles overlooked, and says, "Looks like a rifle that's been disassembled. But an old-timey rifle that's in really good shape, eh?"

She goes to the first sack and opens it. "Dog food ... what? There's dog food, treats, a couple balls, and what looks like a worn dolly. Oh, a leash ... a dog collar with a small brass plate saying 'Bishop' on it with the symbol on the bag. Yup, that's a bag for a dog. I guess 'Bishop' is its name."

She finally opens the other bag - the final, unopened one - which, like the dog's sack has "R.C.M.P." on it in stencil. Though, this is also the curious one with the tree-face motif. "Nothing in here but what looks like a children's book."

There is a long pause. She pulls out a book - a children's book, no doubt by its style, but full in size nonetheless. It seems very, very old.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Peter_Pan_1915_cover.jpg
She has tears in her eyes. "I know this book. I love this book. I don't know why I remember that, but I do."

She looks up. "Both of these two sacks have 'R.C.M.P.' on them. I think Bishop is my dog. Of course, both sacks combined are probably less value than these weapons and gold and other things that everyone else has been finding."

She quickly heads out to the cellar, ignoring the pile of dead bodies, and the dog seems to get really excited when she comes out.

"Bishop?" she asks tenuously, and the dog barks and wags its tail and while it seems a little bedraggled, there is something about this pooch that is lovable as all-get-out. She goes up to the hound and frees it from its collar and Bishop jumps up and goes into hyper-lick mode while she is excited to see an animal that she doesn't really remember, and yet feels a connection to.

Haru thinks he noticed some type of brand or marking or tattoo on the dog's chest when it jumped up. It seems to be a crude symbol of a jug with grapes.

[digiman619]

"You know what? You're right. I should just scream in horror about the ******* pile of bodies. That's the appropriate thing to do right now! God forbid I use humor to steady my nerves! What kind of ***hole am I?!?! I don't know, because while I know how many bones there are in a human foot, or the the difference between a pixie and a will o 'the wisp, I can't remember who the **** I am! I-" Flair cuts himself off and takes a few steps back, trying to balance himself. He then reenters the room, saying "Listen, this isn't a place anyone of us wants to be. Let's go up those stairs, find the ******* exit and get the **** out of here, OK?" He then starts up the stairs.

[stack]

Eric had already turned away from the bodies and ascended the stair, waiting for the others to finish in the macabre room before pressing on. He obviously had no desire to stay, his fatigue and borderline nausea obvious to all.

[meemaas]

Haru, of course, was the first one up the stairs (Sorry Eric, but he was in the room first) and was only waiting for others to follow before he actually moved to the room up the stairs.

[lostsole31]

Despite their unsteady appearance, the stair are sturdy enough to climb. Unfortunately, when Karate Kid, Handsome Dan and Mr. Wizard get to the landing, they can clearly see the heaps of rubble choking the passage above.

Jacqui leads Bishop into the cells, but not befor he has to be pulled away from growling at Haru. Once he gets into the cell room she puts color and leash on him while the pooch - who is size Small - starts munching on food she sets out from the bag. The hound, which Haru recognizes as a breed called an "otterhound," he also recognizes is not yet full size. Bishop is incredibly friendly - except if Zarinda (or Haru) tries to pet him. Then he bares his teeth and growls and Jacqui has to get him to stand down, but it obviously won't be something she can control if those two try to force their affections on him. Something about those two PCs just seems to rub this pooch the wrong way. Maybe in time.

As Flair and Eric realize and discuss options - which seems to be that chute - in the room Bishop then is drawn to the man on the slab. He sniffs around and licks the man's wounds and gives like a low a-woowawoowawoow while patting the man (Jacqui ends up lifting him onto the slab with the man out of curiosity). Well, a little bit of this, and a marking on the dog's chest glows ever so very faintly, and the man .... receives 10 healing!

The puppy bounds off the man and back out to the cellar and barks at Flair and Eric and Haru (and possibly 601 he is still out there), turning away and back a few times, and then running into the room with the cells again.

[Genth]

Knuckles simply raises an eyebrow at Flair's outburst, and turns away as he climbs the stairs, although she keeps listening to hear where he goes. She grasps her nose between her fingers, and taking a deep breath, walks closer to the corpse-pile, trying to get a glimpse down the chute. If the chute is too high to see without actually climbing atop the corpses, she will look around for a stone or piece of rubble to experimentally chuck down the chute.

[lostsole31]

I think the fact is down under with New Zealand has somehow confused what is "up" or "down" with you. :smallconfused: :smallwink:
It would take climbing corpses to get to a higher elevation (as in "up" or in the "upwards" direction) to be able to get to that chute which likewise continues at an upwards angle.

[pfm1995]

The food-that-still-moves-and-barks, "it seems to want something." With the raven content on his shoulder, the ashen-faced man moves to see what the dog wants.

[lostsole31]

Assuming man-and-bird follow, the hound leads you in to the revived man on the table. Still terribly, desperately wounded, but awake.

The man wanly looks over at the corpse, and then looks up again (a neutral position with little strain since he's on his back). "The dybbuk is dead," he weakly says before drifting into unconsciousness.

[pfm1995]

Bird-on-shoulder blinks, as if seeing the tortured man for the first time. He waits, a few steps away, while the bird hops off his shoulder and onto the table. It pokes the tortured man a few times before turning away disinterestedly, and at this the man finally advances to the side of the table. He undoes the bindings, and talks to the unconscious man. "Alive, then? To leave you here would leave us in dire straights indeed, a poor omen to begin this journey. I apologize for putting the weight of such a symbol on you, but you complete this band and so mercy is your lot."

Finished, he tries to pick the man up with a grunt while the raven tries to snag what looks like the man's pack. Or maybe it was just distracted by the shiny star, it was hard to tell.

[lostsole31]

Knuckles, you happen to know a dybbuk is some type of evil spirit or demon, but you don't know why you would know that.

601, a dybbuk is a type of occultist monster right up your alley of knowledge ... Read away ... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dybbuk)
The man is 6'4", and if you carry/ wear your gear/armor, there is no way you are even hoisting this man off the ground. Without your gear or wearing your armor, you would still be at a heavy, heavy load indeed.

[lostsole31]

Yeah ... again, I really doubt once 601 tried to heave him that was going to happen enough for him to go strolling out in the cellar for Flair to see him.

[pfm1995]

After discovering, empirically, that the man was too heavy to lift, the Man With No Name stuck his head through the door and calmly asked "The tortured man is alive, unconscious, and too large for me to move on my own. Help?"

Another feather of thought floated through his head; the raven had stopped playing with the star and was staring at him. Now why did you think you'd be able to lift him?

[digiman619]

Flair looks over at the man now on the table and chute that seemed to be the only way out of this room. He then gets down from the stairs and opens his pack. He looks through and finds the two things he's looking for: his bedroll and some rope. Leaving his pack near the stairs, he then heads over to the table. He sees that the man has passed out, but still seems to be relatively okay. He then motions to the bird guy and says "Help me get him in this thing"I think that the best way to get this guy up the chute is to wrap him up in a bedroll and tie a rope to him and drag that up the chute. I plan on putting him in it inside out.

[pfm1995]

Grasping the fancy man's plan, bird guy quickly helps shift the tortured man onto the bedroll. "Lash him tightly, and cushion his head. We should protect his face if we can."

[lostsole31]

"What's the plan?" asks Jacqui.
I'm curious if Flair shares the plan no problem, or is annoyed that his orders weren't followed right away.

[stack]

Eric looks up the chute. "Uhm...anyone have a rope? I, well, during the fight I seem to have been pushing things around. From across the room. Maybe I could try to send a rope up there? Or something?"

[digiman619]

"Near as I can figure, the only way out of this charming little set-up is up that chute.", Flair said as he tied the man to the roll, "Now we can probably climb that, Hopefully. But this guy, not so much. So either we lot this poor guy rot down here, or someone climbs up the chute and pulls this guy up. Hopefully, he either wakes up soon, or we're near an exit, but I'm not going to leave him in this hellhole unless I have no other option."Flair said as he finished his task. "Now help me get him to the chute.".Why would I have a problem? The guy I asked for help gave it, and my orders can't be followed by people that don't know them.

[Genth]

Knuckles nods, walking back into the chamber and towards the table. "I.. I think I'm probably strong enough to help with that, if someone has a rope or something to strap him on?"

[MikelaC1]

Zarinda fishes around in her pack, and moments later, produces a rope. I seem to remember having done some climbing in the past, but Im probably out of practice. But here goes. Trailing the rope behind her, Zarinda attempts to climb up the chute.

[roll0]

[lostsole31]

Zarinda totally bypasses the babbling men and goes to the gritty work of climbing the bodies. As long as she isn't trying to be acrobatic, the climb is incredibly easy though a little physically taxing. (Hunger?) Once she reaches the chute, the rough walls make for an easy scale. There is a metal door at the top of the 15-foot-long chute that is closed. The door can push either way and looks like it would be easy.

What does everyone do? Take your belongings with you, no doubt.

[digiman619]

Flair turned his head to see that someone had already started their way up the chute, judging from the rope trailing upwards. "Do you have anywhere to tie down that rope?"

[pfm1995]

Finishing packing the unconscious man, the 601st Patient moved to inspect the chute. "What went down must go up, I suppose."

[MikelaC1]

Pushing open the door at the top, Zarinda scouts around quickly, she does have the grappling hook on her end, it shouldnt be too difficult to find an end to hook and tie it off to. Once she does so, she comes back to the hole, calling down for each person to start to climb up.

[digiman619]

Flair looked back at his compatriot. "You head up; I've got to get in my armor before I worry about pulling this guy up."
I change out of my prisoner scrubs and into my other clothes and armor.

[lostsole31]

Zarinda, the grappling hook can be set right here at the chute entrance. Looking out is a very dirty service room.

Its pitch black.

And you see just fine.

There is a door 10' to your left, and it seems to be the only way out of this 10' x 20' room.
Flair, it will take you a minute but your armor will be on just fine.

The unconscious man is ready for transport (you hope).

[stack]

Eric helps move the unconscious man to the pile of bodies and tries to assist in getting him up the chute before going up himself.

[meemaas]

Haru will follow up to the top on his own initiative, letting the rest of the group deal with the unconscious man. Once he's up, he starts exploring up there on his initiative.

Just read the OOC after posting.

Will Save [roll0]
Other roll [roll1]

[digiman619]

Flair ties the unconscious man to his waist, trying really hard not to think about the bodies he's climbing over. Once he gets to the top, he drags the guy up.
Will Save time! [roll0] vs 12
Possible sanity damage: [roll1]
EDIT: Yes! Still sane! (in the game at least :smalltongue:)

[pfm1995]

Following the tortured man, the ash-skinned man makes his way carefully over the corpse-pile. His long-fingered hands grab loosely at arms and legs, he keeps his eyes on the ceiling. Under his breath, he's started counting again while in his head snatches of song (https://youtu.be/IV-MKtSOZNY) drift through - the bird hops gaily behind him with it's head bobbing to the music, stopping to pluck a soft morsel every few steps and gulp it down. The smell, surrounding him and permeating his clothes, is... unclean.

The man's boot comes down on something soft and, out of reflex, he looks down to see a face half-melted in the heat of the furnace. His voice shakes, and his counting gets loud enough for the others to hear. "One hundred and thirty nine, One hundred and forty nine..."

Still staring at the corpse, his body keeps climbing through sheer muscle memory, and eventually he's forced to tear his gaze away as he follows the tortured man up the chute.

Will Save: [roll0]
San Damage: [roll1]

[MikelaC1]

[roll0] WILL...Im not sure if my FoP applies, although the wording of the feat sort of implies that it would, if not, the roll should be 5 lower.
[roll1] Sanity penalty

Zarinda waits impatiently for the others to climb up, the images of the dead bodies gnawing at her mind

[Genth]

Knuckles looks for a moment at the grotesque pile of bodies, and for a brief moment, inclines her head, not sure of what to say, but knowing that respect ought to be paid. She grits her teeth and steps forwards, gamely placing one foot and hand before the other as she climbs up and starts on the chute.

[lostsole31]

The horrible hill of bodies works itself against people's nerve terribly to varying degrees amongst the party. No one is fully spared.

In the meantime, Haru was the first up after Zarinda and practically panicking to get out while trying to keep a lid on things. The service room containing the chute down which the bodies were chucked is 10' x 20' and has a door 15' to the left of the chute door.

With everyone's help, everyone will help get the unconscious man up top, and Jacqui will be using rope to help Bishop navigate the hill and tunnels.

With everyone crammed into the service room, Haru was the one most interested in what lies beyond what is present. He listens at the door and doesn't really hear anything.

Having nothing with which to protect herself, Jacqui makes sure she is in the middle of whatever is out there, with Bishop leashed right by her.

Haru (or another) ... do you open the door? What is the plan?

[digiman619]

Flair fumbles through his pack until he find his flint and steel and a torch. Lighting the torch, he gets a look around the room.

[lostsole31]

It's a 10' x 20' service room with a single door for an exit. Not really anything useful here,.

[digiman619]

Flair takes a deep breath, hand hovering over the knob for a seemingly unending instant. He exhales and opens the door.

[meemaas]

Once up, Haru finally starts to process what he had seen recently. Despite his violent nature and his threats to kill, he has no memory of ever killing or seeing others die, and even his body doesn't seem to remember it, as he starts to shake, his focus flickering as he tries to comprehend the level of death. Once his mind has caught up, he, shakingly, starts through the door after Flair, trying his best to keep his mind in one piece.

[pfm1995]

Wriggling out of the chute, his scimitar grating against the metal walls, the man stands and steps aside for his bird to hop out. Seeing that the door is being opened, he fingers the sword nervously but doesn't draw quite yet.

[stack]

Eric tries to peer over the others to see thru the door, wishing for anything to look at to distract himself from were they just were.

[Genth]

Knuckles strides across the room as she emerges from the chute, and follows up behind Flair, watching to see what lies in the next room.

[MikelaC1]

If the others are content to be meatshields lead the way, Zarinda is content to follow behind

[lostsole31]

Flair opens the door. Trampled flowerbeds lie smeared and squashed across this muddy courtyard. On all sides, stark gray walls climb toward a narrow gap of sunless sky. An outer wall of the building continues along on the right-hand side, and there is an external door right there leading back into whatever building your in. The ground is wet, and there is a strange wind, only moderate in speed, blowing upwards without source from the ground, carrying with it the smell of sweet candy.

[digiman619]

"Okay", Flair said, "Let's follow this wall. It's gotta lead to a door eventually."

[lostsole31]

...there is an external door right there leading back into whatever building your in.

............

[digiman619]

"there is an external door right there leading back into whatever building your in." seemed to imply that it led back to the furnace and cells.

[stack]

More than happy to apply himself to a problem that can continue to divert his damaged mind, Eric looks for any way to scale the wall. "Must be a way up. Handholds or, I don't know, ivy or something. Or another door?"[roll0]

[lostsole31]

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q755/lostsole31/B1%20Courtyard_zpsdm8atvu4.png
Sorry, I thought I attached this last night.

[digiman619]

Flair turned back to check on the rest of the party, and realized that there was a door not 15 feet from him. "...or we could use the one right there, That could work too." he said embarrassedly.

[lostsole31]

Jacqui nods. "Looks good to me. This wind ain't right, and the ground is wet. And we need to get this man we're carrying out of this strange air."

[stack]

Eric shrugs. "Go ahead, I guess."

[pfm1995]

Nodding at the others, halfway through Eric's invitation the ashen-faced man steps outside. Rather than moving for the other door, he just looks up at the sky with his brow furrowed in concentration and stands still.

Bird fly high?

[Genth]

Knuckles steps out into the air, still quiet, still ponderous, and walks a little way away from the group into the courtyard, looking around the area with a wary eye.

"Trying the walls is dangerous, and not all of us are physically able. she says, eyeing the unconscious man. She moves towards the second door, and places her hand on it, looking at the others for a moment to let them know, then pushes the door open and looks within.

[lostsole31]

The raven looks up and shrinks a little. "Does bird have choice?"
The woman dressed as some sort of quaint savage pushes against the external door. Nothing happens.

[Genth]

Knuckles tries pulling the door.

[lostsole31]

Knuckles pulls on the handle and the door opens. It is a hallway that runs parallel to the wall, and it is dark. (No one has stepped in yet, so no better description than that.)

[digiman619]

Seeing as he is currently the only one with a light source, Flair heads into the hallway to light the way.

[stack]

Eric hangs back a few paces and follows, glad someone had a light.

[meemaas]

After a second, Haru will light himself up to serve as a light source alongside the other.

Haru will activate Glow on himself. As time goes on, he will reactivate it at any time it wears off, except in combat, of course.

[pfm1995]

His skygazing interrupted by the glowing man, '601' pulls his head out of the clouds and re-joins the group. "Without stars, I have no idea where we are or what patterns we walk under. W-" He clears his throat. "Why are you lit from within?"

[lostsole31]

Broken lanterns and several battered doors line this cold, rubble-strewn hall. To the south, a pair of swinging doors lies shattered upon a 4-foot-high heap of wrecked furniture clogging a broad door frame. To the north, the dark hallway continues past your light.

[stack]

Eric points to the piled debris and detritus. "Big doors seem likely to point to an exit, or at least a main room that would have access to an exit. Should we clear them and try that way?"

[lostsole31]

Okay, so ... who are our two strapping fellows who will be carrying the unconscious man around? Flair is mucking with a light source. Jacqui is more focused on keeping control of Bishop. Haru and Zarinda aren't very strong (neither is Flair, anyway). Since she doesn't carry any weapons and is a brute, I recommend Knuckles take one side. Will 601 take the other?

[pfm1995]

The ashen-faced man moves to help shift the furniture but, when he first touches an upturned chair, stands bolt upright and turns around. When he speaks, it's a lecture academic. "I'd not be so quick, furniture doesn't often stack itself. It looks to me like those doors were shut in haste and panic - whether by those bodies or whomever dumped them I'm not sure. Regardless, I don't know that we want to rush to see what they were running from." In his head, a mighty STOP! still echoes.

The bird never came near the pile.

Seeing the scarred-knuckle woman struggling under the weight of the tortured man, the 601st Patient drops his professorial air and moves to help.

[MikelaC1]

Those people who were running away were also the ones who imprisoned us. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Zarinda moves to help unpile the furniture.

[stack]

Those people who were running away were also the ones who imprisoned us. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Zarinda moves to help unpile the furniture.

"Or at least my enemy's enemy. Its not definite, but its worth looking at. Besides, our captor did not seem particularly concerned with escaping, so the threat is presumably not pressing. Anything that dangerous could have broken through in whatever time has passed since this happened I would guess. Leaving a hasty barricade like this is sloppy, but our captor did not seem...stable." Eric helps unmake the barricade.

[pfm1995]

"Or at least my enemy's enemy. Its not definite, but its worth looking at. Besides, our captor did not seem particularly concerned with escaping, so the threat is presumably not pressing. Anything that dangerous could have broken through in whatever time has passed since this happened I would guess. Leaving a hasty barricade like this is sloppy, but our captor did not seem...stable." Eric helps unmake the barricade.

"There is another option. We could have been the ones who built this barricade - undoing our own work would be truly poetic irony."

[lostsole31]

As you are having your committee, you happen to notice movement in the dim light by the 3-foot-high barricade of junk to the south (what you intended to dismantle). You hear a man shout, "Whoa, there! We got more here!"

There in the shadowy light provided by the heroes, you notice three men with crossbows training their weapons on you.

[MikelaC1]

Zarinda drops whatever piece of furniture is currently in hand and draws her bow instead. I would advise forgetting that you saw us, unless you feel like becoming a pincushion

[digiman619]

"Whoa, whoa whoa!", Flair says, his free hand held up palm toward them. "Calm down with the crossbows! What's going on?"

[lostsole31]

The three men train their crossbows on Zarinda (which actually might have been her plan), but don't respond to Flair, seemingly waiting for something.

Do you allow a round or two of tension, or does someone try to force a response?

[pfm1995]

Looking up and seeing the sudden raise in tension, the ashen-faced man shifts his weight slightly, then stays very still. His mind, though, slowly morphs and settles around a weighty set. His scimitar grows heavy by his side.

Settling into Aura of Misfortune and casting Lead Blades on myself. As I'm a psychic caster, there are no verbal or somatic components.

[MikelaC1]

I wont repeat myself a third time, I would advise you forgot that you saw us.

[lostsole31]

These guys are in padded armor and have truncheons at their side. Another guy, broader than the others, comes up to them from their back ranks (your torch doesn't show from where). This guy is in leather armor and likewise has a loaded light crossbow in hand. Seeing that (only one) of this group of people has a weapon out and pointed towards his men, he returns in kind - and he, too, is now aiming at Zarinda. "We'll have no bloody Grays seeking sanctuary in the chapel with us, only to carve us when we sleep. Go back to your own kind, or you'll be seeing the Lady of the Graves in the Boneyard soon enough."

[MikelaC1]

Your words mean nothing to me, we are only seeking to leave this place. Through this door if necessary.

[lostsole31]

"The door right by us is ours, but the one just behind where you came in ... any place beyond ... that's for you and your Gray friends to fight over with the Tribals, though that's just the furnace room. You try to force your way to the good people in my care and we will end you."
Remember I said there were two doors on the opposite side of the hall (which is 10' wide) from where you came in. The door he refers to is the one closer to them, and in fact is really only about 5' from the barricade (10' from the men). The other door is 15' north of that door (5' north of the point where you came in). Of course, the hallway continues north into the darkness beyond that.
These guys are scared, terrified ... but they are more cornered-animal scared, not run-away scared. This means that out of fear it won't take much for them to start shooting. And a glowing man in your party probably only heightens that fear.

[digiman619]

"Very well, we'll take the other door.", Flair says diplomatically. He then whispers in Zarinda's ear "Let's see if we can go around before we smash our way through, eh?" He then heads away from them to the other door.

[pfm1995]

Picking up the tortured man under one arm, the unnamed patient follows the others - his eyes scanning the darkness with strange accuracy.

[MikelaC1]

Zarinda does not lower her bow, but follows the rest of the group, keeping an eye on the opposition if they start something

[Genth]

Knuckles moves to help the unnamed patient, taking the unconscious man's legs, her eyes flicking from point to point across the men with Crossbows. After a moment, she looks away and over at Zarinda, frowning a little, but otherwise silent.

[lostsole31]

"No," said Jacqui, "this isn't right. We have wounded. Are we going to cart him everywhere? He already mentioned 'the good people in my care' ... does that sound like some type of warlord?"

[digiman619]

"No, they're too scared to risk it." Flair said. "Whatever that thing pretending to be a doctor down there was, it clearly can change form. They're terrified that we are one of them and are going to kill them in their sleep. There's no way that they'd help this guy, they're too panicked to take that chance."

[stack]

"Whatever, we can go the other way. Nothing here makes any sense anyway, may as well follow the path that doesn't get us shot."

[meemaas]

His skygazing interrupted by the glowing man, '601' pulls his head out of the clouds and re-joins the group. "Without stars, I have no idea where we are or what patterns we walk under. W-" He clears his throat. "Why are you lit from within?"

In response to this question, Haru addresses the man with no name. "I'm unsure of what it is, but it is a power I am able to bestow upon myself. I first used it back in the cells, following a memory from a dream."

Before the group leaves, Haru says his piece to the men on the far side of the barricade. "You're welcome to not trust us, but if you truly wished to be safe, you'd do well to improve this barricade. Whatever these 'Grays' are, they seem to be weirder than we are, and I walked right out of a prison cell. This would probably be child's play." With that said, he moves after the rest of the group, allowing the strangers to mull over his words.

Remember, for better or worse, Haru is the humanoid giving off light like a torch, for what it says to the scared folks.

[pfm1995]

Backing away, the man with no name moves with Flair to the next door - then promptly waits for someone else to open it, as his hands are a bit occupied.

[lostsole31]

Twenty-five feet down the hallway from the furnace room door is another door, but on the side of the hall where you came in from the courtyard ... and another door on the same side 10' down the hall from that. There's a lot of rubble in the hall up this way.

Jacqui, as long as people clear a way for her to jump back, will open the door and pop back. This appears to be a store room. The room reeks of chlorine and is heaped with fallen shelves and broken containers. The room is 10' x 10', and with everything in it in shambles only about two characters can go in here at once. What do you do?
Everyone will hear the odd noise down the hall from where the men are standing guard for their own tiny fiefdom. But the two of you notice unmistakable sound ... the wet, crunching sound of someone eating an apple down that way. This is followed by the faint sloshing of water in a waterskin. Both of you notice Bishop fixated with a stare that way, and the pant that a dog makes when food is present.

You might have been fine if you hadn't heard these noises, but by recognizing them you both are realizing that you are hungry and thirsty.

[stack]

"Not much here. Guess we can look around, not like we have options." Eric shrugs as he steps into the room and starts rummaging. take 20 perception to find anything useful

[MikelaC1]

Since there isnt enough room for her in there anyway, Zarinda continues to watch the crossbowmen, not lowering her own bow

[Genth]

Knuckles slows for a moment, looking over her shoulder back towards the barricade. Her lips purse before she grits her teeth and continues walking, keeping up her end of the unconscious man.

Speaking to Eric, she calls out "Could you make sure to keep an eye out for any food or water? We need to think about that soon."

[stack]

Eric nods, adding sustenance to his mental list of notables.

[pfm1995]

The ashen-faced man's stomach turns as, at the woman's question, he felt a deep satisfaction fill him. His bird, hopping along in front, turned and smiled as much as a bird can smile. So not at all, but he could feel it grinning.

There is ample food where we came from...

[lostsole31]

As a walking light source, Haru assists Eric with a detailed 10-minute search of the storage room while Flair provides light for those in the hallway. The only salvageable equipment is a lantern, a hammer, and three winter blankets.

[stack]

Eric shrugs. "Its not much and its not clean, but its something I guess. This room seems like a dead end. Options?"

[lostsole31]

The room itself is a "dead end" ... but it was only a storage room, anyway. Back out in the hallway you have the other doorway on the same side of the hall, 10' further up. There is a lot of rubble in the hallway just north of this northern door, but the passage does continue north.

[pfm1995]

"Two. North, I think, is the better of them."

[digiman619]

Let's head north, then, shall we?

[lostsole31]

Jacqui moves to the next door, but has to really pull on the leash because Bishop is fixated on the food he can smell down the hall.

She opens the next door, and the initial look is similar to the first storage room ... as this is, in fact, another storage room. The only first-glance difference is that there is damage to the north internal wall. Same 10-minute search with Eric and Haru as before?

[meemaas]

Sounds like a plan to Haru.

[stack]

"Let's check it out."

[lostsole31]

The boys are searching for only 30 seconds or so when Eric takes 5 to his lower back and Haru takes 4 to the back of his right knee! While they suffer damage, it is not immensely painful as there is an anaesthetizing that goes with the the wound.

Begin Round 1 ...

R1T25: With TRULY INSPIRED reflexes Eric spins to see his attacker, a creature with nearly a score set of legs and about as long as himself!
http://www.mzephotos.com/wallpapers/insects/house-centipede-frontal-1280x1024.jpg
Eric, you are in the corner of this room, and there are two of these things threatening you. Haru is next to you, but also between you and the door. This is all the room has the size for as far as creatures. There is no place to take a 5-foot-freet move to, and it is considered difficult terrain from clutter and rubble in here. What do you do?

[stack]

Eric scrambles back out of the room, unready to fight anything that close and frankly shocked by the sudden attack. withdraw action to get back behind someone holding a weapon and out of the difficult terrain

[pfm1995]

Setting the unconscious man down softly, the ashen-faced man draws his scimitar and shifts onto the balls of his feet but doesn't approach - if he did, he would be blocking the doorway.

Slipping into my stance.

[lostsole31]

R1T25: Eric scrambles back out of the room, unready to fight anything that close and frankly shocked by the sudden attack. As he passes Haru both monsters nip at Eric and miss and Eric gets into the hallway (and likely a few feet from the door at that).

R1T24: Jacqui - who was standing on the other side of the hallway from the entrance to this room - gives a little gasp of surprise (and disgust) and moves 10' down the hall towards the crossbowmen.

R1T21: Haru, you are in this storeroom with super-sized centipedes. You see the wound on your knee is worse than it feels, and you know centipedes in general have a paralytic. You are right next to the door out of the room, and both of these things are threatening you - one right in "front" of you (door is to your left) and the other is catty-corner to your right. Whether or not you choose to capitalize on it, both of the things snapped at Eric on his way out, so they both have used an AOO for the round.What do you do?

[meemaas]

Haru will attempt to curb stomp one of the centipedes with a frozen foot, to slow it down, and then make his way to the door.

Standard action: Energy Blade (Remember it never provokes) Frost Blast, I'll spend a Spell Point on it.

Attack roll (Unarmed Strike) [roll0]
Damage [roll1]
Frost Blast [roll2] DC 16 Fort save or Staggered for one round.

Move action: Move back to the door, or as close as possible. If he's able to pass Eric, he won't, and instead stop between Eric and the centipedes.

[lostsole31]

R1T21: Haru curb stomps a centipede, smacking its head against rubble on the ground and causing its exoskeleton to freeze - enough to fell that one. (Twitching antennae is disturbing, however.) He then steps to the other side of the doorway so that the remaining centipede within must deal with Haru.

R1T14: Setting the unconscious man down softly, the ashen-faced man draws his scimitar and shifts onto the balls of his feet but doesn't approach; besides, Haru is at the doorway.

R1T10: Knuckles, Haru is standing just in the hallway. If you want to engage the last thousand-legger, you can move 5' through Haru's space (5') and 5' in for 20' total movement. Or, not bother. What do you do?

[Genth]

Knuckles will move in at the sight of danger, slipping past Haru and into the room to try and dispatch the centipede with a well-placed kick.

Attack Roll [roll0]
Damage [roll1]

[lostsole31]

R1T10: At the sight of danger, Knuckles slips past Haru and into the room and hits the remaining centipede hard with a well-placed kick (7), but it does not go down.

R1T9: The monster crits Knuckles on her hip/rump for a 5, and the venom quickly goes to work as she takes another 2 DEX damage and Knuckles stumbles a little.

R1T8: Zarinda, you know there's a fight as Eric and Haru both came out bloody. Do you keep your bow trained down the hall towards the men, or move behind Haru and take a potshot at whatever baddie you might see?

Flair on deck, Eric in the hole ...

[MikelaC1]

With a glare that promises a whole lot of pain for anyone that even thinks about taking a shot at her exposed flank, Zarinda takes a step to take a potshot at one of the centipedes.

[roll0] attack & [roll1] damage
includes -4 for shooting into melee, and point blank shot bonuses

[MikelaC1]

hah, crit threat, die worm
[roll0] confirm & [roll1]

[lostsole31]

R1T8: With a glare that promises a whole lot of pain for anyone that even thinks about taking a shot at her exposed flank, Zarinda takes a step to take a potshot at one of the centipedes, finishing it off with brilliance.

R1T7: Knuckles, Bishop rushes in and goes right up to you. The small dog goes at your wound quickly with its muzzle, like it might bite. Strangely, it does so awkwardly as to provoke an AOO as it is focused on that very that the centidede bit you. Do you strike?
You have all the information you are going to get, so ask no question for amplifying information. It's not your turn, it's Bishop's, so you can only state whether or not you will take an AOO ... and then roll for it if you do.
Flair? Eric? What do you do?
You moved away from the door and out of LOS of the room, so you don't even know the centipedes are down, let alone that Knuckles is poisoned.

[stack]

Eric moves to look back inside and assess the situation. Seeing the dog, he grabs his head in pain as a sudden headache overtakes him. A force tries to pick the dog off the floor and fling it into the ceiling. 1 SP for hostile lift + burning lore to lift the dog and smash it into the ceiling
will DC 16
attack vs ceiling [roll0]
damage [roll1]

moving it at an angle so it can't reach anyone, hopefully

[digiman619]

Flair shouts at the giant bugs, thrusting his torch at them. While the fire dims slightly due to the wind it's making, the illumination actually seems to increase as Flair himself emits light. (Not that doing such would be first to do in this group).
Using the torch as a weapon might not be the most optimal attack, but it seems the best option at the time. I'm using my vestige's active ability (the one with Latin name I don't feel like looking up)
attack [roll0] Add the -4 for improvised weapon if you feel it's appropriate.
damage 1 fire damage + [roll1] (the torch) + [roll2] (activated ability; can't use for another 5 rounds)

EDIT: Well, at least I didn't crit-fail.

[Genth]

The danger of the centipedes over, Knuckles starts to relax, only to find the dog coming at her wound in a rather worrisome way. She shifts her weight, and, knowing the canine belongs to one of her compatriots, tries instead of harming it, to push it over and on to the ground, using a foot to sweep as she uses the other to push.

Making a Trip attempt - I am unsure if Weapon Focus (UAS) applies to Trip attempts, as you are using the 'weapon' (your unarmed body) to make the attempt a la a trip weapon. Rolling WITHOUT the bonus, but if it does apply, please add 1 to the roll and let me know? Also, this will provoke an AOO from the dog if it chooses to take it.
[roll0]

[lostsole31]

Bishop is a sturdy, four-footed quadruped (despite being Small) and easily keeps from being toppled. His muzzle goes in with purpose to Knuckle's rump ... and licks. Furiously, licks.

Eric and Flair come around the corner to see both centipedes dead and Bishop's mouth right at a nasty wound. Thinking the worst of who gave her that wound, Eric tries to telekinetically toss the dog, but the dog seems to have some focus about it as it seems to ... lick ... at the wound.

Flair does a fine job of seeing - with his torch - of seeing that the dog is trying to lick the wound, and is a little too small to have made the wound at that angle.

Knuckles, your nervousness kept Bishop from doing a good enough job to give you a bonus on your next save. Roll a straight-up Fort save against poison.

Everyone else, feel free to take actions normally (though technically Eric and Flair are on a lag).

[Genth]

Fort Save vs Poison - [roll0]

[lostsole31]

This time, Knuckles takes 3 DEX damage from the poison!!!
Knuckles is reeling and stumbling terribly. Something is terribly off ... if Eric thinks "poison" he wouldn't be wrong. Some memories come to Eric's mind, along the lines of advanced life-saving training. What does he do?
Assuming Eric tries to use the Heal skill on Knuckles (and Knuckles lets him) ...
Eric, roll a Heal check.
Knuckles, roll your next Fortitude save (you don't have to wait for stack to post Eric's Heal check).

[stack]

Eric tries to inspect Knuckle's wounds...taking 10 for 15

[meemaas]

Haru leaves the room completely and growls, watching the rest of the group until they are ready to go.

[lostsole31]

With practically inspired combination of teamwork between patient and caregiver, Knuckles manages to fight off the last of the poison. Unfortunately, Knuckles is noticeably sluggish. This means that currently Eric, Knuckles, and Haru are all wounded ... Knuckles is debilitated by the poison ... and Eric is fatigued.

EDIT: Oh, yeah ... you're also carting around an unconscious, badly wounded man.

[MikelaC1]

Why, when we have so many problems of our own, are we burdening ourselves further with this body?

[digiman619]

"Because it's the right thing to do!" Flair snapped. "Because if he hadn't woken us up, we'd still be in those cells or perhaps being the next one operated on. And because he might be the only source of information we've got in this hellhole, and I'm not throwing that away!"

[meemaas]

"I thought it was because he was one of us, just the one that was unfortunate enough to be first on the table."

[digiman619]

A bit more collected, Flair continues. "Either way, we aren't ditching this guy unless there is no other option."

[MikelaC1]

Zarinda shrugs....whatever

[pfm1995]

"To disregard him would also be horribly bad luck..." the ashen-faced man muses, picking his half of the man back up and moving farther down the hallway.

[lostsole31]

"I don't know about luck," says Jacqui, "but I know that Flair's right .. we owe him, and it is the right thing to do. I can't fight and I don't have weapons; I actually don't know if I know how to do anything. These two guys are just going to tire themselves out carrying him around, but we need to protect him. And a few of you are wounded. Those guys down the hall seem to have food, water, talk about 'good people' - so it seems like some type of cooperative network. Any chance we can try to talk with that leader and see if there's some way we can prove ourselves to him? We need a place to rest and get out heads straight, and I think if we keep roaming around we are just going to deal with attrition since the men to the south already note that there are other Grays out there. And 'Tribals,' too, whatever they might be."

[digiman619]

"They're more likely to shoot than listen, but I'm not seeing a whole lot of other options here."

[MikelaC1]

If you want, I can try to talk to them, I don't remember any specifics but I seem to feel like Ive talked myself out of some situations in the past.

[pfm1995]

"Feel free. I... have not."

[lostsole31]

In the meantime, no doubt, the rest of the storage room is turned for anything usable, and you find 10' of chain, a set of manacles, two winter blankets, and a tarnished old silver necklace. Haru seems to have a flash of insight/ memory regarding economy and valuation, but only from a casual standpoint - nothing actually studied. He figures the necklace must be worth five "gold sails." Again, for now, stuff gets stuffed into Jacqui's sack.

Jacqui looks to Zarinda. "We won't get closer than them telling us to stop, but do you mind if I go with you? We'll have the others hang back so the menfolk don't feel crowded and threatened."

[MikelaC1]

Zarinda turns back to the group of men, lowering but not letting go of her bow. Look, I dont know what problems you have had, but theres a good chance we can be stronger together. And if you call yourself good, we have wounded pointing to the wounded man and some of us need food and drink. We arent Greys or Tribals, whatever they are, you have to have some sort of leader we can plead our case to

Diplomacy: +9

[lostsole31]

It's the same drill as before. Zarinda is smart enough to wait for the same stressed guard captain to come out again as the men - however frightened - are not about having a chat. Once Zarinda makes her case ... "I'm Captain Vaustin York, and I am the man you plead your case to. Prove you're not a Gray."

Jacqui is a bit miffed by that. "Take off, eh! They change shape. How are we supposed to do that?!"

York chews on that for a second and then adds, "Bring back a few dead Grays, then maybe we'll rethink whose side you're on."

It might come up that you already killed a Gray in the form of the "doctor" in the basement ...

"I know we hit a few of you," he says. "Whose to say we weren't the ones to kill a single Gray? Bring three dead Grays, and we'll talk further. You Grays seem to hang out in the washrooms to the north ... as if you didn't know."

[pfm1995]

Listening to the 'Captain' speak, the man-with-no-name looks pointedly down at the unconscious, tortured man he's carrying, then back up at York. "With injured companions you ask us to do what your men in all their health could not? We ask not for charity, but for reason - we cannot fight like this."

[digiman619]

"Look, we'll do that, but some of us are in no condition to head out. I get that you're worried about those shapechangers, but we aren't one of them!" Flair starts to get frustrated, but quickly calms himself and continues. "If you don't feel safe with them here, surely you have some way to restrain them. Look, this guy is already tied to a bedroll, he's not going anywhere. Just keep them safe until we can prove we're not one of these things."

Diplomacy +9 (including vestige)

[lostsole31]

"You can't prove this isn't your plan all along ... to prey on sympathies, we aren't going to admit--"

"I'll stay behind with the man," interrupts Jacqui. "Here. Right here in the hallway. We won't be in your space, but your crossbows will be incidental protection for us as well. Bishop will stay with me, won't you Bishop?" she says, patting the hound. Bishop responds to her voice and her petting with a wagging tail.

Jacqui turns to the party. "Leave him with me, and rest your arms to ready for battle against the Grays. I and Bishop will stay behind here."

[digiman619]

Flair nods curtly before leaning into Jacqui's ear "Don't make any sudden moves. They have fear-induced itchy trigger-fingers, and I don't want to see a cutie riddled with arrows. Also keep the dog safe."

[lostsole31]

Jacqui gives an odd look and blushes the slightest bit before firming up and just nodding. "My main focus is keeping our sleeping beauty safe."

[digiman619]

Flair turns to glance at the unconscious man, an odd smirk on his face for a half-second, but quickly nods and heads out.

[lostsole31]

Anyone have an issue with the plan ... Jacqui, Bishop, and Sleeping Beauty stay in the corridor while you guys head north up the passage to find the washroom to kill some Grays to get their bodies to bring them back to bargain for entry to ....

[meemaas]

Haru has no complaints, in fact, he's itching for the chance to beat on some more of those...monsters. Before we go though, Haru has a thought. "You, with the torch. I think I can make you light up like I do. Keep your hands free for the fight on hand. Would you like that?" He turns to everyone else. "Or would anyone else be willing to be a light source alongside me?"

If Haru can get three or more allies under the effect of his Glow, he gets a +1 bonus to Caster Level, for what it's worth.

[pfm1995]

Holding up a hand, the man marked '601' speaks. "I volunteer, though I fail to see why it's important. It's not so dark here."

After beginning to glow, he draws his scimitar and moves north.

[digiman619]

Flair ponders for a second and nods his approval. Glowing hardly seems like a new experience.
I shine when I use my vestige's active ability FYI

[lostsole31]

What do Eric, Knuckles, and Zarinda say about glowing? I imagine Zarinda is not about being lit up, but what about the other two?
Please remember to state why you get a bonus to remind me, not just state the bonus.
Like ... Scatman Crothers "shining" or a sweaty actor on stage "glistens?"

[stack]

Eric holsthe others up, not entirely sure why, and manages to repeat his glowing hand performance from earlier. Eric down 5, 2 Str, 2 Dex. 1 sp cure [roll0]
Haru down 4. 1 sp cure [roll1]
Knuckes 5/2 dex. 1 sp cure [roll2], 1 sp heal[roll3]

that's the tally I got from a quick thread check. Let me know if you want more. going to be down to 4 SP after this

[lostsole31]

Eric does the glowy-hand thing to himself first and fully heals himself of his wounds. He still has his fatigue from spell-burning from before (fatigued condition, down 2 STR/ DEX, can't run/ charge). He then repeats the same prodigious power with Haru and Knuckles. He stays a little longer with Knuckles to try and re-invigorate the poison-affected muscles. She's still a little clumsy, but not as awkward as before. During the time that he does this, there is a peculiar feeling everyone feels with the casting of his magic that they can readily sense comes from Eric - even though they might not tell why - and his eyes glow a stunning cerulean for the duration of his psychic magic before subsiding to his normal, rather limpid blue orbs.

Does Eric accept glowy on himself? Knuckles? (Zarinda, but I won't hold my breath for a response on this from Mikela. If I were the archer-sneak, hells no.)

[stack]

"As for a bit of light, I am not opposed. Rather not be ambushed by bugs I didn't see again."

[MikelaC1]

Do not light me up, it interferes with my abilities

[lostsole31]

Knuckles nods her head in thanks to Eric, then just shakes her head and holds her hand in a "hold/no" fashion to Haru when offered to become a Westinghouse 80-Watt flesh bulb. "Enough light."

10' north of the northern storage room door, on the eastern half of the corridor, there is a pile of rubble that is 15' long. 20' of relatively clear hallway you get into a full debris field, mostly filling the western side of the hallways so that is only 15' wide. Massive rubble ahead, but there is a hole in the wall to the east. The walls between the hall and this office have largely collapsed, exposing debris-cluttered desks, toppled lockers, and several bodies that almost look human.

[digiman619]

Flair steps forward, inspecting the bodies.
As for "being nonchalant about glowing, that's my vestige's physical sign. To wit: ""> Physical Sign: Your clothing becomes so pristine that it shines like a torch. When you activate one of Jacques Gaston’sgranted abilities, every inch of your body shines in this manner."

[lostsole31]

There are several human bodies tumbled in the debris. The body of three Grays are also tangled amid the ruins, most riddled with crossow bolts.

Flair, you notice that lengths of flesh have been deliberately stripped from the corpses, human and Gray alike. As you rummage around, an elderly hand weakly rises before its unsteady weakness has it lower again. You go over, and it is an elderly nurse with a grandmotherly old nurse with a gruesomely broken leg. She seems too weak to speak, and a bit traumatized to boot.

[MikelaC1]

Well, this makes it easy, they wanted 3 bodies, we have 3 bodies. Zarinda starts to pick up a "Grey" body.

[pfm1995]

"I believe they wanted us to kill three of the dybbukim and *then* bring back their bodies." He sees the woman's hand fall. "Speaking of dybbukim... be cautious. I have read of these creatures, they will look like ordinary people."

And what, exactly, is ordinary? Kill her now.

Readying his scimitar, he approaches the woman cautiously.

Behind him, his bird hops forward to peck experimentally at one of the dead 'greys'.

Pop into stance...

[MikelaC1]

They didnt say they wanted us to kill three...their exact words were "bring back three dead Greys". Those are the words of the contract, and I always abide by the contracts I make. As should others.

[lostsole31]

Zarinda starts to pick up a "Grey" body.
And she finds that she can't even. These things are surprisingly heavy. Because of the rubble, there won't be any dragging, either. These 'uns will have to be heaved and hefted.

Patient 601 adopts some type of aspect to his posture. As his raven pecks at the surprisingly tasty flesh of one of the dead Grays (not to be confused with a Grey, which is a Grey Render :smallsmile:) he gets to the old woman. She looks up weakly. She is not moaning in any pain or anything and seems surprisingly placid ... and distant. There is a sense that she notices 601, but she isn't fully in the "now" as her eyes are wide and as his lit body bends down to look at her, her pupils are slightly dilated and she has a glassy look.
I love that not a single one of you have the Heal check.

[digiman619]

Flair tries to help Zarinda move the body (as there's not much else he can do at the moment).

[lostsole31]

The two of you will be able to heft it with fair difficulty. These things weigh a surprisingly solid 200 or so pounds, and both of you are only slightly stronger than the average Jane.

[stack]

Eric tries to evaluate the old woman's injuries (and hopefully get some indication as to if she is human or gray). "Hold still and let me have a look, please. I can probably help."heal [roll0]

[lostsole31]

Welp, she definitely snaps to the pain of "local stimulation" as she gives her aged cry. Eric will be able to make a decent, makeshift splint from the copious materials lying around. At some point during her low, repeated moanings of pain, she passes out for about 20 or 30 seconds, after which she is semi-conscious.