Veil of Smog, Chapter 1

[Xihirli]

Leif starts slapping into the smokey sand man creature, beating it down like a child hitting a sand castle trying to make it back into flat earth.

Spoiler: ATTACK!

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22 to hit, Multiattack 3. Linked Penetrating 3, Nullify Regen 3. Reversible.

[Charybdis1618]

"Various creepy stuff. Sometimes it's straight out of a movie. Did you ever see Alien? A bit before your time, but a classic. You know what a xenomorph is, though? Like the facehugger. Or it'd be Freddy Kreuger leaning over me and stabbing me in the chest, while leering right in my face. Other times I can't recognize it. Maybe a person, maybe some distorted figure, maybe a blob. Always the same effect, though. Something leaning right in my face and a sharp pain in my chest. I can't breathe, and I swear I feel my heart stopping. Then I wake with a start. Does being able to scream count as progress? Means I'm not completely hyperventilating anymore."

[Charybdis1618]

Leif's palms connect with the oddly smooth face, right between the eyes. He feels rather as if he stuck his hand into a bowl of lukewarm pudding, not quite cold but definitely far from warm. The thing rears back, its head notably concave at all three strike points. It pulls itself out of the vent entirely, and skitters out onto the ceiling of the room. Its four stumpy limbs don't have fingers per se, simply bifurcating down the center to splay on the ceiling. Its mass seems to put no strain on the ceiling's drop tiles. The limbs bend smoothly, as if made of rubber. It contracts, then bursts with a shower of translucent dust. Where it lands on you it instantaneously dissolves into your clothes or skin. You feel fatigue stealing over you, as if you had intended to go to bed an hour ago.

(Will saves, both of you, please.)

[Esprit15]

The monster hunter smiles at the mention of Alien. She was out of the loop on so many things, but that managed to be one of the areas of pop culture she managed to never be more than a year or two late on. She loved how much people liked to examine encounters with the supernatural. She also knew one writer on the staff of the film who had been a long time friend since well before the world’s first film was ever run through a camera. “Some say that if you have recurring dreams, it means something is troubling you. Maybe it’s not the specifics of the dreams he wants, but whether there’s a pattern. Which given you saying that being stabbed in the chest is a recurring nightmare, seems to be the case.” It was certainly in line with the baku crouching over him to feed. “You don’t ever have any physical injuries after a nightmare though, right? Just the mental exhaustion?”

[Charybdis1618]

"Nothing actually sticking out of my chest, if that's what you mean. It does hurt, and I can usually hear the EKG beeping. So, I don't know for sure."

[Esprit15]

“Odd. What do the doctors say when you bring this up? Do they do any examination?”

[Charybdis1618]

"It's a hallucination that comes with the sleep paralysis, and a stress response. Apparently. Of course it feels real to me. That's to be expected with such things, I guess. I never had heart problems before, but I guess it can happen to anyone."

[Esprit15]

“When did you start experiencing the symptoms that brought you here? And do you know if anyone around you has experienced the same thing? I’m just kinda curious about your case myself, now.”

[Charybdis1618]

"About a month ago, I think? At least a few weeks before I checked in. We all lose track of time in here. It was infrequent, at first. I thought it would pass, but it didn't. I thought it might have been mold. I told my landlords. They didn't do anything, of course. I sometimes heard other people screaming through the walls, but I know for a fact some of that was fighting or watching tv or whatever. Nothing showed up on my chest x-ray, though. Pretty sure this place doesn't have mold."

[Batcathat]

Rufus nodded to himself. "Right. Someone should check your building for... mold."

[Charybdis1618]

"If you'd put a foot up my landlords' rears, I'd consider it a personal favor."

[Esprit15]

“I am a humble civil servant,” Sarah says with a feigned curtsy and a smirk. “That’s rather unusual though. Have you and any of your neighbors discussed your experiences? If it’s affecting your apartment block that seems like it might be something wrong with where you are living.”

[Charybdis1618]

"No idea, but it wouldn't surprise me. Most of my neighbors are *******s. Don't really talk. Here's my address."

He grabs a pen and notebook from the drawer in the bedside table, and scribbles on the back page. When you take the torn out page, the writing is so shaky that you can barely read it.

[Esprit15]

Sarah turns and hands the paper to Rufus. “I believe that’s more your area than mine,” she says with a wink.

[Batcathat]

Rufus took the note, only looking at it briefly before folding it and putting it in his coat pocket and turning his attention back to the patient. "Is there anything else of note? About your... illness or your treatment?"

[Charybdis1618]

"Nothing comes to mind, no. What do you think it is?"

[Charybdis1618]

As the dust sinks into your skin, both of you feel tiredness stealing over your minds. It feels as though you haven't slept in a day, maybe two. As your eyelids grow heavy, you see a tendril extend from its head, thickening into another limb, flicking forward like a tongue lapping hungrily at an enticing meal. Now you see where the mythology got the idea of a tapir-like snout.

[Xihirli]

"Ohhh no..." Leif stumbles, fear and adrenaline utterly failing to kick in. "We have to... we have to..." He begins stumbling away, falling to one knee at one point as he tries to flee from the sand tapir.

[Batcathat]

Rufus rubbed his chin, seemingly deep in thought. "There are several possibilities. I think we shall have to investigate a bit further, but I do not doubt we shall be successful." He considered a reassuring smile, but his granddaughter had cautioned against attempting any more of those.

[Esprit15]

"I'm no expert, so it would be a little irresponsible for me to speculate. But you might consider having your apartment looked at for things that might affect the sleep of other residents. Or just talking to your neighbors, comparing stories."

[Charybdis1618]

As Leif and Yume fall back to the hallway, the sandman makes no effort to pursue you.

Rufus and Sarah both see a shower of fine, almost translucent powder cascade out of the vent. It swirls about the room, carried by the various small breezes, saturating the air almost instantly. Jeremy breaks off mid-sentence and slumps down on his pillow with a rattling snore.

[Both of you, please give me a Will save against its sleep effect.]

[Esprit15]

Sarah looks up at the dust, a heavy feeling filling her eyes. "Well that can't be good..."

[Charybdis1618]

Sarah sways on her feet as what feels like a year's worth of sleepless nights catch up to her all at once. Rufus blinks the tiredness from his eyes. As his eyelids reopen, he sees the creature climbing out of the air vent, compressing into a narrow tendril, and sliding down Jeremy's throat. Despite seeming far too large, it fits easily into his body and is soon gone. Jeremy snores again, the tension seeping from his face. For the moment, he is at peace.

[Xihirli]

Leif falls into one knee and one hand, looking at Yume.
"We sure find the others. Or failing that, take a nap."
He slowly pulls himself to his feet.
"Those things are… they get right around all the things that make me hard to put down. Grandmother won’t let me die, but she won’t do a thing to keep me awake."

[Charybdis1618]

I'll assume Shroud saw through her scope the thing shower Leif and Yume before retreating. She now sees them both half-asleep.

[Batcathat]

"Are you alright?", Rufus asked Sarah before turning back towards the now sleeping patient. "We should leave. The question is, do we bring him?"

[Esprit15]

Sarah yawns. “Yeah, just… Need a nap suddenly.” And to concoct a ritual to grant immunity to somnolant magic for the group. She shakes her head, trying to blink back fatigue. “I don’t think we can get away with abducting a patient from the hospital. But we have useful info to go on. Let’s go meet the others.” She heads to the door to leave.

[Batcathat]

"I think we could find a way." To underscore his point, Rufus tapped the floor with his cane and wheelchair appeared out of nowhere. "But I suppose keeping this poor fellow around and unharmed may be more trouble than it is worth." The wheelchair vanished as quickly as it had appeared and with another tap of the cane, the hinges of the door became functional once more.

[Charybdis1618]

On your way out, the attendant returns your cell phone and watches. They also offer you a CD in a paper envelope that says "Observation Room 1325-1425." Dr. Kohler gives you a wave of farewell, barely looking up from his clipboard.

[Esprit15]

Sarah gives a tired wave, thanking them for the video. Unless otherwise stopped, she heads out of the building to regroup with the others.