(Witch House) Wild About Erich

[Yumyumcrow]

There is a new boarder at Edna's Boarding House. No one knows where he came from and no one knows how he got there. For his part, his explanations are... strange... to say the least. Maybe its because of his chronic lack of sleep. Maybe he's a snowflake loner who prefers to hide in his room.

And then there is his attic lodging. Which really shouldn't be there.

Erich Zahn says he has trouble with bad dreams. Thing is, some of the other residents are getting those dreams too. Bad dreams. Dreams of a desert with two suns and giant termite mounds made of obsidian. Dreams of buzzing and singing. And something has been scratching at the walls...

Alex has gone. But before he left he did check up with the records at City Hall:
*The house was the site of a grizzly multiple murder in the 2000s - the victims were the owner of the house and the guest's; even then, Edna's was a boarding house: owner Edna Fritz. Police have still not solved the case. Betony Rue was the owner for a time and continued to run the place as a Boarding House; she has since left and is incommunicado. It is still considered a Boarding House but lacks media penetration (just as the Lost would wish); it is known more for the multiple murder than anything else.

*According to the records, the house has a long period of ownership dating back to the beginning of the last century. It has been a hotel only recently however (from the time of Edna Fritz); before that it was the home of a string of generally well-to-do families. None of this matches some of the wild stories and innuendo that Nathan Griffin dug up on the net.

It is evening. Outside the night fights a rear-guard action to keep at bay the advancing hours of day. Its failing. Outside it looks quite pleasant in the fuzzy half light. Inside, there is a certain pressure building.

Erich Zahn is still here. Something has to be done because he isn't going anywhere.

Saber Sloth Mhairi Ankaa Orianna Seraphina Origins

This scene continues the events from Recurring Dreams but does not follow on directly from that scene. At the time of writing Heart of the Dragon isn't in Continuity so Morgan is her perfect healthy self. Given shifts in the player base, I don't mind other people jumping in on this one. Cayce

[Morgan Bellanar]

Morgan was still annoyed about the whole ladder thing. It was kind of....embarrassing. Once they were back inside she made sure the norman wasn't around before she let Mhairi know what they'd figured out: "Good news: that attic room tis within the window. Nary a fourth dimensional violation of geometry instead. Bad news: window and thus room shant hath been there last week...so~o," she held her hands behind her back, leaning forward a little and tilting her head in curiosity, "what tis the plan with Erich? Ye discover any truths? Dream walking to ken more? Eviction? Other?"

Morgan honestly wasn't sure how they could get rid of a guy who screamed crazy. Unless: "Lest we can do aught to make him want to leave...thing that twas a movie once."

[Mhairi Ankaa]

Mhairi stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. The other was occupied by a warm mug of coffee, lately, even for Mhairi, she'd been drinking a whole lot of coffee. The reason, the seemingly mundane man that was sleeping in the attic.

There was definitely something fishy about all this. Especially the Dreams. The Dreams every resident was sharing, but couldn't not influences. Dreams that reminded Mhairi of stories she'd heard of other Faerie Realms. She had an idea, one that came to her in the dead of the night, shocked awake between Dreams...that these Dreams could very easily be some poor soul's Durance, one that they haven't yet Escaped from. And the reason this seemingly normal man was sharing in these Dreams was that he, was the cause, and he had a tie with the poor soul that hadn't found their Freedom yet.

Mhairi thought in that moment that Erich Zhan was a Fetch, one that because of his work had brought him to Edna's, and that might be the reason they couldn't tell.

In those dark hours Mhairi hit the books, regrettably the Autumn Archive didn't have anything to aid in her reach, so she needed to hunt obscure references, and hunt through the depth of her mind herself.

"I-ah-I have an idea." Mhairi yawns through her words, referring to her research, "But I do-ah-wanna try Dream walking. We might find something more."

  Assuming that since there's time between scenes Mhairi has some time to actually Research, here's an extended roll, and if she can't, we can just ignore the 2nd and 3rd roll. :)

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-04-02 10:26:06		[03] Mhairi Ankaa rolls 5 to Fetch Lore? (Int 2 + Occult 1 + 1 Pledge + 1 A.Mantel) (10 Again)		10, 6, 1, 5, 4, 8		2 successes
2017-04-02 10:26:06		[02] Mhairi Ankaa rolls 5 to Fetch Lore? (Int 2 + Occult 1 + 1 Pledge + 1 A.Mantel) (10 Again)		9, 9, 1, 9, 5		3 successes
2017-04-02 10:26:06		[01] Mhairi Ankaa rolls 5 to Fetch Lore? (Int 2 + Occult 1 + 1 Pledge + 1 A.Mantel) (10 Again)		8, 5, 3, 5, 5		1 success

[Seraphina]

Sera had her own cup of coffee, trying to fight off how tired she was. Between the dreams and trying to figure out what was going on with this guy, it was mentally draining her. She wasn’t used to not sleeping. A free hand rakes through her hair.

Looking to Morgan and Mhairi, “I wonder what would happen if we could go into the window.” She says thoughtfully, “Like, would it bring us into the attic as it is now, or would it be something different? Something that would help us find answers. Though it would probably be more questions than anything else.” There was a shrug as she sipped the coffee.

“What’s your idea? Cause I’m game for anything. Though I can’t say I’ve ever done Dream Walking, but hell, there’s a first for everything right.” She’d try it if that’s what they decided on.

[Yumyumcrow]

Mhairi's Research

For the most part, Mhairi's search is fruitless. Erich Zahn could be a Fetch. The lore definitely confirms that a Changeling can easily enter into the dreams of their Fetch once they have escaped but not before. Unless, of course, this is an exception to the rule.

Or something else is going on.

Funny thing is, during her research, Mhairi does come across some very strange stories: unverified reports from different sources that speak of another possibility: of other people who are Lost; not Fetches, nor Changelings, but something else: garbled tales of Rip Van Winkle's who claim to be from other realities or peculiar travellers who indicate they took a wrong turning and ended up... here.

None of these strange tales refer to dreams or well fit the case of Erich Zahn. But it does suggest the world is a whole lot stranger than one would have thought.

Keep talking Let me know when you want to interact with Erich Zahn.

[Mhairi Ankaa]

Mhairi downs the what remained of her coffee, hoping that it would give her a jolt. She didn't even care when some spilled over her lip, falling down her check and onto her top. Which, surprisingly was just a ratty old t-shirt.

"I thought he could be a Fetch. Bu-ah-ut, if he is one, then his other half would have already found his way Out. Unless of course this is more weirdness associated with Erich...and his other half's effecting his Dreams - and ours - before he's found his Freedom." a hand goes to mop up the streak of coffee that was still trailing down her cheek, She sighs. "But he might not even be a Fetch. There's stories all over about people who've been Lost, but not Lost. Like Rip Van Winkle. Reality jumpers...which would make our attic room that shouldn't be, well make more sense. If Erich zapped himself, and that room, to our reality with his weird science-y stuff." the current Dread Queen of Witchery and Fear heaved another sigh and moved to get up and refill her coffee mug.

"Refills anyone?" she asks, as the Wisp adds not any milk or sugar to her mug, but starts to drink it black.

Sorry to jump ahead, I just wanted to share this info so Morgan could get a chance to react to it at the same time as Sera, so we wouldn't have to go all the way around again for Morgan to get her chance to react (if that makes sense )

[Morgan Bellanar]

Morgan tilted her head at Mhairi's plan, "Uh...'kay, that tis most odd. Nary doubt it with the massive bad vibes from the math I got," she shrugged and straightened out her neck, " Very non euclidean, could hath affected sanity if I wasn't already a Lost. Um...Mhairi? Did ye make a pledge with the guy? I nay think ye can bring folks dreamwalking with ye without. Probably?" Morgan shrugged, "Eh, nay hath I used Dream Contracts so I got naught."

The attic was still an option too. "Well, heh, the window can still be checked, nary with a ladder this time, in two ways. Binoculars from below or I can just play on the roof. And dream walking ain't that bad Sera. Ye just wake up if ye lose. Safer then real fighting."

[Seraphina]

A Fetch? Now there was something she hadn’t considered. Her reasoning made sense in some ways, and in some ways it didn’t.

An eyebrow was raised, “Reality jumpers? And isn’t Rip Van Winkle the guy in the stories that falls asleep and wakes up in a different time?” one of those weird things you hear about, but don’t exactly remember where. “Which would kinda tie into the whole sleep disturbance things we’ve all be experiencing.” But it also left some unanswered questions. “He doesn’t strike me as someone from another time, but you could be on to something.” Even if it was someone from a couple years ago, or even somewhere else it could fit. "Keeping with the line of it having to do with sleep, could he maybe be a sleep walker who stumbled onto something he shouldn't have? I mean, I've heard stories of what people do when they sleep walk." was a thought.

At the mention of refills or coffee, Sera looks down at her own mug, surprised to find it empty. “As much as I want more coffee, I might just stick with water right now, but thanks.” Too much caffeine made her jittery.

Looking to Morgan, “Guess I’m just curious if stepping through the window would bring us to a different time. Kinda like the whole Alice through the looking glass thing. Maybe the window brings us into his world, whatever or wherever that might be. Then again, it could just bring us to the room up there and not really mean anything. But I think it’s too weird not to at least try. But that’s just my thought on it, I’ll go with whatever is decided.” She then grins at Morgan, “And safer works for me.” Especially with how clumsy she had just shown herself to be on the roof. “We can’t be too careful, not knowing exactly what we’re dealing with.”

[Mhairi Ankaa]

"Fringe Science, magic - faerie or otherwise...just bad juju all around." Mhairi sighs, shaking her head as she returns to the table, "Not yet. I'd planned on it, a simple Dreaming Pledge wouldn't be to hard to arrange, maybe I could just to write it down - like Daniel did with Monique." another shaken head, "I don't have any Dreaming Contracts either, but I did scrounge up stuff on Oneiromancy for the Archive." she shrugs, a drippy fingered hand circled the rim of her mug, "Might be an avenue we can dig into."

Nodding along with Morgan, Mhairi gives Sera a tired smile. "Dream traveling is fun, and yeah the worse you get is a headache, and forceful waking. It jolts the heart, but it's safer then stepping out into the hedge." and they did that all the time.

Mhairi sighs, before taking another sip, "How 'bout, Morgan try and enter the window from the outside, and Sera could go up to his attic room, and see if she can see Morgan, and see if she can open the window and poke her head out and see the outside. Just to make sure it's in the same dimensional space....or something. I can distract him with some more meditation stuff, maybe get that Dreaming Pledge figured out, and maybe start with some Oneiromancy."

[Morgan Bellanar]

Morgan grimaced, "Window tis like Alice's mirror? Thaaat makes me heh reluctant to enter it now." Morgan nodded along as Mhairi mentioned bad juju. That pretty much summed it up. The nodding stopped at the mention of the window. Sera had made Morgan nervous about this plan. "I really wish ye," she pointed to Sera, "nor ye," she pointed at Mhairi, "hath mentioned dimensional distortions or aught else that sounds like aught from the Star Trek. I nary want to meet either of ye with a goatee."

Morgan took in a deep breath, then loudly sighed, "Yeah, I can do the outside part." she hung her head, "Might heh tie a rope to aught on the roof a'fore trying to enter though. I'll grab some. Just need ye to give heh the word Mhairi that the norman tis distracted. I am willing to aid in the dream walking if ye'd like."

Should Morgan make a climb check or just hand wave it?