(Alien Call) Preparations

[Yumyumcrow]

The pair of Haunt's move on Joe's Repairs.

It is the deep of night in a dead zone of the city. There is only silence and shadow here; and the meow of the stray cat and the patter of the adventurous rat.

Cross takes the alleyway at the back and leads Longstreet to the back door. Its still unlocked; wider than when they left it and a little more... scratched. The heavy door has claw marks all over it - fortunately the door is both heavy and ugly; its battered but unbowed. The table and chairs from the back of the lot are gone: ransacked. Broken bottles lay scattered about: the sign of an aimless frenzy of looting and destruction, nothing more.

Cross ducks inside.

External Examination

Longstreet sweeps the perimeter. He finds no lurkers, no tricks or traps. He does find an arrangement of discarded bottles and cans, all piled together in a crude vignette. They have been cleaned and nearby he finds a discarded (and empty) bottle of water. His eyes, schooled in the darkness of the night, spot more scratch marks on the walls of the upper storey near a smashed in window.

And in another spot, Longstreet finds a decaying pile of rats and mice. Judging by the discarded plastic bottle, he can surmise that the vermin would have been cleaned before they were arranged. Just like the bottles and cans.

Internal Examination

The wrecked interior of the garage is much as Cross remembered: a kitchenette is at the rear with rotting stairs to the upper level. At the front would have been a shop garage with an office but with the internal walls so wretched and ruined, it is effectively all one space.

There are the remains of a crude alchemists laboratory on the ground floor but someone has definitely been at it - its been trashed, possibly robbed, definitely ruined in an orgy of destruction. The abandoned office has been turned over. Glinting in the weak light is a big jar with a homunculus like dwarf preserved in fluid; still intact.

The delicate tripod has been toppled over and the beach ball sized sphere - the beacon - sits inert and still next to it.

Standing over it is genderless mannikin, stained with grime.

Laying next to it is a a feminine mannikin - head, torso, one twisted arm. Bright eyes and pouted lips star vacantly at the ceiling.

Crude glyphs have been daubed on one of the intact walls with a feverish hand.

[Robert Cross]

Cross picks through the rubble. Eyes the now-inert beacon, the creature-in-the-jar. Should get the cars, take these things out of here. If nothing else, it would give Katsuro a chance to examine them.

But Cross isn't done here yet.

Next, he eyes the glyphs on the wall. They make no sense to him, but he tries nonetheless to memorize them for later reproduction. Another piece of the puzzle to offer those that have more facility with such occult matters.

  Memorize Glyphs, 1 suxx

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-05-11 10:43:09		Robert Cross rolls 4 to Memorize Glyphs Intel2 + Comp3 -1 (Strange Stuff) (10 Again)		1, 6, 3, 10, 3		1 success

Quickly, he takes out his phone and shoots a text to Longstreet.

Downstairs all clear. Heading upstairs. Come in when you're done.

Putting his phone away, Cross turns toward the stairs, looking to move to the upper levels, if the staircase is passable. Before he starts to make his way up, he pauses, heightening his senses, listening and staring into the gloom at the top of the steps.

  Anybody up there? 3 suxx

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-05-11 10:46:31		Robert Cross rolls 6 to Perception Wits3 + Composure3 (10 Again)		3, 2, 9, 3, 8, 8		3 successes

[Yumyumcrow]

The upper storey is devoid of life. Looks like even the nesting rats have been chewed up and spat out.

The upper storey is a little less ruined than the ground level. At least here, the internal walls are mostly intact. Floorboards creak ominously and snatches of wind moan through cracked and broken windows.

Remains of a squat in one part of the level: rags scattered and a shredded mattress. Claw marks.

In another space, an abandoned camp of sorts: two sleeping bags, a shaded lantern and a flashlight. A smattering of camping gear and two durable bags. Nearby is the remains of another, smaller, improvised lab but the equipment is in even more disarray than on the ground floor.

A badly abused ring binder lies tossed in a corner.

[Yumyumcrow]

Addendum for Robert Longstreet

If there is a secret to the piles of bottles and dead vermin, he cannot see it. They are just... random piles. Anywhere else and made from any other materials, he might say they were the product of boredom.

But here?

[Robert Cross]

Cross offers the other Haunt a nod when Longstreet joins him upstairs.

He doesn't speak, even though it's that they're alone in the building. Just continues searching in the debris.

Flat, blue eyes scan the disarray as he moves from room to room.

Finally, Cross comes upon the binder. The Burned Man picks it up, straightening before he opens the thing to check out its contents.

[Yumyumcrow]

Robert Longstreet

Longstreet's examination of the dust levels would require Wits + Investigation - 3 Situational Penalty (its a ruined upper floor). Remember, you can use Willpower

The Binder

What a strange collection of notes! Handwritten pages, photographs, photocopies and newspaper clippings - all in protective sleeves, slick with damp and dirt.

A set of hand drawings, similar to the glyphs found on the walls.

Hand written, coded notes. Sketches of a talisman, work in progress.

Maps of the city - one for the streets around the garage; another of West Sacramento with some circles highlighting the industrial areas.

Photographs - the garage; another abandoned lot, including a picture of a stained decrepit sink; an ugly vagrant staring out from a shattered window, presumably from the other abandoned lot; a tall street walker (going by the clothes) posing by a lamp post.

[Robert Cross]

As Cross flips through the binder, it quickly becomes clear that it's contents are beyond him. Should get this to that Dragon, Katsuro.

He looks up, turning his head to catch Longstreet's eye, "Any of this make sense to you?" His is whisper is low, but harsh, in the gloom.

Handing the binder to the other Haunt in case he wants a closer look, Cross pulls out his phone to text Alice Hart :

Building deserted. Lots of interesting stuff left behind. Including the Object. Should I extract so K. can have a look?

He's not exactly thrilled about moving the Orb, or the little creature downstairs, but they need all of the information they can get. And giving it to the Lord means someone else has the pleasure of storing the stuff.