Finding the Chapter

[Aaron van Valen]

Before the Lord had even (albeit subconsciously) decided which foot to step with first, the Daeva had already left in a blur.

Really, now we split up?! Was Aaron's first mental reaction. But soon he saw Lina's blur criss-cross between the rooms, and he managed to follow her. She was covering so much ground that he realized this was no beginner level Celerity he was witnessing.

As they make their way down the basement his brain is working on full speed. The fuse box looks so rusty that he's more certain that all the energy here is somehow coming from the place itself. He sees the hole in the wall and whatever there was of a feeling of safety now completely disappears. Not in the mood for reptiles just yet...

While Lina keeps watch, Aaron further investigates the fuse box. Are the switches turned on or off? Are there weird symbols to see?

[Yumyumcrow]

Aaron discovers that the fuse box is blown. It suffered a massive surge of energy... yet while the board is blackened and the circuits burned out, nothing has melted. His Beast gets increasingly skittish the longer he stands in front of the opened box, almost as if the device gave off a strong Taint.

Lina, meanwhile, drops out of her Celerity as she merges with the shadows on the ground floor. There are plenty of nooks and crannies in which to situate herself - even if the labyrinthine nature of the place continues to frustrate. Still, her training is greatly benefited by her acute hearing.

The others reach the front door and the hall. One is a giant in a patched coat, boots and denim; the very image of the ebony skinned colossus that fuelled so many small racist fears and flights of fancy. The other is a dainty angel in rags: lithe and lissom; pale skinned; blonde hair matted and tangled; makeup completely smudged; barefoot in light summery clothes. The curious pair appear rather self absorbed and complacent as they head directly up the stairs.

"I think someone has been here," the woman says in a very flat voice.

Her giant companion makes what can only be called a non-committal grunt.

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-07-06 07:13:29		Someone rolls 5 to Wits + Composure (10 Again)		4, 1, 2, 6, 1		failure
2018-07-06 07:13:12		Someone rolls 8 to Wits + Composure (10 Again)		7, 6, 8, 6, 2, 5, 7, 4		1 success

They say nothing further as the move from the stairs to the landing; and from the landing to the library.

[Aaron van Valen]

Aaron nervously stands in front of the fuse box. There is not much to see, which gives him little to go on. But there is something to feel.

What? How?

He channels his own Beast outward while investigating the box. Could it be sentient? Or is there a hidden core? He attempts to see if somehow he can take it further apart - without being too rough and loud.

Meanwhile, he is digging through his memory. So many stories and notes he had seen during his time spent with Elder Sworn of the Dying Light. He had heard of rituals that infused paintings with the Beast using blood. But there did not seem to be some sort of Blood magic here.

Is this the epicenter of all mystic energy here? But then why the box?

It definitely did not seem like an ancient relic of some sort.

  5 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-07-07 06:49:00		Aaron van Valen rolls 9 to Occult Item with Beast? (Int + Occ) (10 Again)		8, 8, 4, 4, 1, 10, 1, 4, 9, 9		5 successes

[Yumyumcrow]

Lina creeps slowly back up the stairs, relying on her super sensitive hearing more than her sight. The pair are still not talking but they are making enough noise for her to discern that they are settling down for the night. Someone is getting the fire going. A lighter someone is getting into a sleeping bag. Someone is trying to comb hair.

When she finds a good vantage point, Lina peeks into the old library on the upper floor. The giant has got the fire going and is cooking. He has found a pot and put it on the fire - into it is going food scraps, vegetables, small sticks, and the meal is being seasoned with dust. The ragged angel has given up combing her matted locks and is idly playing with her dolls.

The pair still has not noticed the Daeva Dragon.

And for transparency, here are some heavily modified but important back end rolls...

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-07-07 19:23:02		Someone rolls 1 to do something insignificant (10 Again)		7		failure
2018-07-07 19:22:53		Someone rolls 1 to do something insignificant (10 Again)		5		failure

Below in the basement, Aaron wrestles with the conundrum of the fuse box - which itself is simply a physical sign of the conundrum posed by the Wyrm Nest itself. His search confirms that no Blood Magic - of any kind - caused this. No natural fire or natural phenomenon either. The fuses are blown, destroyed by an incredible surge of power. That would mean the building should be plunged in darkness - whatever residue of that power which remains must be powering the sparking electrics and browned-out light.

The power...

And for one, obscene and wonderfully terrifying moment, the Lord's Beast communes with it! The force is everywhere! Seeped into everything! All around him!

Living fire. Screaming. Singing. Chanting. A babbling brook in a language the Lord does not understand. It rushes from above along veins of copper. Burning with purifying flame. Rushing through and past him. His Beast shrieks in the flood. Cowers. Is left, drenched and ashamed. Is left humiliated...

@Aaron van Valen Dark Passenger will be take a -1 penalty to resist all types of Frenzy for the next month (real time) due to psychic shock. This ST expects that to be RP'd because it is a A Big Thing.

Congratulations on the E-Sux. If Aaron had been using more Equipment he would have got an even more nuanced answer

[Aaron van Valen]

With his eyes wide open, the Lord is hit by the force in front of him. How?! It is amazing, it is terrifying. Fuck. He covers his ears in shock, hoping to find protection within himself, somehow. Which language is this even? Maerten damnit I need you. The purifying flame hits Aaron and he cowers, feeling alone without the guidance of his mentor. No occult studies can protect you from an actual experience like this. He lets out a low grunt. 'What the...'

And so he stands for a few seconds.

He shakes his head and steps back, trying to remove himself from the being in front of him. He gathers his thoughts. I should be ashamed of myself. This total and utter un-academic approach. After an initial observation, I should never have headed straight into experimentation. What the fuck is this? Definitely not something I can find out all by myself.

Aaron waits one more moment. He clenches his fists firmly, finding back the strength of his will to continue.

'But I will not leave without answers,' he half whispers, half thinks to himself. As such, he makes he way out of the basement and hopefully back to Lina. It is time to talk to the inhabitants of this perilous nest.

[Yumyumcrow]

The giant continues to slowly stir the pot with a practiced ease. The woman continues to comb her doll's hair. Silence hangs thick between them.

Lina mentally manipulates her acute senses, toning down one while enhancing another further. Scent grows by stages around her: wood; plaster; dust; o-zone; not-so-pleasant-cooking smells.

The expected scent and aroma of homeless humans does not reach her. For sure, she detects the stench of travel worn clothing and maybe even the after smells of dirt and gravel and oil. But not the scent of unwashed bodies. These mysterious hobo's either don't sweat or clean themselves regularly.

The Daeva Dragon still has no clue to what she is seeing, however. Revenants of some stripe, perhaps, given the way her Beast is starting to... pace... within its ephemeral cage, the more she focuses her attention on them. But even this, somehow, does not feel right.

Aaron, meanwhile, escapes the basement and retraces his steps through the empty - yet seemingly large - building.

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-07-09 04:39:08		Someone rolls 8 to do something insignificant (10 Again)		1, 3, 3, 10, 1, 6, 6, 10, 10, 1, 7		3 successes
2018-07-09 04:38:56		Someone rolls 5 to do something insignificant (10 Again)		5, 1, 4, 2, 9		1 success

"Someone is here," the woman says abruptly.

The giant grunts, equating now over the fire with one arm extended, holding out of bowl of... food... for the lithe blonde to take.

"No. Listen," she insists. She is moving lightly to her feet now.

The giant turns, cocks his head to one side and listens. He grunts again, carefully puts down the bowl and stands to his impressive full height.

Aaron is still on the first floor, trying to locate Lina who has seemingly vanished.

Lina is upstairs in a room adjoining the library.

[Aaron van Valen]

Of course she would not be waiting on him. Aaron actually thought she would be keeping watch.

Wha! There she was. 'Hello,' he says, clearly agitated. But his expression softens, it is not her fault after all. The Dragon is just on edge.

'My thoughts exactly.'