PRP Tunnels: What Lies Forth

**Kray** · Feb 13th, 2026 03:58 PM

He could but there is immediate problem that springs to mind. "Ah. I don't know how well plastic or porcelain would hold up to flames." Water would need to a lot hotter then a bath would need to cook in it.

Unfortunately this ogre is not a fan of that particular space opera. "Uh. You corrupted them with cookies so they started making puns? Did you lace those cookies with happy pills or something?" It sounded to tame for a bedlam effect and besides Circe causing that would likely result in something other then a pun outbreak.

They had been talking of the sewers so he doesn't feel to abashed for missing the change in location. "Oh. Uh yeah I really wouldn't bite into a propane tank." On that. "Uh. Actually how would you handle that without killing yourself?" Guns, grappling, blunt force trauma and biting all seemed to end the same way. With a Boom and one less lost in Sacramento.

Moving back to give Circe room the hammer would go to a shoulder but space doesn't really permit. "Ah. I wasn't going to bust the whole thing down just knock at the edges to widen the crack a bit." But yes if they weren't going further then there was little point. "Hm. But yeah fine I'll leave it be." He would rest the hammer somewhere but instead makes the effort to squirm his bulk back a few paces to let Circe do what she was going to do.

True enough but not every threat was hedge based. "Ah. And if its mortal hunters, mobs or authorities on our trail the ability to pop in one door and out another a good distance away can be rather helpful." Given the hollow had nothing as far as amenities were concerned it was not set up for long term survival and changelings still needed food and water from somewhere.

When the rock is let loose the flames of his mantle flicker each second passing by wit ha stylised number in illusionary flame that quietly sparks things to him, guidance on making the estimation.

Int + Survival + Mantle 1 success

stats and equipment

**Circe** · Feb 14th, 2026 10:44 PM

Narration:

Indeed, Kray doesn't have room to get a good hammer swing going where the wall crack is. The angels are just all wrong.

It takes two count of Circe's odd counting method for the Lost to hear a wet landing sound. Circe has no idea how long that takes. Kray? Kray is more knowledgeable about this element of physics. Though how fast Circe counted makes it difficult to tell if it was 2 seconds or a second and a half. Kray estimates that landing is anywhere from 30 to 50 feet below. Possibly a crevice directly below the hole or the chamber is very deep. The wet landing indicates that the bats have nested there for a LONG time and the distance is a good thing for their noses.
---
Circe:
"Campfire SAFE portable tubs," is her correction to the suggestion. "They sell for hardcore campers. Probably. Just avoid the ones for glampers."

She gets a little defensive about the cookies. "I would never drug a colleague. Drugs and guns are a terrible mix, plus they might seek revenge," morals wasn't a question. "It is the reward for approved of behavior method of reinforcement. Saw it with dog trainers on Animal Planet. Carrot instead of stick," she grins, "Since all I have are boom sticks, nobody'd be left to encourage."

Circe had a solution to this hypothetical. Two actually, but one has problems. "You could shoot it once. After that the gas starts leaking and boom risk is high. Easiest solution Kray? Walk up some stairs or a ladder, it can't roll up those."

"True, though we are measuring that against Hedge threats," was Circe's own argument toward a mundane only exit. "Though with mundies, having the rail cart still at the Funderland end would leave them thinking nobody took that route," was her argument towards Kray's idea. "Faaaanculo, positive and negative. Avoid decision, ask the Director?"

When you have a chain of command, sometimes passing the issue up is lazier than asking for forgiveness. And she has to hold back her own Mantle from flaring to counter Kray's in the close quarters. He better be doing that for bullshit supernatural bonuses and not stench filtering. Or she'll be jealous at the latter.

"...Two bullet, hm?" Her right ear twitches as the sound reaches her. "Oh goodie, deep down and the landing sounded semi-liquid. Probably a pool of bat shit down there."

It was rather unappealing to her to wade through waste. Again. And the sound indicated it was, uh...crap. And that was surface level, it could be waste deep too! Well, knee deep for Kray. Whom she turns to look at, "I vote if we don't brick up the passage, we seal up this hole for sanitation reasons. Wading through batshit is a an itself thing to do."

Circe's kit

**Kray** · Feb 15th, 2026 05:22 PM

Was there really nothing you couldn't buy these days? "Ah. But at the point I could also just set up some amenities in a hollow and make the entire thing that much safer." Way less risk of mortal authorities coming across the body, setup or cannibalism that way.

Oh okay that made sense, and strangely reminds him of the occasions the summer queen has plied himself with quantities of food. "Uh. Circe have you been trying that on me?" In fact he had experienced both good and bad culinary memories on the summer queens account. "Hm. Because the spicy chicken things you had at the summer equinox before last, those could count as a stick." They had him choking on the heat.

If someone had animated objects then well ."Uh. If there is magic involved I'll not rule anything out till I know what that magic is." Just because one method of animation didn't allow for unconventional travel, that didn't mean they all suffered from the same weakness.

He goes to shrug and scraps his shoulder against a wall, fortunately the heavy leather of his coat takes the brunt. "Bah. I hope we are nearly done in here." This place like so much of the world was not made for giants. "Ah. Anyway I'm not fussed either way. I was just asking in case I needed to get on with getting it done." Which is seems he did not.

The sparking flames settling back to flickering candlelight's for the moment with their purpose fulfilled and seemingly no strong enough impulse to make send them sparking into a new configuration the giant mumbles quietly, as if he still thinking. "Uh. Fifty feet at worst I think." It was always a wondrously odd thing knowledge not entirely his own aiding him in answering these questions. "Hm. Oh." Catching the jist of the question. "Ah. I saw we brick up the tunnel way closer to funder land then this." Less tunnel leading nowhere they had to keep managed. "Ah. Let the bats have their cave." And whatever had done that to the stalagmites could keep them company.

stats and equipment

**Circe** · Feb 16th, 2026 07:17 PM

Circe

"Oh, no no no," she shakes her head at the idea of psychologically training Kray with food. "Your Kith negates that culinary enticement. And I didn't think about using it on the mundies until after I already started letting you take the leftovers," which was quite honest. She also didn't think she could entice Kray without figuring out how to make faux human flesh. Given she'd never knowlingly eaten people, that'd be third party insights only.

Or bribing a budget lyposuction or plastic surgeon location for their scraps. Circe didn't trust that to go well. "And thank you Kray," she nods with a smirk, "It was MEANT to be painful challenge. If a meal gives a Gristlegrinder pause, it is a hot ticket of a challenge."

Magic bullshit was, by definition, bullshit. "True. Though if someone commands we be attacked by killer tomatoes, I do not relish destroying them in the proven method. I got big ears man." That was a strange movie, perfect for 3 AM.

Circe has to move back when her shrugs, the hole is a very tight location to say the least. "Ugh, need Fang & Talon's Bear contract to move down here, but with the ROUS that could be death," she gripes as she has a stalactite jam into her shoulder. "Positive, if you do end up doing that, the cart has cushions now," gymnastics mat parts technically. It'd be less uncomfortable than these natural tunnels.

She blinks for a moment, head switching back and forth between the hole and the much larger Kray. 50 feet? "I do not want to repel down fifty feet into a cesspool of bat shit," Circe deadpans. Fortunately, Kray doesn't seem eager to do so either. Nor are they going to try to squeeze the bricking up to here either. That'd be a pain in the butt.

"Agreed," she nods along with him. Circe was less concerned about the stalagmites. Figuring the mundies rum runner cut them to fit kegs in there or something. "The little guys can have their," Circe pauses to inhale. Then thinks better of it. "Big space. Also Kray," she holds up the one unlit glowstick, "We only got one left. Have to bulk order if we want more to explore. Let's stick to bricks." She nods as she tries to lean on a rock wall.

Then catches herself as it is smoother than expected. No folded arms, one is propping her up instead. "Brick it back, I can phase through later to add dirt and crap on top of the other side to make it look old. Or maybe extra layer and use Hours to age it," she proposes as a way of hiding the newer construction. Paranoid? Maybe, but it'd be effective.

"I vote we go back and order takeout," a blatant attempt to appeal to Kray's kith to say fuck it, we balling. "We been doing this a while."

Circe's kit

---
Narration

The Lost do not make any loud noises to echo into the bat's cave. Nor do they hear anything, the sound of the bats having long faded with nothing they hear replacing it. For now. Who knows if something might not come at the bat noises. Or perhaps something spoked the bats into departure rather than time for night feeding.

Kray and Circe could continue forth, though without marking their path somehow they will face a penalty using Wits + Survival to find their way. They've only one mor glowstick, so they'd have to come up with another method of marking their path.

If they turn around, a perception roll is...recommended as a precaution for what may lurk in the caves.

**Kray** · Feb 17th, 2026 07:44 AM

If he didn't consider Circe a friend and by extension trust her a few of the times her tricks and jokes had fooled him might have given pause but as is he takes that at face value. "Hm. Good point there is no training away a want to eat people." Not given where he had picked it up. "Ah. Pause not so much. Regret. It gave me regrets alright." He still ate food the summer queen had been around otherwise unattended.

Killer tomatoes did not sound anywhere near as bad as a murderous tank of explosive gas. "Uh. I'm guessing that method is not just you know a boot then." Because what would that have to with ears?

The giant was getting more tempted to just start swinging at stuff until he had carved the room to stand properly. All of Circe's warnings about cave in are the only thing stopping that from happening. "Ah. Well that's something I guess." At least if he did end up tracking all the way down the tracks he could lie down and avoid risk of braining himself on the planet. "Uh. Still moved by hand I take it?" Recalling the previous trip down that what when they had picked up some serious speed.

A grunt of agreements meets the sentiment. "Ah. Neither do I. If we really really have to fine, but I don't see such a need at the moment." And besides there was no way he was getting through that crack without some kind of demolition efforts. "Uh. Yeah time to turn back then, I'm about done with this bit of it anyway." Since this way was getting bricked off well before any of the lost would reach it, the search had been cautionary at best and turned up nothing to much to worry about. "Uh. Whatever you think works. I like the sound of actually ageing it though, hard for a mortal to figure that one out." He himself couldn't do that yet so it would be down to the summer queen for the magical deception.

That did sound good. "Hm. I'm in the mood for some Chinese." Hopefully he meant actual food from a restaurant or take out and not a person.

Perception failure

stats and equipment

**Circe** · Feb 17th, 2026 07:42 PM

Circe

"Ah, regret eating later. There is a Taco Bell joke in there somewhere," she muses with mirth. What was the joke? Want to give birth to you own colon, binge at Taco Bell. Personally, Circe figures it'd be better to binge the Taco Bell if you get possessed. Fight the possessor to enjoy the taste, but yield to leave it to be tormented on the porcellan throne.

Circe gives a faux shudder. "Nay. Tis a horrible song that is so bad, the sheet music was enough to slay one Killer Tomato. Eeeh, strange movies are on at 3 AM Kray," she informs him.

Kray will Circe's ears droop as she realizes that was indeed going to be the case. "I don't see a Taylor-Dunn getting down those stairs intact. Or turning any better in these tunnels than when Austin Powers tried it," she groans in annoyance. "Yeah, hand jobs in our future. Wheel barrows again. Quick-crete, bricks, water, wood, and tools having to be moved over a lot of trips, ho ray," her tone is saracastic cheer. Circe isn't enthusiastic at all. At least they'd most of it down here in the storage gallery.

"Contract Bullshit is totally bullshit cheating against mundies," she agrees with her mirth returning. "I've got Dawn's Beauty, use it most, but I'm sure we can figure something out. Or just use the old bricks and an aged warning sign about methane." Sometimes a mundane solution worked just as well. If she can't figure out how to use Thief of Days.

She has to wait for Kray to move before she too can move back out. "3 Pu Pu Platters for a starter?" She suggests as an option for Chinese food. That way she'd at least get to sample something before Kray ate it all. Circe was starting to consider that hanging out with Kray was doing more to keep her trim than the Fairest thing.

"Not literal or Durian," she gives Kray a glare, "I've had to put up with eating THAT shitty plant once for a client. Never. Again." Circe had doubts that even Kray would be able to stomach it.

2 successes

Circe's kit

---
Narration

The glowing trail is fairly obvious for the Lost to find, both spotting it with ease as nothing has moved the glowsticks. Yet. Circe does spot that there are a few precariously balanced stones resting on top of some of the short stone walls. Easier to see going back than going in.

A loud crashing noise comes from the beside them as they move through the tunnels. The sound of a stone falling and cracking open. Courtesy of the stone hit by

failure

The haft of Kray's shovel. Oops and it is load, surprising the Lost as the rock turns out to be more fragile than it would seem.

Silence reigns in the tunnel after the loud noise. Even the distant noises of vermin are negated by the loud bang.

failure

Yet, nothing more seems to happen, as the distant noises of vermin skuttling and squeaking eventually resume.

**Kray** · Feb 18th, 2026 10:53 AM

The summers queens spices had done more damage then any take out that was for certain. "Ah. I don't know about that. Or why people grow peepers that hot for another thing." Even in his most gluttonous of indulgences he had never reached for anything like that again. It wasn't food really certainly not grown wit the intent of sating hunger. "Ah. It's like some grew consumable pain." That was probably possible actually.

The giant is not a big movie buff at the best of time times never mind in the early pre dawn hours. "Uh. Okay but why can't a boot work do these tomatoes explode on contact or something?" Either it was a really strange lesson about how to handle killer fruit or it was not thought out very well in his view.

He had meant the cart, not the means to brick up this tunnel. "Uh. Well we could save ourselves some walking if we just brick a little past where the monsters old den is." He knew of no plans to build a castle down here they didn't need to claim every square inch. "Ah. That way anyone who does come down this end, if they ever do, has hours of walking before they reach us." Turn the distance into a small deterrent. And yes he does miss the play on words that is hand jobs.

None of the ogres current contracts were of use in the field of deception. "Uh. Well if you on that I'm on labour duty cause I won't be able to help much otherwise." And well he could lift, carry, pull push and all the rest with great efficiency it would cut down the trips regardless.

The talk of food to come was helping with the frustration of the small space, even if made him want to leave all the faster. "Oh. Yes I could go for that. Side of fried bean sprouts, then duck in a plum sauce with the spring onions, cucumber and pancakes." Yeah he drooling just thinking about it. "Huh. You know any that do good something good for a dessert?" A quick stop by any shop for a cake of some description could also substitute.

The loud bang and crash does shatter his reverie over food yet to be consumed, gas mask ripped from his face as teeth come to bare until he can find the source. Those would be a nightmare to fight in close quarters. Maybe he'll be eating sooner then thinks. Then again as the seconds roll by and nothing else happens. Maybe not. "Ah. Did you catch what that was?" He had been way to distracted.

stats and equipment

**Circe** · Feb 18th, 2026 05:35 PM

Circe:

Circe knew the exact reason for humanity doing that. "Quick answer is humanity's phrase of: challenge accepted." For that explains why people ate spicy foods and then bred hotter versions.

Kray gets her to do a double take with that question. She inhales to answer, pauses, then shakes her head. "You know what Kray? No spoilers. We'll watch the movie." She could use a good chuckle from raw stupidity.

That seemed like a better idea. And a meaner one too no less. The concept amuser Circe greatly. "Oooh,I love that notion Kray. Security and fucking with people, that is great." Circe sees the suggestion as a prank. And laziness. Both benefit her mentality.

She has to cogitate on that question for a moment. Most Chinese takeout didn't have emphasis on dessert. Money wasn't a concern for Circe, she was profitable and so was Kray. Takeout wasn't that expensive either, mostly. Then she smirks as she can think of one place that did now. "It is a little out of season," she assures Kray. The menu at least declared the dessert was a traditional Autumn dessert in China, "But you ever heard of Mooncakes? Sweet bean paste filled snack cakes."

The rocks catch her attention. Angles must have made them hard to see on the way in, trickery of the light or something. Then the crack happens and the submachinegun is up, light on, scanning the area of the noise. Hadn't there been four rocks? Oh, there was number for, her light landing on the broken rock on the ground. "Yup. That," she keeps the gun's light trained on the rock. Then points with her left hand at a few others on the stone barriers, "From there." Circe head over to the stone barrier, quickly sweeping with the light on the other side. Left, right, up, and down. If any stones start to move, she'll grab them with her left hand.

"Huh. Guess it was precarious enough for us to shake it loose by walking."

And then the light goes around as she scans the rest of the caves. Nothing coming at them? Nothing coming at them.

"Duck special 12, pu pu platters, mooncakes, and a bad B-Movie. Less shit stench, let's get the fuck out of here," she rattles off as she is less paranoid then before. Her wariness of threat is getting replaced by being worn from the travel. Lest Kray objects, she is going to start hauling her blue butt back to Funderland. "You want to get it at Funderland's south gate? The staff meeting room near there has a Internet linked big screen and a you sized reclining lawn chair."

---
Narration:

Circe sees nothing moving that would have knocked down the stones. Nor would she have seen Kray's tools doing the knocking over with the slightest of touches.

There does sound like some squeaking gets closer, but it quickly illustrates the doppler effect. Louder is it gets closer, followed by quieter as it gets further away. The Lost have seen neither ROUS nor other threat that might hamper their departure.

ooc: ready to close?

**Kray** · Feb 20th, 2026 06:37 AM

Humanity as a hole was pretty stupid then. "Ah. I know some tasks are nasty or painful and such. But need doing. I don't get why hurt yourself just because." Never mind facilitating the act. "Hm. People got to much time and to easy a life if they go seeking pain for fun or kicks." How do teach such reckless idiots to fear for their own sake when they readily embrace self inflicted pain for fun?

The ogre has never been much of a movie person and this one sure sounded a far cry from the kind of story he preferred. "Uh. Well what you put on is your choice but from your sales pitch, there's some grass I'd rather watch grow if I'm being honest." There was only so much time in a day and he lacked the skill and contracts to mess with that. "Hm. I might not learn much from grass growing but it won't rot my brain either." And he could also stop when he got board without causing issues for anyone who might actually be enjoying it.

The ogre just sees the suggestion as practical. "Ah. Stops them stumbling on the monster den to. Probably better that is not found." No need to have swarms of police and the like down here hauling up the body or bone pile. It would rather defeat the point of secret tunnels then.

Scratching at his chin, with some difficulty. "Uh. I think I have? Not sure, I eat a lot of stuff. But hey it makes a full starter, main and desert meal so lets get some." The greasy duck pancakes were definitely the thing he most looked forward to once they had managed to extricate themselves from these tunnels.

With his attention drawn to the rock and Circe sound reasoning he calms a little putting the gas mask back on. "Ah. Could have been. Me most likely. Big guy heavy steps and all." And ogres were destructive by nature and design could have been some small trick of turn of the wyrd that just made something break near him. Nothing was rushing or attacking that was clear enough.

Seems he must needs suffer the movie to get the food. A rough trade if there ever was one. "Ah. Fine but I can't promise all it's springs will still be working after a few hours. Chairs break under me all to often." Usually with a splinter or a crack but he reckoned springs would deform just as readily.

Yeah seems like a good place to do. Thank for running this it was a lot of fun!

stats and equipment

**Circe** · Feb 21st, 2026 07:03 AM

Circe:

"Civilization~ Some don't want no jailhouse, shotgun, fish-hooks, golf club," Circe sings out a butchered lyrics of Cilisation Bongo Bongo Bongo. Eh, she only heard it in videogames anyway. She'd disagree with the first part. Golf clubs were a cheap way to get titanium though, just steal them.

"Ah. Yes. That is important to do too Kray," she agrees that keeping mundies from finding that bone pit would be a good idea. They'd definitely investigate the tunnels after finding that. She gives him a thumbs up at the idea of ordering all that. No bad b-movie though. Which was fair enough, it was very bad.

"Uuuh, I don't think it has any springs," is what she takes away from his warning. "Think it is gravity and leverage based. Used by a mundy that might outweighs you," Circe's hands move out to her sides, palms parallel to her spine. Emphasis: the mortal was obese. "So, if it breaks, it was probably that fat ass instead of your bad ass. Oh ho ho," Circe gives him a thumb up as they depart.

It'd be good to get away from the bat shit smell. She sighs in relief, "I'm not bat shit enough to stay around this stench. I prefer burnt grease with a hint of meat and veggies. Fuck it we bailing," yet she can't help but gripe some more about it. With a pun on a meme no less.

Circe going to Circe, as some folks in the Freehold will say.
---
Narration:

The lights from the Lost fade away in the darkness of the natural caves, leaving nothing but the slowly fading glow of the sticks upon the ground as they depart. Shuffling the dark can be heard as something investigates the glow. Some horrific terror or overly sized vermin?

Nope, just regular size albino. And it tries to eat a glowstick. Less Brain, more Pinky.

End Scene.

ooc: I should not have watched Graveyard Shift whilst writing this scene. It gave me ideas

Thanks for the fun ReubanBrightwood. The Lost COULD in THEORY find a path through the tunnels. But it isn't a simple path without very high Perception or Survival checks. Have a great weekend.

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2026-02-13 13:12:56	Kray rolls 4 to Int + survival + mantle (+1 to Int roll once/day) (10 Again)	6, 8, 4, 2	1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2026-02-17 07:42:39	Kray rolls 2 to perception wits+comp-clarity (10 Again)	3, 3	failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2026-02-17 19:32:38	[02] Circe rolls 8 to perception (10 Again)	5, 9, 2, 5, 7, 8, 3, 1	2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2026-02-17 19:33:14	Someone rolls 1 to do something insignificant (10 Again)	5	failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2026-02-17 19:35:22	Someone rolls 5 to do something insignificant (10 Again)	2, 4, 6, 1, 4	failure

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