Session 18

From Arispemage

Brian Steffanoskovich: Now, if only the house would leave him to do it, is the question.
Storyteller: There's a nice pond off to the side, and you think you see Baba Yaga's hut peeking out from behind the bit of wall that's rather oddly placed infront of the door.
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian's eyebrow raised even higher. "...a house on chicken legs. Vhat a country."
Genji: !em 1 Plentimon: Genji (1), 1, Successes : 0, Botch
Storyteller: Does Brian go in immediately, or does he wait a bit?
Brian Steffanoskovich: He's gonna wait a bit. He's just looking around right now.
Storyteller: There's lots of litte arsy bits scattered around.
Storyteller: Including an unfolded tesseract, and a statue of a Deep One.
Storyteller: Genji, you get there to see Brian looking about.
Storyteller: You are also pretty certain you see some big red thing duck into the house.
Adler: "Oh bloody hell. What is he up to this time..." Adler groans.
Adler: She frowns, then sits cross-legged on one of the cots in the sanctum, chanting quietly for a moment before releasing the spell
Adler: !em 10 Plentimon: Adler (10), 4, 3, 7, 2, 1, 3, 1, 10, 4, 1, Successes : 2
Adler: !em 1 Plentimon: Adler (1), 4, Successes : 0
Adler: !em 11 Plentimon: Adler (11), 10, 6, 2, 4, 6, 6, 8, 1, 1, 7, 6, Successes : 3
Adler: !em 1 Plentimon: Adler (1), 4, Successes : 0
Storyteller: As Adler's projection arrives, she sees quite clearly, a red robed skeleton with a sword on a red horse, and a black robed skeleton with a scythe on a green horse circling around the house.
Adler: *War and...Death? Famine? Huh. Lovely. What are two horsemen of the Apocolypse doing in what is essentially my backyard?* she thinks
Storyteller: She also sees Brian and Genji.
Adler: *Now...how to get their attention. Hmmm...*
Genji: "EMP, did you just see something giant and red run into the house?" Genji approaches the other Arrow warily...
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian's hand went up, his spear point aimed at Genji. "...keep distance here."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Vhen near house of Fate Mage...trust very little. No offense friend, or illusion of friend."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "And no, possible illusion of friend. Nothink red...though I did see chicken house."
Brian Steffanoskovich: He set his spear point down.
Genji: Ken blinked a lot. Huh. "Right, illusion... What can I do to prove I'm a real boy and not a phantasm?"
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian continued his watch of the house. "...phantasms don't bleed. But, I'm not vun to poke and prod vith spear. Just don't stab in back if you are fake." Brian took a few steps more toward the house.
Adler: Adler wiggles her fingers for a moment, releasing a spell that puts the words, "Look At Twilight" into Genji's brain
Adler: !em 8 Plentimon: Adler (8), 10, 6, 9, 2, 4, 2, 3, 5, Successes : 2
Adler: !em 1 Plentimon: Adler (1), 3, Successes : 0
Genji: Ken sighed. Like he cared about something like being INJURED to prove a point, but whatever. "Right, no sneak attacks and you don't fry me with lightning. ...Hey, did you keep that cat?"
Genji: He had the sudden urge to look into the Twilight...
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Vilkomen is back at the cave."
Genji: Genji peers past the gauntlet...
Storyteller: !ex 6 Plentimon:
Storyteller (6), 1, 7, 10, 5, 2, 9, Successes : 4
Storyteller: !ex 1 Plentimon:
Storyteller (1), 9, Successes : 1
Genji: !em 6 Plentimon: Genji (6), 3, 3, 2, 3, 7, 7, Successes : 2
Genji: (Damn, zip. Trying again.)
Genji: !em 6 Plentimon: Genji (6), 2, 9, 6, 5, 1, 5, Successes : 1
Storyteller: You see Adler, in Astral form.
Genji: Ken jumps back a bit. "Huh, hey Addy."
Adler: "Well, FINALLY." Adler sighs, "Anyway, what's up with the shriekshack? It causin problems?"
Genji: "Sorry for keeping you waiting? Yeah, EMP said there was something wierd going on, he hasn't filled me in yet as he thinks I'm an illusion. I don't know why he doesn't just read my aura with his PRIME POWERS TO SEE THROUGH ALL ILLUSIONS" Ken raises his voice a bit there "but there's some Arrow business with a missing artifact that might be connected to it, so we're working on it."
Genji: "Any information support you can offer? I still have no idea what this "Stargazer" is."
Adler: "Well, Tax has been singing a song titled "Stargazer" recently."
Genji: "So this thing is probably one of HIS items, then? Nothing's a coincidence when it comes to the chibi..."
Adler: "Almost inevitably."
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian tapped his spear along the path, checking for anything that might pop out.
Storyteller: The spear turns over a stone.
Storyteller: There's a scrap of paper under the stone.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...alvays new notes." He poked the edge of the paper with the spear, just enough to pick it up and pluck the note off the tip.
Storyteller: It reads, "I bet you thought this was important" in cramped handwriting.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "..." He crumpled it up, placing it in his pocket. That pocket was filled with so many folded papers...
Storyteller: There's nothing else along the path, other than the sinking feeling that the statue of the Deep One moved.
Genji: "What'd you find?" Genji calls after EMP.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Tricks." He moved the stone back, giving another look at the statue. "...such a place so close to my home...bad things."
Genji: "Hmmm... So anyway, it seems like we're inevitably going to have to go in and explore this place. Are you going to follow in astral, Addy? Not sure what could be in there that could attack you when you're like this..."
Adler: "Not much, unless it tries to drive us all insane, actually. That's one of the advantages of this trick."
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian walked more toward the house, using his staff to keep things from being stepped on.
Storyteller: Not too much along the path.
Storyteller: Snafu, there's a note posted on your door.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "You coming, possible illusion of friend?" He pokes at the door with his staff.
Snafu: He takes a look at the note.
Genji: Ken follows on Brian's wake, trusting on the veteran to pick out the traps while he watches for enemies. In fact, Genji focused for a minute and turned on his life sense, he wanted to be able to know if a MOUSE was sneaking up on them.
Storyteller: Genji notices a rat that's following suspiciously.
Genji: !em 7 Plentimon: Genji (7), 2, 6, 3, 7, 6, 6, 9, Successes : 2
Adler: Adler floats that way
Genji: ...rat or Life mage that's been transformed INTO a rat?
Storyteller: Rat.
Storyteller: But an awefully suspicious rat.
Genji: ...Ken would eat it if it got out of line...
Storyteller: Behind the small wall, you see the front doors.
Storyteller: A pair of large oak numbers.
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian looked about, giving a look at the door and the numbers. He gave a few knocks on the door with the diamond end of his staff.
Storyteller: The doors sound normal enough.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Vas hoping somevun vould open."
Storyteller: The doors open, as if by magic.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...convenient."
Genji: "... DOn't do that EMP. I think the house is listening."
Snafu: Realizing that he might as well pursue something interesting(and possibly profitable) when he sees it, he gets in his car(a beamer, he allows himself some luxury, and heads to wear this Stargazer is supposed to be, but not before releasing his mage Sight, and conjunctionally activating both sight and armor.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Vouldn't be surprised." He walked into the house, looking about on the inside.
Snafu: !em 9 Plentimon: Snafu (9), 5, 4, 4, 4, 9, 2, 8, 3, 1, Successes : 2
Snafu: !em 9 Plentimon: Snafu (9), 9, 6, 3, 3, 4, 6, 7, 3, 2, Successes : 2
Snafu: !em 1 Plentimon: Snafu (1), 8, Successes : 1
Storyteller: There's a large room right inside. There's books on the shelves, and a big chair facing the fireplace. The fireplace is lit, and the smell of burning mesquite wafts over to you.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...homey."
Genji: "Too homey for a place that's supposed to be abandoned."
Storyteller: A quiet "Thank you," echoes from the chair.
Genji: "..."
Adler: Adler arches one semi-existant eyebrow and scans for minds
Adler: !ex 8 Plentimon: Adler (8), 9, 2, 9, 4, 7, 8, 9, 6, Successes : 5
Genji: Ken circles around to the side of the chair, hoping to get a glimpse of whoever is in it.
Storyteller: For all of a few seconds, it looks like Tax in a grey robe and fuzzy green slippers, but then the flesh falls off like dust, the eyes dry up, and the hair falls out, leaving you with a well dressed skeleton.
Storyteller: Feel free to freak out.
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian looked at the skeleton. "...is that also a not-illusion?"
Storyteller: Skeleton looks real.
Genji: "...Well shit."
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian gave the skeleton a poke with his spear. Poke, poke.
Storyteller: Skeleton falls over like real.
Storyteller: And feels, at spear point, like it's real.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Strange."
Snafu: The door slowly and deliberately creaks open.
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian's head turned to the direction of the door, the diamond head of his staff up and aiming.

• Snafu raises his hands. "It's me, if you remember."

Brian Steffanoskovich: "...another maybe illusion."
Genji: "I'm reading life from him, he's real."
Snafu: "Yep, to the best of my knowledge."
Genji: "Also I do NOT remember you, who's this guy?" Ken throws a glance to invisi-Addy.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...I'm vatching both of you."
Genji: "...OH. You're the guy I helped drive around yesterday."
Genji: "...Dammit EMP, I'm the real Genji."
Snafu: "That I am. Snafu, Arrow."
Snafu: "Among other things."

• • • Snafu has left #arispemage.
    • Snafu has joined #arispemage.

Brian Steffanoskovich: "That's just vhat a fake vould say." He muttered under his breath, moving to look at the books on the book shelf.
Storyteller: It's like a minature library in there.
Snafu: "So, what's this about Stargazer, anyway? And.... is there another person here?"
Genji: Ken refrained from tearing his arm open Terminator style to prove himself.
Storyteller: All mundane stuff, but some of it's pretty nasty stuff.
Adler: !em 8 Plentimon: Adler (8), 7, 10, 10, 9, 2, 2, 9, 2, Successes : 5
Genji: "Our Cabal has... long range support, so she's not really here."
Snafu: "Twilight?"
Adler: Adler's voice echoes in Snafu's Mind, "Sorta yes, Sorta no."
Genji: "You know, ADDY, EMP. OUR FRIEND ADDY."
Snafu: "I... okay."

• • • 
      Brian Steffanoskovich has signed off IRC (Ping timeout).
    • 
      Brian Steffanoskovich has joined #arispemage.

Storyteller: Snafu, a book almost falls on your head.
Snafu: He looks up, to see what might have caused that.
Genji: "Also, be careful, the House is probably designed to fuck with you... All the rest of Tax's shit is..."
Storyteller: There's nothing up there that could have caused it.
Storyteller: Infact, there's not even any books near enough to have almost fallen on you.
Snafu: "Oh, beautiful." He remarks to the whole situation.
Genji: Ken will pick up the book. What is it?
Adler: "I can't help but be amused by this entire situation."
Storyteller: It's a book on building telescopes.
Adler: "Also, why do I get the feeling that playing a few of the Myst games would be benificial here...?"
Storyteller: Adler, a voice in the Twilight says, from right under you, "It just might."
Genji: "Building telescopes... Stargazer..."

• Snafu closes his eyes, seemingly in exasperation, but begins chanting in High Speech, to expand his perception to Twilight.

Genji: Ken, still being attuned to the Twilight, takes a look at where the voice came from.
Storyteller: The floor there looks perfectly normal.
Snafu: !em 8 Plentimon: Snafu (8), 10, 6, 1, 7, 2, 9, 3, 9, Successes : 4
Snafu: !em 1 Plentimon: Snafu (1), 2, Successes : 0

• Snafu suddenly winces.

Brian Steffanoskovich: "Vhat is wrong?"
Snafu: "Sounds like ghosts upstairs, a lot of them. Hurting bad."
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian looked upwards to the ceiling. "...vell, let us check it out, ya?"
Snafu: "Either way, my TV's got Twilight." He nods absentmindedly at Adler.
Storyteller: Up stairs, the yells get far lounder when you approach a set of blackened iron doors.
Storyteller: It's nearly deafening for Snafu.
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian taps his staff against the iron doors. "Awful big for such a homey home, yes?"

• Snafu has a grimace on his face the whole way up.

Genji: "Iron... anything they'd use iron to build doors for, Addy?"
Snafu: "Well, iron has certain mystical properties, if that means anything."
Snafu: "Especially pure, cold wrought iron. Or meteoric iron."
Genji: "...Well YEAH it means something. Can it be used to keep stuff like Ghosts in?"
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Question should be, vhy so many ghosts HERE?
Snafu: "If enchanted, I suppose. Lead has more connotations to Stygia,"
Adler: !em 6 Plentimon: Adler (6), 1, 1, 1, 9, 2, 5, Successes : 1
Adler: "Iron tends to be associated with Mastigos."

• Snafu offers a nod. Still has a headache.

Genji: "I see, huh."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Vell...ve could just open it."
Adler: "The right one appears to be labeled 'Pandemonium' The left one...one second." Adler takes a closer look at the writing
Adler: !em 8 Plentimon: Adler (8), 8, 9, 4, 6, 9, 6, 5, 9, Successes : 4
Adler: "Aaaand this one tells us not to go fishing in the Underworld for the souls of the dead. Lovely. How about we leave and not open either of them?"
Snafu: "Leery of opening a door marked after a mystical otherworld, but I suppose- oh."
Snafu: "Yes, I've had quite enough of this."
Genji: "Yeahhh, I don't want to let ANYTHING Tax thought was dangerous enough to lock up here out."
Snafu: "Like a thousand screaming dead people?"
Snafu: "So. Anywhere else to look? I'm sorry to intrude, if I did."
Storyteller: Brian,Genji, you two can hear the clack, clack of bones moving from below.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...bones. The skeleton?" Brian turned, rushing back downstairs.
Storyteller: Skeleton's still in the chair, but the noise now seems to be coming from a room to the west.
Snafu: "Er, uh..." Snafu stammers out, and follows at a somewhat less hurried pace.
Adler: Float, Float
Genji: Ken takes point and moves fast and low to the room. "Dammit, this better not be another trick, I want to punch something pretty badly..."
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian continued to follow the sound, his staff raised up to keep the speed.

• Snafu picks up the pace, noticing a bit more urgency.

Storyteller: Brian, you arrive first, in a large kitchen. There's several skeletons walking around, preparing food.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...this could be bad."
Genji: "More walking dead folks, wonderful..."
Snafu: "This is bad. I can't see any spells animating them."

• Snafu pulls out a handgun while he's at it.

Brian Steffanoskovich: "...are they merely servants?"
Storyteller: They contiune cooking.
Genji: "Doesn't look like they know we're here."
Snafu: "Could be. Not taking chances."
Storyteller: One trips, and falls, spilling a delicious looking pot roast.
Genji: Ken despairs. D=
Storyteller: The others seem to get very angry at that one.
Genji: "Damn that looks like a good roast..."
Snafu: "I'll take you all out to lunch afterwards, then."
Genji: "Nice. I'll have to make sure you don't die." Ken grins at him like a wolf.
Adler: "I have no idea what you're talking about guys. I don't see anything."
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian walks in closer, looking at all the skeletons. "...veird." He gave one a poke with his staff.
Storyteller: The staff goes clear though, like there was nothing there.
Snafu: "I think, I know then, Adler, was it? Do you have Mage Sigh- that'd be it."
Genji: "...So they're Illusions and only Addy's smart enough to not get hit by them?"
Snafu: "They aren't real. There's no spell animating them. They are spells, in a manner of speaking."
Adler: "Its not entirely my brainpower.
Adler: I've got quite a few protections of a less mundane nature."
Genji: "Ah, makes sense."
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian nods. "The poke alvays vurks."
Genji: Ken pokes Brian. "You're real, I'm real."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...only the staff proves." He looked back at the skeletons. "Awful lot of vurk to make fake servants."
Snafu: "Wasn't he an Archmage?"
Genji: Ken sighs. Then he kicks at the roast.
Storyteller: Genji, the roast bounces a bit from the kick.
Snafu: "....okay. That's odd."
Genji: "...The roast is..." It had been longer than 5 seconds, KEn would NOT try to eat it.
Storyteller: The smell of smoke starts to fill the air.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...fire?"
Storyteller: Brian, it's coming from your pocket.
Storyteller: Doesn't feel hot, but there's smoke coming from your pocket.
Genji: "...You're on fire, EMP."
Snafu: "Oh, damn."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...SHITE!" He swore in Russian, a long string of words you likely were glad you couldn't understand.
Brian Steffanoskovich: He reached into his pocket, emptying it of all its contents in an attempt to get out whatever was burning.
Storyteller: There's one piece of paper that's alight with a white flame.
Storyteller: Alder, it's extra bright to you.
Storyteller: And it's also enchanted.

• Snafu backs off.

Genji: Ken leans in a bit, testing the white flame for heat.
Storyteller: It's actually a bit cool.
Genji: He'll pick it up and see what the paper is about.
Storyteller: It doesn't want to unfold anymore.
Genji: "Unf... it doesn't wanna come apart..."
Genji: "It's not hot, though. Wierd."
Snafu: "Hmm."
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian looked at the rest of the papers, trying to figure out which of the papers were burning.
Storyteller: It's the one from under the stone in the walkway of this house, you find out.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...it's the trick paper."
Storyteller: Smoke comes off it intermittently.
Snafu: "I'd put it out, but I doubt it's that simple."
Genji: "Addy, can you see if there's any pattern to the smoke?"
Genji: "Maybe it's like indian smoke signals?"
Adler: "Hmm...K...E....Y, I believe."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...vhat's a key?"
Genji: "Key? So maybe the paper is a key to something?"
Snafu: "Hmm. I don't really have the proper context to tell."
Storyteller: The skeletons make a reappearance.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "They're back again."
Genji: "I wonder why?"
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...for the pot roast?"
Storyteller: Nope, making more food.
Storyteller: One slips on the pot roast and it's head goes flying.
Storyteller: If it were real, and Adler were there, she'd have a skull hat.
Snafu: "Hmm. Should we move on?"
Genji: "Yeah, we'd better. Let's keep looking around. If we're looking for something like a telescope we should go upstairs, right?"
Brian Steffanoskovich: "That vould mean opening one of the doors."
Adler: "Or building one with that book that almost knocked your brains loose."

• Snafu rubs his head and grumbles under his breath.

Storyteller: A new, different looking skeleton walks in pretty much though a wall.
Storyteller: It's got an armored breast plate on and a short sword in one hand.
Storyteller: It's talking to a skeleton in a chef's hat.
Genji: "...That guy doesn't look as friendly as the rest."
Snafu: "They could represent the vassals at a feudal estate."
Genji: "Vassals... Thos're... servants, right?"
Snafu: "Yeah."
Storyteller: Rather abruptly, the skeletons disappear, and the room becomes unbearbly stale feeling.
Genji: "...AUGH. I'm getting fucking TIRED of this funhouse!"
Storyteller: A voice behind you says "You've got an odd idea of what constitutes a fun house."
Snafu: "Not as odd as yours."

• Snafu turns around, gun in hand.

Genji: Ken whirls around. He hoped whatever it was was punchable.
Storyteller: "This isn't ment to be a fun house." the Skeleton in a bathrobe and fuzzy slippers says.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...it's a labyrinth. Riddles."
Storyteller: "Something like that," it replies.
Storyteller: It walks up to one of the the refridgerators.
Storyteller: Gets out some milk.
Storyteller: Goes to one of the cabinets and gets out a glass.
Genji: ...Ken twitched.
Storyteller: It then proceeds to pour itself a glass of milk and drink it.
Genji: He twitched some more, that was going to make a mess.
Genji: "Do you have any telescopes around here?"
Storyteller: Nope. The milk doesn't spill.
Storyteller: "Sure. Lots of them."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Any kaleidoscopes?"
Storyteller: "Had one, threw it away. It wasn't safe to keep it here."
Snafu: "There's the one."
Storyteller: "Really, you know what I wish I had?"
Genji: "...Skin?"
Storyteller: "Nope."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...organs?"
Storyteller: "Nope."
Adler: "Trained Howler Attack Monkies?"
Snafu: "The answer to the question you're asking us?"
Storyteller: "Already got the monkeys. And I know the answer."
Snafu: "Rather, the object that said answer refers too?"
Storyteller: "Flan."
Adler: "Flan?"
Storyteller: "Flan."
Genji: "...FLAN?"
Storyteller: "Flan."
Genji: Ken's hand balls into a fist.
Snafu: "Eh, flan's not that great."
Storyteller: "I happen to like flan."
Snafu: "It's a matter of taste."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...CURSE YOU, TAX!!!"
Storyteller: "What?"
Genji: Ken punches the Skeleton in the face.
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian's poor mind...too many English words flying back and forth too quickly. Surely they couldn't be saying what he thought they were...
Genji: "DONT FUCK WITH US ANYMORE!"
Storyteller: You hit it, and your fists split open. It's like hitting petrified wood.
Genji: Ken wasn't mindful of the wound, he had long ago learned to ignor anything that didn't immediately kill him.

• Snafu steps back. This could get ugly.

Storyteller: The skeleton, though doesn't quite go down.
Storyteller: Hell, it barely even moves.
Storyteller: "What was that for?"
Adler: "That seemed unnessecary. Genji, put your fist back together."
Genji: "Made me feel better, at least." Ken shakes the blood of off his fist, the wound not being NEARLY as bad as it looked.
Genji: !em 9 Plentimon: Genji (9), 9, 3, 8, 5, 2, 5, 9, 8, 3, Successes : 4
Storyteller: "So, since the big boss hasn't told me otherwise, I guess I'm in charge. So, why you four after Stargazer?"
Genji: "Oh NOW he gets to the point..." Genji grumbles along and puts hands into his pockets.
Storyteller: "Well, I am obliged to do most of the stuff I did."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Ve vere sent to find and collect it. Tax said ve could. Vell, his spirit, at any rate."
Storyteller: "... You know, I can not for the life of me think why I'd send anyone after that."
Storyteller: "Well, real me. Not me me."
Storyteller: "Know what I mean?"
Snafu: "It says something of the circumstances we find ourselves in, and the nature of the world we live in, that yes, I do.
Genji: "...Anyway, he did, so where is it?"
Storyteller: "I threw it away so that the Arrows would find it. They should have it."

• Snafu blinks.

Snafu: "So.... is this place soundproofed?"
Storyteller: "To a degree. Not a well as some of the other rooms."

• Snafu looks thoughtfully at his gun.

Storyteller: "So, what's going so bad that you need Stargazer? Exarch out for you personally?"
Genji: "...Huh... Well, no. And some bad news... WE'RE Arrows, and the Piercing Arrow put us on the job to FIND Stargazer."
Storyteller: "... Well, that's depresssing."
Snafu: "Yes, that would be correct."
Storyteller: "No clues? No lenses?"
Genji: "Nothing."
Storyteller: "Well, it's going to be hard to find in that case."
Storyteller: "But, when it gets used, it's obvious enough."
Storyteller: "Feed it mana, and it twists magic something fierce."
Genji: Twists?
Storyteller: "Yeah. Feed it enough and the magic twists like a Paradox."
Storyteller: "It's very good if you want to kill off somebody."
Snafu: "Well, I can see why the brass would want it."
Storyteller: "Last I saw myself, I had considered giving a fake of it to the Guardians, but then the old leader went and died."
Storyteller: "Now, I do know a way you can get a sympathetic link, but it'll involve some graverobbing."
Snafu: "I'm game."
Storyteller: "How about everyone else?"
Genji: "...*SIGH* Dammit, fine, whatever it takes."

• • • AngryNacht is now known as
      Peter Pan.

Brian Steffanoskovich: "Can ve at least know vhat it LOOKS like?"
Storyteller: "It's a black and white kaleidoscope, with a smokey greyish lens."
Storyteller: "It's like the ones that they hand out at the Shrine Circus."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Vell, vhere did you throw it avay!?"
Storyteller: "It's in this one place near the naval airstation that the head Arrow likes to frequent."
Storyteller: "South of the officer's club entrance."
Genji: "Explains why we didn't find it, head Arrow is missing, replaced by some chick."
Storyteller: "Any description on that lady?"
Genji: Genji describes the woman who was sitting in the Arrow Order chair at the last Concilium meeting.
Storyteller: "Hrm. No clue who that is whatsoever," the skeleton replys cheerfully.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Merely a Sharpened Arrow. She vill be gone vhen the original has returned."
Genji: "If he's still around..."
Storyteller: "Then whoever stole it is good."
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian gave a little glare. "A Flying Arrow does not go that easily."
Snafu: "Hmm. So, when will we go about this?"
Genji: "Might have gone down hard then. I'm not feeling optimistic about it."
Storyteller: "Find the grave of Rodriguo Vasques. He was the one that made it, so he should have some resonance with the thing."

• Snafu chuckles.

Snafu: "Vasques?"
Genji: "...Rodriguo Vasques"
Storyteller: "Yes. My first student."
Storyteller: "Promising, but then he managed to off himself with Stargazer."
Snafu: "Well, at least I'll be able to remember it."
Genji: "So we need to find a dead guy to find the macguffin."
Storyteller: "I think his family has a mausoleum."
Storyteller: "Also, if you come back here, don't count on me being here. The defences like to change things a lot."
Adler: "Anything else, or can I stop being a disembodied floaty thing?"
Storyteller: "The real me'd know more. So, ask him, I suppose."
Adler: "Will do. You three need me here?"
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...ve should have just done that in the first place."
Genji: "I suppose we'll see you at your place, Addy."
Snafu: "Mind if I come along? I don't know many people in the city itself."
Adler: "Quite. That would be perfectly ok. Just let me get the door for you so I can key you through."
Storyteller: Scene wipe to the front of the tower and....
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian is heading up the stairs.
Brian Steffanoskovich: After that, he needed a sandwich and a bottle of vodka.
Brian Steffanoskovich: Badly.
Genji: Genji slumps into the first chair he finds and stays there.
Brian Steffanoskovich: The russian reached into the fridge, pulling out meat and thick blocks of cheese.
Brian Steffanoskovich: Into the freezer he goes, pulling out a bottle of "Frozen Vodka".
Brian Steffanoskovich: He popped the top, drinking down the incredibly cold alcohol.
Snafu: Snafu heads into the tower, stretching away the fatigue of the.... unusual trip, and sort of flomps gracelessly into a seat.

• • • Snafu is now known as Lavos.
    • Lavos has left #arispemage.

Brian Steffanoskovich: He finished up his sandwich, a thick four-layer concoction of bread, meats, and cheese.
Storyteller: The book lies in it's place peacfully, unsuspecting of the things to come.
Peter Pan: Peter went to sit next to Brian "So, how'd things go?"
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...I vill kill Tax." He took another drink.
Adler: "Given that the man is dead, that would be a bit difficult." Adler sips her tea.
Brian Steffanoskovich: He shoves a knife forcefully through his sandwich, giving a rough twist. "I vill find a vay." He then proceeded to cut his sandwich in half.
Peter Pan: "Why do we not like Tax now?"
Adler: "EMP is frustrated with Alan's sense of humor."
Peter Pan: "Ah, now that I can understand"
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Damn skeletons...ghosts...Baba Yaga's house..." He bites into his sandwich, tearing off a chunk with his teeth.
Peter Pan: "..."
Genji: Ken is grumbling to himself and snacking on whatever meat and cheese didn't go into Brian's sandwich.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Throwing avay the telescope...vild goose chase...kill the bastard..."
Storyteller: Chibi Tax (In Revolver Ocelot-ish garb) rises out of the book at that. "What?"
Peter Pan: "Brian and Genji don't seem to appriciate your humor like I do"
Storyteller: "Ah. What happened?"
Adler: "They seem quite put out, in fact."
Brian Steffanoskovich: A bottle of vodka goes flying past its head.
Brian Steffanoskovich: Followed by a looooooooong string of Russian words.
Storyteller: "...?"
Brian Steffanoskovich: Very...vulgar words.
Storyteller: "HEY! I know what you're saying! There's a Lady PRESENT!" he shouts back, in Russian Mot.
Genji: Not having a foreign language to fall back on, Ken just grumbles with his mouth full.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "?? ?? ???????????, ????? ????????, ?? ????????????, ????? ???????. ? ??????? ?? ??? ????????!"
Storyteller: "So, what exactly happened?"
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Ve met your skeleton. He threw avay the Stargazer."
Storyteller: "No, I threw it away some time ago, so that the Arrows would get ahold of it."
Storyteller: "It's far too dangerous to be in the hands of those that would use it or destroy it."
Storyteller: "And it's far too dangerous to be used anywhere near the House of Leaves.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "So. You threw it avay."
Storyteller: "Yes."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "You took a device, vhich can kill magic-users easily...and threw it avay."
Storyteller: "It generally does so by invoking a huge amount of paradox and it could unravel all the bindings on the House."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...and now anyvun could have it."
Storyteller: "And I made certain that it was in the hands of the Arrows. Who would, knowing what it does, lock it away."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Vhy not just give it to the Guardians? They destroy artifacts daily. Somethink like that has almost no value keepink around."
Storyteller: "Because destroying it would be worse."
Peter Pan: "So why not just put it in a solid block of lead and drop it over the Marianas Trench?"
Storyteller: "It would defend itself, and then I'd probably not only be in the lead block in the Marinas Trench, but I'd probably also be a soulless rutabega."
Storyteller: "And I have no clue if it'd defend itself like that from others.
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian's eye twitched. That was starting to be a bad habit.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Curse you, Tax..."
Storyteller: "It'd be more like curse Rodriguo, and curse me for teaching him."
Peter Pan: "Sometimes, I wonder if it's ok to talk to you. You seem to have an exceedingly poor history and reputation"
Storyteller: "I've had some pretty extreme ups and downs to my history."
Storyteller: "When I screwed up, like in this case, I screwed up big time."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "I can feel my Status as an Arrow slip further down the more we talk around him." He finished off his sandwich. "And is it possible to move the house further avay from my cave? It scares Vilkomen."
Storyteller: "Depends. Do you want to deal with a stairway to Pandemonium?"
Adler: "Once through hell was enough, thanks."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Vhy vere there doors holding in ghosts?"
Storyteller: "That's another mess up of mine. You'd think that building your sanctum on a stairway to Pandamonium would mean that fewer people would try to break in."
Storyteller: "Oh, that? It's not real."
Storyteller: "It's a fake labrynth to discourage the trespassers from going into the actual labrynth."
Storyteller: "I never got why anyone would want to use those damned stairs."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...ve take the book vith us next time ve go into the house."
Storyteller: "... Why did you go there in the first place?"
Brian Steffanoskovich: "It ist by my cave. And there vas a...a strange vind. It blew from the house. Scared Vilkomen."
Storyteller: "So, somebody tried to break in, then."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "There vas vhat looked like a house on chicken legs. Baba Yaga. Genji said he saw somevun in red.
Storyteller: "Or tried to lure you guys in. One of the two."
Storyteller: "Nothing of my doing."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "And a moving statue of a Deep One."
Storyteller: "A Deep One?"
Storyteller: "Really, not anything of mine."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Yes. You know...frog-like creatures. Like to mate vith humans. Book written about them."
Storyteller: "Again, not something of mine."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...then somevun vas redecorating."
Storyteller: "And badly."
Storyteller: "Well, let's go and check, and I'll try and help you guys out."
Storyteller: "But later, I think you've had enough of the place for a while, right?"
Adler: "I dunno, its not nearly as bad if you're there as an Astral Projection."
Storyteller: "Wait. You did what?"
Storyteller: "Something's very wrong here."
Adler: "Huh?"
Storyteller: "It should be hell no matter what if you don't have the proper key. And I know you don't. Something, therefore is wrong!"
Peter Pan: "Like, how wrong?"
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Vhat is it about a key? I know a paper I found on the road started burning, and then mentioned it."
Storyteller: "Not that key, that one leads you deeper down the rabbit hole. And it should be as frightening as being in the middle of the Abyss unexpectedly."
Adler: "That's probably not a good sign."
Storyteller: "No."
Storyteller: "Get youselves ready for an ordeal, and wake me up again when you're all ready to face true HORROR!" he exclaims melodramatically, as he goes back into the book.
Brian Steffanoskovich: Brian let out a sigh, the head of his staff bumping against his forehead in a rythmic tempo.
Brian Steffanoskovich: "...I vill kill him. I svear to God."
Peter Pan: "...If we're gonna risk dying tomorrow, we should get Chinese Food tonight."
Brian Steffanoskovich: "Bah. That only makes me hungry later. Tonight, ve dine like Russians. Heavy food means heavy sleep."
Peter Pan: "And Chinese Food helps me make sure we'll all be ok. Fortune Cookies are a great assistance in forming a good imago for a Divination."