Embedded Files
SO THE THREE OF YOU ARE ON THE 10TH FLOOR AT THE MOMENT. And it has nearly completely shifted into some approximation of History B. The hallways don't match the architecture of the hotel below, although the sacrifice room you're all in is pretty much the same dimensions as the hot jazz room.
SO THE THREE OF YOU ARE ON THE 10TH FLOOR AT THE MOMENT. And it has nearly completely shifted into some approximation of History B. The hallways don't match the architecture of the hotel below, although the sacrifice room you're all in is pretty much the same dimensions as the hot jazz room.
But what exists above you, below you, and down the now-twisting corridors of 10?
But what exists above you, below you, and down the now-twisting corridors of 10?
Nobody knows.
Nobody knows.
It will take some time to explore.
It will take some time to explore.
Leonard
Leonard
What’s our priority here, fellas? Are there other irruptors we should try to flush out or is going down to the ballroom and enforcing the game our job one?
Jeff
Jeff
I think Mitch needs to tap out. He wasn't in a great headspace before he ate the... ugh, 35 Corruption.
I will say that Roger/Agent 00 could probably find his way back to the stairwell he came up.
I will say that Roger/Agent 00 could probably find his way back to the stairwell he came up.
Bill
Bill
“Are there any other innocents in danger on these floors? That we need to lead down and out?
Jeff
Jeff
"Probably. I need to go downstairs, though."
Bill
Bill
“Let me lead you to the stairwell down, then, and we’ll ... we’ll head up.”
Jeff
Jeff
Mitch nods distractedly. "Thanks, man." He addresses more the general direction of Roger than Roger/Double Zero himself.
(I think Mitch is making his way towards the Ballroom, where he'll sit and soak up some better vibes for a bit. Maybe find Anna Turner and her clique and listen to them chatter a while. Anything but more irruptors right now.)
I've been thinking that maybe Anna and Don might have gotten sucked into MARPA and not Atlantis, actually. Anna's got that old-school sf/Krane flair, and they both technically (actually only sorta) work for the government (at public television ). That doesn't mean they won't be found in and around the ballroom, obviously, I just think if they got infected by the meme they might be more comfortable playing "technical consultants" for MARPA.
I've been thinking that maybe Anna and Don might have gotten sucked into MARPA and not Atlantis, actually. Anna's got that old-school sf/Krane flair, and they both technically (actually only sorta) work for the government (at public television ). That doesn't mean they won't be found in and around the ballroom, obviously, I just think if they got infected by the meme they might be more comfortable playing "technical consultants" for MARPA.
Which means Anna might meet Archie and get us closer to my goal of having Archie eventually do a creepy mid-'70s educational program for KQED.
Which means Anna might meet Archie and get us closer to my goal of having Archie eventually do a creepy mid-'70s educational program for KQED.
Leonard
Leonard
I think Jocasta will follow them down, but she’ll lag behind, checking each descending floor for its level of corruption/History B slippage/occult influence. If she spots any irruptors or solid citizens in need, she’ll radio ahead.
Jeff
Jeff
Forty minutes of Atlantean vibes will restore Mitch's FP, though they won't restore his lost innocence.
I think that will put Mitch down there when Archie finally arrives at the ballroom from his own travails.
I think that will put Mitch down there when Archie finally arrives at the ballroom from his own travails.
Was the idea that after Mitch got downstairs safely that Roger and Jocasta were going to sweep the upper floors?
Was the idea that after Mitch got downstairs safely that Roger and Jocasta were going to sweep the upper floors?
A reminder that the clock on Agent Double Zero is ticking.
Jeff
Jeff
Argh, maybe I should rethink the retreat to the ballroom. I don't want to leave the rest of the team in the lurch just because Mitch has suffered self-inflicted psychic friendly fire. Roger and Jocasta are both physically injured, while Mitch is unscathed.
Bill
Bill
We can trade off, Mitch. You can take a minute to recover now so you can be up when Roger’s out. Agent 00 isn’t gonna say that, but you know Roger would.
The sweep will have to be a balance between fast enough to make the timer, but slow enough to not burn FP too fast. Overconfident really is a nail biter to have to play.
You all let me know what the plan is for the upper three floors recon and I'll narrate it.
You all let me know what the plan is for the upper three floors recon and I'll narrate it.
Jeff
Jeff
Okay, if everybody's cool with it, I think what we're doing is 00 and Jo escort Mitch to the stairwell 00 climbed. Mitch goes down the stairs with the intention of finding a quiet spot in the lobby, and my thought is he ends up in the Atlantean ballroom for those good vibes. Double Zero and Jocasta meantime move systematically through the hotel from the top down, scanning as best they can for monsters and other problems.
Bill
Bill
If there’s anything that looks importantly worshipful, knock it over. But most import is shooing along innocents. Maybe seeing what happened to our ops base.
Agent 00 doesn't have a whole lot of Observation/Tactics skills, but he does have Leadership. So I'm gonna have him roll Leadership-13 to aid Jocasta's more military-tactical assessment of the situation and keep her calm and collected.
Agent 00 doesn't have a whole lot of Observation/Tactics skills, but he does have Leadership. So I'm gonna have him roll Leadership-13 to aid Jocasta's more military-tactical assessment of the situation and keep her calm and collected.
LEADERSHIP // ... c-c-c-critical failure!
LEADERSHIP // ... c-c-c-critical failure!
Leonard
Leonard
Jocasta's suggestion for the sweep is pretty much recon combined with lockdown: seeing what changes are being made (she's gonna have her sketchbook handy) and making sure no civilians are in a position of peril.
If we run into any irruptors we can do a threat assessment but we shouldn't fully engage if we can help it; the higher up we are, the more they're in control.
Also, a few quick questions: (a) Did the fire in the (literally) hot jazz suite spread or set off any alarms, or was it too History-B'd at that point? (b) I'm not sure if Jocasta is aware that Agent Double Zero is a loa (she might make that leap, or she might just assume Roger is doing a bit for the game), so I don't know if she would be aware that there's a timer on his presence. (She might not actually know that even if she knew it was a loa.) What's her degree of insight into that? and (c) Are our walkie-talkies still working? If so, she will do a quick check-in with the ballroom gang to let them know our plans.
a) No, the fire remained contained inside the hot jazz room and apart from some peeling St. Francis wallpaper, a few pieces of decayed (now burned) furniture and the wall facing the exterior of the hotel (including its glass windowpanes), nothing of the original St. Francis room remained after that big shift.
a) No, the fire remained contained inside the hot jazz room and apart from some peeling St. Francis wallpaper, a few pieces of decayed (now burned) furniture and the wall facing the exterior of the hotel (including its glass windowpanes), nothing of the original St. Francis room remained after that big shift.
b) I suppose Jocasta could make an Occultism-18 roll (normal rating at a +2); she's seen enough of Roger's transformations/possessions in the past to be able to make a decent supposition on what's happened here and I think that the game/the history shift make suppositions like this more likely.
b) I suppose Jocasta could make an Occultism-18 roll (normal rating at a +2); she's seen enough of Roger's transformations/possessions in the past to be able to make a decent supposition on what's happened here and I think that the game/the history shift make suppositions like this more likely.
c) Only way to see if the walkie is still working is to use it. ;)
c) Only way to see if the walkie is still working is to use it. ;)
OCCULTISM // ... success
OCCULTISM // ... success
(Also also, can I get a quick in-game time and date check?)
It's after 7 pm on Friday, June 29, 1973 (at least on floor 9 and below).
It's after 7 pm on Friday, June 29, 1973 (at least on floor 9 and below).
Bill, I just saw your result. Would you mind if for the crit fail result I said that Roger/Agent Double Zero lost two FP that time around rather than one, so Jo could see Roger visibly starting to weaken? And honestly that jibes really well with Jo making her Occultism roll.
Bill
Bill
:: thumbs up ::
Leonard
Leonard
Made the Occultism roll by 6. As for the walkie, she'll wait until we know Mitch is down in the ballroom and is relatively safe. After that she'll hail him quickly just to see if it works.
So sadly, the obfuscation and odd behavior of our friend Agent Double Zero is going to prove distracting for Miss Menos. I must at least penalize your first roll, which is Tactics. So Leonard, give me a Tactics-12 roll when you get a chance.
So sadly, the obfuscation and odd behavior of our friend Agent Double Zero is going to prove distracting for Miss Menos. I must at least penalize your first roll, which is Tactics. So Leonard, give me a Tactics-12 roll when you get a chance.
TACTICS // ... failure
TACTICS // ... failure
One more roll, now that I have that one, Leonard: Observation also at 12.
One more roll, now that I have that one, Leonard: Observation also at 12.
OBSERVATION // ... success
OBSERVATION // ... success
Okay.
Okay.
THE LAYOUT OF THE THREE UPPER FLOORS OF THE ZIGGURAT DEFY JOCASTA'S ABILITY TO SORT AND CATEGORIZE AND LAY OUT IN HER HEAD; EVEN THE SKETCHES OF FLOOR PLANS/MAPS SHE TRIES ON WHAT WAS ONCE THE TENTH FLOOR SEEM TO TWIST IN ON THEMSELVES AND NOT WORK OUT GEOMETRICALLY. THE INDIVIDUAL ROOMS ON WWO10 ARE ALL SEEMINGLY EMPTY OF HUMAN HABITATION; ONE WOULD HAVE EXPECTED A HANDFUL OF CON ATTENDEES TO BE IN THEIR ROOMS DURING THE MOMENT OF THE SHIFT, BUT JO AND AGENT 00 POKE THEIR HEADS INTO ENOUGH ROOMS TO DEDUCE THAT THERE'S NOBODY HERE. THE ROOMS THEMSELVES ARE VERY MUCH LIKE THE HOT JAZZ ROOM: A COMBINATION OF ASSYRIAN AND GILDED AGE/1970S AMERICAN ARCHITECTURAL AND DECOR FEATURES, BUT MUCH MORE INDICATIVE OF THE LATTER.
THE LAYOUT OF THE THREE UPPER FLOORS OF THE ZIGGURAT DEFY JOCASTA'S ABILITY TO SORT AND CATEGORIZE AND LAY OUT IN HER HEAD; EVEN THE SKETCHES OF FLOOR PLANS/MAPS SHE TRIES ON WHAT WAS ONCE THE TENTH FLOOR SEEM TO TWIST IN ON THEMSELVES AND NOT WORK OUT GEOMETRICALLY. THE INDIVIDUAL ROOMS ON WWO10 ARE ALL SEEMINGLY EMPTY OF HUMAN HABITATION; ONE WOULD HAVE EXPECTED A HANDFUL OF CON ATTENDEES TO BE IN THEIR ROOMS DURING THE MOMENT OF THE SHIFT, BUT JO AND AGENT 00 POKE THEIR HEADS INTO ENOUGH ROOMS TO DEDUCE THAT THERE'S NOBODY HERE. THE ROOMS THEMSELVES ARE VERY MUCH LIKE THE HOT JAZZ ROOM: A COMBINATION OF ASSYRIAN AND GILDED AGE/1970S AMERICAN ARCHITECTURAL AND DECOR FEATURES, BUT MUCH MORE INDICATIVE OF THE LATTER.
WHILE THE STAIRWELLS DOWN FROM 10 HAVE REMAINED THE SAME EMERGENCY CONCRETE STAIRWELLS AS ONE MIGHT SEE IN 1970S AMERICA, THE STAIRS UP ARE RICKETY STONE THINGS, WINDING AS IF A SPIRAL STAIRCASE, PUTTING JO AND ROGER INTACT ON 11. WHAT WAS ONCE THE ELEVENTH FLOOR IS FULLY SUMERIAN. ABOUT THE ONLY ELEMENTS OF THE ST. FRANCIS THAT REMAIN ARE THE EXTERIOR WALLS AND THE GLASS WINDOWS; IT'S LIKE THE REALITY TEMBLOR IS BEING CONTAINED BY THE WALLS OF THE ACTUAL HOTEL OUT THERE. JO AND ROGER STILL SEE SAN FRANCISCO OUT THERE, BUT ON 11 THE VIEW OF THE CITY IS GREY, FADED, WITH COLORS OF NEON SIGNS AND TRAFFIC LIGHTS MUCH SUBDUED.
WHILE THE STAIRWELLS DOWN FROM 10 HAVE REMAINED THE SAME EMERGENCY CONCRETE STAIRWELLS AS ONE MIGHT SEE IN 1970S AMERICA, THE STAIRS UP ARE RICKETY STONE THINGS, WINDING AS IF A SPIRAL STAIRCASE, PUTTING JO AND ROGER INTACT ON 11. WHAT WAS ONCE THE ELEVENTH FLOOR IS FULLY SUMERIAN. ABOUT THE ONLY ELEMENTS OF THE ST. FRANCIS THAT REMAIN ARE THE EXTERIOR WALLS AND THE GLASS WINDOWS; IT'S LIKE THE REALITY TEMBLOR IS BEING CONTAINED BY THE WALLS OF THE ACTUAL HOTEL OUT THERE. JO AND ROGER STILL SEE SAN FRANCISCO OUT THERE, BUT ON 11 THE VIEW OF THE CITY IS GREY, FADED, WITH COLORS OF NEON SIGNS AND TRAFFIC LIGHTS MUCH SUBDUED.
11 WAS THE PARTY FLOOR BUT THERE'S NO SIGN OF ANY OF THAT PARTYING RIGHT NOW AND, UPON FIRST INSPECTION, NO SIGN OF HUMAN HABITATION, JUST LIKE 10. HOWEVER, NEAR THE END OF THE ONE OF THE WINDING HALLWAYS, JOCASTA CAN HEAR MUSIC. A STRANGE MUSIC MADE ON ALIEN-SOUNDING, PRIMITIVE INSTRUMENTS. AND OCCASIONALLY VOICES, REASSUREDLY SPEAKING IN ENGLISH. IF JOCASTA'S ORIENTEERING IS CORRECT, THIS WOULD BE THE CORNER OF THE HOTEL THAT ONCE HELD THE SPECIAL ONES' SUITE.
11 WAS THE PARTY FLOOR BUT THERE'S NO SIGN OF ANY OF THAT PARTYING RIGHT NOW AND, UPON FIRST INSPECTION, NO SIGN OF HUMAN HABITATION, JUST LIKE 10. HOWEVER, NEAR THE END OF THE ONE OF THE WINDING HALLWAYS, JOCASTA CAN HEAR MUSIC. A STRANGE MUSIC MADE ON ALIEN-SOUNDING, PRIMITIVE INSTRUMENTS. AND OCCASIONALLY VOICES, REASSUREDLY SPEAKING IN ENGLISH. IF JOCASTA'S ORIENTEERING IS CORRECT, THIS WOULD BE THE CORNER OF THE HOTEL THAT ONCE HELD THE SPECIAL ONES' SUITE.
Leonard
Leonard
Jocasta will very quietly and stealthily flatten against the wall and see if she can see into the room, if there's a window or if the door is open. If not, she'll try to open it.
Generally speaking, on 11 there are no more St. Francis doors, just rough-hewn stone archways.
Generally speaking, on 11 there are no more St. Francis doors, just rough-hewn stone archways.
Stealth roll, please.
Stealth roll, please.
I'll be kind and not assess the Agent Double Zero Loud Chauvinism Penalty. :D
STEALTH // ... success
STEALTH // ... success
All right.
All right.
Jocasta sidles up to the open archway, considering all the angles of vision out of the room, and takes a single quick peek at the inside of the room. Unlike the other empty chambers she's seen so far, Jocasta can see this one is furnished for human habitation, with a pair of large beds (more like poufs set on the floor), clay and bronze pots and cups, and a few potted trees, their red leaves sprouting with weird and alien fruits, ruddy and heart-shaped, somewhere between a plum and a pomegranate.
Inside the chamber are the Special Ones.
Inside the chamber are the Special Ones.
I don't think Jocasta's gotten to know them other than the general fact that they exist, but inside Jocasta sees nine young men and women, some playing Sumerian musical instruments, others singing, dancing, and drinking from the cups. Their clothes seem mostly unaffected by the sudden Shift, although Jo can see some very suspect bronze and gold jewelry on both the girls and the boys.
I don't think Jocasta's gotten to know them other than the general fact that they exist, but inside Jocasta sees nine young men and women, some playing Sumerian musical instruments, others singing, dancing, and drinking from the cups. Their clothes seem mostly unaffected by the sudden Shift, although Jo can see some very suspect bronze and gold jewelry on both the girls and the boys.
Where the television would have been in the hotel room layout is a free-standing statue about four or five feet high. The figure is male, and the style is overwhelmingly ancient Mesopotamian. The figure's "legs" are hidden under what looks like a segmented coat or cloak, the segments making him look a bit like a half-worm or snake. The torso of the statue wears a mantle and girdle that is lined with stone representations of gems and filigrees. From the figure's shoulders sprout two horned serpents that eventually intertwine in a kind of halo/caduceus above the statue's head. And the statue's head and face differ significantly stylistically from the rest of the statue. It is lifelike in a Greco-Roman style and the face is very clearly Marshall's.
Fright check for Jo, Rule of 14 (fail on a 14+).
Fright check for Jo, Rule of 14 (fail on a 14+).
(So much for "the meme is good," Arch!)
Don't dis the memes! We just need to get more autonomous belief-constructing entities up to the upper floors.
FRIGHT // ... success
FRIGHT // ... success
Leonard
Leonard
Jocasta will slowly retreat back to Roger/Agent Zero and whisper: "It's Marshall's kids, the Special Ones. They're...idolizing him. Literally. There's a statue in there that looks like half bašmu, half Doc Red." She pauses, turning over an idea in her mind.
"I don't know if we can count on them or if they've taken on too much enemy influence, and I don't think we have time to find out, but either way, we can't let them get hurt. I might have a solution, though," she says, pulling the halothane canister out of the duffel bag.
"What do you think, agent?"
Bill
Bill
“How do we herd them down the stairs?”
Leonard
Leonard
"I don't know if we do. We don't have a lot of time to involve them in games or rhetoric. I'm wondering, if there's no more irruptors up here, if we can't just knock them out and leave them until things stabilize. This will put them under for a good six or eight hours; they'll wake up woozy but nothing worse than a night of drinking. If they're out of the picture, they aren't at risk of getting hurt, but they also can't corrupt anyone else."
Bill
Bill
“Let them ‘sleep out off’ — good thinking. But after they’re out, we need to take their little god away. Wouldn’t want them to wake early to that — who knows if it could give orders.”
Leonard
Leonard
"Definitely. I can't wait for Marshall to see it...or maybe he shouldn't."
I think this has to be our play either way, but I wanna get a sense of what our level of risk is.
So, DM question here: what are the odds that we can just pop the top on the halothane and put it by the opening? Since there's no actual door, there's a slight chance they might panic and bolt, which would be bad. But do they seem blissed out enough that they might not notice?
I think this has to be our play either way, but I wanna get a sense of what our level of risk is.
I guess it would be like rolling any grenade and canister into a room. I have to assume there are rules for it
I guess it would be like rolling any grenade and canister into a room. I have to assume there are rules for it
I'm willing to not get too too wrapped up in the details but your idea of popping it in the hallway right outside the door and then retreating out of the range of the gas is also fine.
But I will tell Agent Double Zero that he is starting to feel more and more fatigued at retaining control of his cheval's body.
Too bad we couldn't just slap a GU.SHUB on it
Too bad we couldn't just slap a GU.SHUB on it
Leonard
Leonard
Hmmm, can't we? Jocasta had some ready to use when she pried off the plaque and we ended up not doing it...
Oh, you still have a GU.SHUB available to use, huh? That would be a perfect solution.
Oh, you still have a GU.SHUB available to use, huh? That would be a perfect solution.
Bill
Bill
Does Jo have another gas mask?
Leonard
Leonard
If I recall correctly, we had a couple of GU.SHUBs to use when we lifted the plaque but we didn't use them because there weren't a lot of people around. If you wanna say we can use them here, that's jake, but if not, I get it. I think Jocasta only brought one gas mask but this is a one-person job -- she'll take the corruption and Roger can just head to wherever we're going next. I'll don the mask, slap on the glyph, pop the can and set it right in the doorway, and bolt to join him if nothing goes wrong.
Yeah, definitely!
Yeah, definitely!
GU.SHUB away and yes, there will be a Corruption cost but compared to the rest of URIEL's recent escapades a fairly low one
Bill
Bill
Yeah, Agent 00 isn’t going to leave while she’s delivering the gas, just in case. This is likely the end when she comes back out, assuming she does. He will make a case that he deliver it, up until the glyph is mentioned. Then he recoils.
Leonard
Leonard
"I'll handle this one, agent. We'll need you later on." She'll don the mask, deploy the glyph, and pop the top.
Bill
Bill
Agent 00 will stealth along to keep Agent Menos in sight, gun out.
Okay. The gas drops the Special Ones fairly quickly, leaving them unconscious in a matter of minutes. As the last of them begin to succumb, they begin looking frantically around for where this incapacitating gas could come from.
The last one standing, a young lady, crawls
The last one standing, a young lady, crawls
over to the idol of Doc Red and
over to the idol of Doc Red and
mutters a
mutters a
barely-audible
barely-audible
prayer.
prayer.
Observation check, no penalty, Jo.
OBSERVATION // ... success
OBSERVATION // ... success
"O great god, O you of the crimson tree, O you Physician of the Anunnakku, O guardian of the caduceus, O Ningishzida, save us from this fate." And then she coughs and slumps to the ground.
"O great god, O you of the crimson tree, O you Physician of the Anunnakku, O guardian of the caduceus, O Ningishzida, save us from this fate." And then she coughs and slumps to the ground.
Do you two now want to scout out 12 while the gas is soaking in (and dissipating) on 11?
Do you two now want to scout out 12 while the gas is soaking in (and dissipating) on 11?
Leonard
Leonard
I think that’s probably the move, if Roger feels up to it.
Bill
Bill
After Jo comes back, and starts to head up, Agent 00 will silently signal for her to hold up. Once he has her attention, he gives her a look, fairly intense, of scrutiny.
“You’re a damned good agent, Menos. You’ve surprised me. Maybe you don’t need me. But, right now, I need you.” (He can’t help but have that drip with innuendo.)
“Your Agent Martin: he can’t take much more of this. It galls me, but we need to beat a tactical retreat. He needs you to come down with me, in case he can’t hold on to the good thing he’s got.”
Leonard
Leonard
"Copy that, agent. You've more than proved yourself," Jocasta responds. She'll get close enough that Roger can lean on her if he needs it, but won't encourage him or directly address it.
"Let's get you rested and ready and I have no doubt you'll be the man you always were again."
Bill
Bill
Agent 00 does try to make it down the stairs without any aid. (Or is that Roger preventing advances? Up for all kinds of misinterpretation.). But at some point on the way down, likely after another FP loss-imposed stagger, Agent 00 will lean on Agent Menos for a beat.
Leonard
Leonard
(If this is exhaustion, there's not much she can do, but if there's any application of First Aid that would help here, Jocasta will do it.)
You can give me a roll!
You can give me a roll!
FIRST AID // ... success
FIRST AID // ... success
While Jocasta cannot do much to alleviate Roger's profound fatigue (his vitals qua visual acuity, reflexes, etc. are like those of someone who's been up for 36+ hours) she can tell that the fatigue is coming from a profound source of mental exhaustion, not physical. He needs unbroken rest (and likely to stop being ridden by this loa) to actually get himself back in fighting trim.
While Jocasta cannot do much to alleviate Roger's profound fatigue (his vitals qua visual acuity, reflexes, etc. are like those of someone who's been up for 36+ hours) she can tell that the fatigue is coming from a profound source of mental exhaustion, not physical. He needs unbroken rest (and likely to stop being ridden by this loa) to actually get himself back in fighting trim.
Bill
Bill
Also he’s tripping balls on back parasite juice, but you know that trip.
Oh yeah, that level of First Aid would reveal the gagkula wound for sure ... not sure if we ever spelled out if Jo knew about that.
Leonard
Leonard
If there’s anything she can do about the gagkula wound, she will. Otherwise she’ll just get him down to the lobby with a gentle suggestion that Agent Double Zero take some well-deserved R&R and pass on to Roger that he should join Mitch in taking a little break.
Bill
Bill
Agent 00’s last words to Jo are “Rain check” with a wink. (Because he’s that guy.)
Leonard
Leonard
Once Roger seems settled, Jocasta will take a quick look around to see if everything seems (relatively) under control. If she spots Archie or Charlie she’ll give a quick report on what’s been happening, deliberately not mentioning the Marshall tape or statue, and then head back up. If she doesn’t see either of them, she’ll just go back immediately.
Either way, she’ll stop about halfway up and do a quick guided meditation to see if it might help her spot any kind of History B shenanigans that need to be dealt with, as she no longer has Mitch or Roger to do that heavy lifting.
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