In Search of Sanity [IC, Group #2]

[pfm1995]

How strange can strange things be before your brain just accepts them as is? the man idly wonders, as he takes advantage of the creature's predicament to open the other cage.

Spoiler: OOC

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Unlocking Flair and Erik's cell.

[digiman619]

After thanking the man who unlocked his door, Flair exits his cell and prepares to engage the doctor.

Spoiler: OOC

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I move out of the cell and Martial Flexibility into Improved Grapple

I really hope I don't waste all of it at once

[lostsole31]

R4T24: Haru recoils in surprise, but grits his teeth and goes to slam his fist into the creature's gut for 4 + 5 cold and she reels from the cold.

R4T23: Eric stares at the sword that disappeared as quickly as it came. He looks back to the 'doctor' and glares. A dagger appears and plunges toward its target, sinking into its upper left arm with enough force (7) to cause her/it to slump in the grappler's hold.

R4T21: How strange can strange things be before your brain just accepts them as is? the man idly wonders, as he takes advantage of the creature's predicament to open the other cage.

R4T14: After thanking the man who unlocked his door, Flair exits his cell and prepares to engage the doctor. However, she seems to be unconscious so he keeps his mind clear and adaptable.

Spoiler

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Read: I did not make you expend martial flexibility for this.

R4T11-3: The powerhouse woman tells the other woman to "bring her down, keep ahold of her, bring her down..." The grappling woman does so, and then the burly, black-haired woman reaches through the bars - each side of the head, grabs ahold, and then yanks. The creature's neck makes a sickening, snap-popping sound ... it sounds like someone grabbing several stalks of celery and then twisting for that wet, snapping crunch.

End Round 4, Begin Round 5 ...

Combat appears to be over.

Eric, what do you do?

[stack]

Eric sees the 'doctor' go down. The floating blade drops to the floor. "What is...why...I...what?"

"Okay, uhm, the man on the table? He...is he still alive? Also, those keys, lets open the cells. And also, DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON?"

[lostsole31]

Okay, folks. Give me a general plan of what your characters do.

[digiman619]

After commenting that he missed all the action, Flair will inspect the remains of the 'doctor'

[MikelaC1]

Zarinda comes forward to rattle the bars of her cell...Hey, let us out, theres safety in numbers.

[lostsole31]

The woman who grappled the doctor stands back from the cell to allow the door to open freely should it be unlocked. "Does anyone know first aid? That man on the table is in trouble."

[stack]

Free from the cell, Eric crosses over to the man on the table. "Uh...that does not look good. Anyone here a doctor? No? Well..." He studies the wounds for a moment, then places a hand on the man's forehead to check for fever. A burst of light and strange tingling erupt from his hand, which he immediately draws back, stepping away from the table. "I don'tknowthatwasn'tmeseriouslywhatsgoingonehere!"

Spoiler

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life sphere cure (1d8+1)[7], 1 SP

[Genth]

'Knuckles' frowns for a moment, looking down at her hands and then down at the 'doctor'.

"Huh." is all she says before looking upwards to Eric and gesturing towards the door. She takes a step back, now looking at the finger which moments ago, had been spitting acid like some kind of snake.

[lostsole31]

Spoiler: Genth

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What color is that?

The energy that Eric deposits into the man doesn't seem to have anything at first. Then, Eric does notice that he stopped bleeding and the first thought is that he died. A second later, tenuous bits of flesh send tiny tendrils across wounds to knit together the barest bit of something, and then a little more. Some of the man's wounds are knit, but only a tiny bit given the overall trauma, and he is still unconscious. Then, as if to give the faintest bit of assurance, there is the slightest chest rise-fall of slow breathing.

[pfm1995]

Now that the fighting is over, the nameless man moves more fluidly and his eyes no longer alternately dart and focus strangely. He quickly moves to unlock the other cage.

[meemaas]

Seeing as the subject of his rage has died, Haru starts searching the room. He doesn't speak, but methodically starts looking through anything that might contain something he can't see.

[stack]

Eric watches as the man heals and breathes. He comes back and looks at the wounds, keeping his hands to himself. "Talkative bunch you all are."

Spoiler

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heal to assess his condition, take 10 for 15

[pfm1995]

"I don't have answers to your questions. I don't know what questions to ask..."

He trails off, looking down at the man and his closing wounds.

"I did something wrong, but I don't know if this is my punishment or just... normal. Is this strange?"

[stack]

"If I could remember anything I would tell you. Rather hoped that someone else could catch me up to speed."

[digiman619]

This is fascinating, but does anyone have any idea what this thing was? How could it look like a normal person?

[MikelaC1]

Clearly becoming extremely agitated, the red headed woman starts shouting. Who are all of you and what have you done to me? Why can I not remember who I am and how I got here?

[Genth]

Knuckles moves out from the cell, keeping to the wall as she looks over the others with a wary eye. "How could I fling acid from my fingertips?" she replies, looking over at Flair. Looking worried.

[lostsole31]

Haru, having already had a mind to explore, is drawn to the several sacks by the door.

Those who wish to study the body of the ersatz doctor may. What it is/was is unknown to all, but any scientists/naturalists/curious amongst you still might find value in studying its cadaver for academic purposes.

Assume everyone is now free-roaming out of their cells.

The woman that grappled the doctor answers the redheaded woman. "My name is Jacqueline with a 'q', but I prefer to be called Jacqui. That much I remember."

She is 5'10", ~130 lbs., athletic build. As she steps out of her cell to where the wan lighting is a little better you see that she is quite pretty, but not "model" beauty like the redhead. She is possessed more of that next-door charm, the vivacious farmer's daughter type with a healthy smile and bright green eyes. And hair that is blond, but seems to have some type of cosmetic dye job to have green tips on her hair. "On my honour, I have no idea what all this is aboot."

[digiman619]

After inspecting the body, Flair starts to check on the man on the table.

[lostsole31]

At 6'4", Flair is the tallest sack of water in the room. That said, the man on the table seems to be the same height. He is muscular and lean, though not without a little bit of thickness, and probably weighing 10-15 pounds less than Flair himself. Then again, Flair isn't burly, being of undefined muscle. The man has thick, black curly hair and beard, and his face, upper neck, and hands are reminiscent of someone who has spent years in the sun. He has a broad nose and he is beginning to bald up top. Flair figures he is in his early 30s or so. How he has managed to survive what has happened to him is unknown.

---

Haru, over by the door to the east are nine sacks. No doubt, others are drawn to follow and investigate as well. Each of the worn, poor quality sacks have markings on them - writing, pictures, or a combination of both - all crudely charcoaled in. They are as follows:

The smallest sack with a type of broken block-lettering formally defining it as "Property of R.C.M.P." and this symbol upon it...

Spoiler

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The next sack has a picture of a tree with a smiling face on it. Next to it is a type of broken block-lettering formally defining it as "Property of R.C.M.P."

The third sack has a belt buckle used to cinch up the sack's drawstrings on the outside.

Spoiler

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The fourth sack is different from all of the others. It is made of a bizarre, olive green material that is long and wide It has stenciling that states the following: "Tsuyoshi, Haru........038050 ...... U.S.N." There is a strange, beaded necklace around several times with an odd metal clasp going through metal grommets sewn into the end of this long sack, with two thin flaps of stamped metal in an oblong-almost-circular shape. Both stamps have the same message, and in all ways appear like duplicates:

Spoiler

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TSUYOSHI
HARU H.
038050 B
TET - 3/39
TYPE +O
USN

The fifth sack has a turtle symbol that was actually given great care in its design more than any other sack.

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And then, the sixth sack has a brand, not a stencil that is more complex than the turtle, but with less artistry.

Spoiler

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The symbol on the seventh sack is just creepy...

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Then there's an initimidating mark on the eighth sack...

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And finally, the ninth sack ...

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[stack]

Apparently not learning anything from the man's wounds, Eric inspects the 'doctor' to see if there is anything unusual (or if there is anything lootable in pockets).

[meemaas]

Haru grabs the bag that has his name and speaks quietly. "Haru. That's my name. I know that much. But what is this?" He studies the necklace very closely, trying to figure out what it is, before he calls over to the rest. "Check these bags. Do any of you recognize these symbols?"

[MikelaC1]

Just dump all the contents out...if there is a bow, I know that's my weapon of choice.

[lostsole31]

Apparently not learning anything from the man's wounds, Eric inspects the 'doctor' to see if there is anything unusual (or if there is anything lootable in pockets).

She/ it - has nothing in her "costume" pockets. Anything that she had on her table (see previous post) could be taken as an improvised weapon, but that's not an issue for Eric. In several rounds, btw, his dagger will go away if he doesn't release it beforehand.

Haru grabs the bag that has his name and speaks quietly. "Haru. That's my name. I know that much. But what is this?" He studies the necklace very closely, trying to figure out what it is, before he calls over to the rest. "Check these bags. Do any of you recognize these symbols?"

It seems like some type of identification necklace. (Dog tags and a seabag, shipmate.)

Just dump all the contents out...if there is a bow, I know that's my weapon of choice.

"A bow is something something any of the rest of us might know how to use, as well," Jacqui says. "If we dump the contents out, that's fine, but we should still keep them in separate piles. If we have an obvious name attached to one, I am guessing these things might belong to each of us."

Flair, seeing these strange symbols, you get to the last sack and it looks fami---

You awaken with the folks standing around you. Flair saw that bag, seemed overwhelmed, and fainted. He was only out for about 30 seconds.

Spoiler: Flair

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Seeing the symbol of Jacques Gaston was overwhelming. Not only did every ounce of knowledge involving binding him hit you, but so did what the full panoply of your Knowledge-base. Sadly, that Knowledge base is not inclusive of who you are, who you were, where you are, nor why you are here.

As far as the other sacks ...

Spoiler: Sack #1, All

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The man with no name and "601" on his shirt, Zarinda, and Jacqui recognize that it is a symbol for a playing piece from some board game.

Spoiler: Eric, Flair, Haru

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Eric, Flair, & Haru recognize that the symbol is the bishop playing piece from a game called "chess."

Spoiler: Sack #2

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No one knows what the meaning of "R.C.M.P." is.

Spoiler: Flair, Haru, P601

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Flair, Haru, and P601: The smiling tree motif is common in pagan cultures, especially of Europe, as a function of nature worship.

Spoiler: Flair (only)

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Flair: This particular symbol (which the DM couldn't find) is not just a function of pagan worship in Europe, but is believed to be favored by those who believed they could commune with trees. "The Church" - whomever or whatever specifically that might be, you're having trouble remembering - hunted these heretics to possible extinction. However, a group from France was believed to have escaped to the New World, and this is similar to that particular group.

Spoiler: Sack #3

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All: A "sheriff" is a law enforcement term, and many law officers wear or carry badges of rank to signify their authority.

Spoiler: Flair, Harry, P601

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Though a six-pointed star, especially as a badge of office, wouldn't be enough, the particular make of this very specific six-pointed star fronts as a sheriff's badge, but is actually a disguised holy symbol for someone who is (assuming the wearer knows what (s)he wears) a practitioner of "Judaism" - a type of monotheistic religion.

Spoiler: Flair

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Flair: You have a sense you are either part of a religion or know a lot about another, competing monotheistic religion that has been at odds with this one, though whatever you dealt with .... again, "The Church" ... have a vastly more dominant position. You are not sure what your previous position in all of this was.

"Huh," says Jacqui, looking at the buckle - for it seems that what it is, even though most of this type of thing would be a little smaller and be pinned to one's tunic - smiles, "Old West replica sheriff's buckle from the U.S. Someone fancies themselves a cowboy."

For Haru to actually get the necklace, he has to unhook something. There is a very thick (but small) piece of fabric extending from near top of the long bag that has a type of hook; there is a thinner but somewhat flexible piece of metal that can be pushed away from the hook and then released to allow it to close. This is what is hooked through the grommets of the bag to close it, and then the smaller metal springs back to help keep the hook closed, and therefore the bag closed. Haru has to press back on that smaller metal flap to extricate the necklace that was also enclosed by the hook, but done in such a way that Haru also has to unhook the grommets and open the bag altogether. Just fitting inside this bag is a type of multi-compartmented pack on a metal frame. There is the sound of jingling metal and what might be a few pieces of wood inside that bag.

Sack #5 ... Jacqui says, "It looks like a common animal symbol from one of the First Nations, but not one I'm familiar with."

Spoiler: Haru, a right expert if ever there were one ...

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Haru seems to have a sense of having studied savage peoples, and this is a savage totem. Though he has a sense that "natives" of the coastal region most likely have turtles, this particular one seems related to the Delaware tribes, specifically a group known as the Unami Tribe.

Spoiler: Haru, a right expert if ever there were one ...

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Spoiler: Unami Tribe

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One of the principal divisions of the Delaware, formerly occupying the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River, from the junction of the Lehigh southward about the Delaware line. According to Brinton, many of the New Jersey Delaware were Unami who had crossed the Delaware to escape the inroads of the Conestoga, and Ruttenber classes with this division the Navasink, Raritan, Hackensack, Aquakanonk, Tappan and Haverstraw, of northern New Jersey. The Unami held precedence over the other Delaware. Their totem was the turtle (pakoango). According to Morgan, they were one of the three gentes of the Delaware, while Brinton says the turtle was merely the symbol of a geographic division.


The Unami have sometimes been called the Turtle tribe of the Delaware.

Spoiler: Symbolism of the Turtle Totem

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Symbolism ...
The turtle symbolism is characterized by the association with the Earth and earth symbols ofgroundedness and patience:

• Symbol of the world, of the Earth
• Ability to stay grounded, even in moments of disturbances and chaos
• Slowing down, pacing yourself
• Determination, persistence
• Emotional strength and understanding
• Ancient wisdom

The turtle is also linked to the spirit of the water and the fluid nature of emotions.

Though there are people of possibly VERY strange heritage here ... particularly the man with the embroidered 601 patch, who seems like he is from the Middle East at first, were it not for skin the color of darker ash and ears that are long and obviously not right (think Vulcan length) ... there is only one person in this room that fits the physical characteristics by cheek bones, skull structure, and body type, and that is the woman who surprised herself by shooting acid from her finger and then snapped the neck of the doctor.

By the way, "First Nations" is a term a "Canadian" would use, and doesn't seem right for you, for all the good that does in knowing that. Your idiomatic sense of what to call such a person is an "Indian," as a result of the confusion of Christopher Columbus had in thinking he had found the East Indies but found the "New World" instead. You have a sense that you are from the "New World," but that you are from a time a hundred years after the founding of the same.

Sack #6 ... Patient 601 and Jacqui can both read the writing of the seal just fine, and she translates:
"Dieu et mon droit" = God at my right.
"Mon soit qui mal y pense" = Shame upon him who thinks evil of it.

Spoiler: Eric

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Eric, you know what the words on the seal mean, and you do know that it is French, but only because you "know" this. You don't have a sense of actually speaking the language, merely that you are familiar with the seal. You know it is the coat-of-arms for the "Royal Courts of Justice" ... some type of legal body.

Spoiler: Sack #7: Flair & Patient 601

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Sack #7 ... This seems to be a stylized version of an Egyptian symbol known as an "ankh," often seen as a symbol for life. What's odd is that it is a dark take on this and crows are usually seen as a symbol of impending death or doom.

Spoiler: Patient 601 (only)

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Patient-601 ... you may not know your identity, but this is DEFINITELY your bag. You feel an incredible kindship with this symbol, and you are reminded of all class abilities and class-specific knowledges. This is the symbol of a group of ravenlords that specialize in occult knowledge.

Sack #8 ... nobody has a clue. It carries a smell of something that had been burnt mixed with the faint smell of sulfur.

Sack #9 ... only Flair understands the symbol (vastly, and in depth), and he knows that this sack must be for him.

[stack]

Eric leaves the corpse and helps with the bags. "Seal of the Royal Courts of Justice...not sure how I know that. May as well open it." The dagger disappears, unnoticed as Eric's tired hands open the bag.

[lostsole31]

Eric, inside the rumpled sap is another bag, a set of clothes, and a dagger in a sheath. There are more than a score loose gold coins of sometimes sloshing around the bottom of the bag. Within the backpack seem to be all kind of odd knicknacks ... a tea service, gentleman's shaving kit (mug, lather, brush), and a whole lot of writing implements of various types (basically, your normal effects).

The clothes are strange. There is a white, button-down shirt, but a type of white dikkie with wide "lapels." There is a sort of a light, black cloak that definitely seems more ceremonial than effective at guarding against the elements. Black pants, to which there are black suspenders attached. Black shoes - Oxfords - polished to a high shine. And something else ... a wig. The wig could not possibly be a wig one would use as a disguise, and doesn't even look like it would make you "handsome." It's grayish-white and is something that unlike many wigs would have the effect of making you - someone in their early 20s - look significantly older. With all of this silliness - the costume, the grooming kit, the stationary, the tea service - you have not been given much that seems particularly useful in these more desperate times.

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You now have all of your equipment, plus one sack.

[meemaas]

Haru takes his time slowly unhooking the pieces while absentmindedly answering what he knows about any given symbol, now that he's had time to think about them and draw upon memories and knowledge he knows he shouldn't have.

[pfm1995]

"This one... I know this symbol." A single long finger reaches out to tap it. "Safety."

Taking the bag off the hook, he opens it and peers inside.