Strange Aeons: In Search of Sanity II [IC - Group #2]

[lostsole31]

What does Flair do now?

[digiman619]

After bidding the doctor farewell, he sets off trying to find Maeni. Due to its proximity, he decided to check the former administrator's office first. After that, he'd begin to head south, checking the doors as he goes.

[lostsole31]

Nope, nope, nope ...

[Blackhawk101]

BJ’s eyes take on a manic gleam.
“Did someone suggest a libation?! I prefer red wine myself but it has been a long time since I’ve had a real drink.”

[lostsole31]

Winter was talking to Dorn about how some of Ulver's chalk drawings practically "drink in the light" when Brother Jaume suddenly barks out his desire for libations. There is an awkward silence in Ulver's old lair before the two go back to studying the drawings.

Meanwhile, Flair is out strolling around by himself in the middle of Briarstone Asylum, not finding Maeni ...

[digiman619]

Flair was starting to get frustrated. Could there have been a final shift that brought Maeni to another iteration? As he pondered, it occurred to him that in the celebration of pulling through, he hadn't bound his spirit this morning. Pulling the chalk out to scribe Gaston's symbol, he began the ritual, Upon completing it, he felt...odd. The binding had succeeded, but something was different; he didn't fell the subtle tension he normally felt while bound. He couldn't quite figure out what was wrong, Maybe there was something wrong with his connection to the spirits now he was no longer in the Dimension of Dreams? Out of ideas, he tried to bind Urbo, hoping a different spirit would get a better connection. Upon completion of the ritual, he felt the familiar tension. It was a good 10 minutes or so later did he notice that he bore the slight luminescence Gaston and another 20 seconds after that for it all to piece it together. The Urbo bind hadn't overwritten the Gaston one, he had it in addition to the Gaston one. He hadn't even thought that was possible!

The excitement of this new capability could wait; he still had to find Maeni if he could. After checking making a quick check northeast (and walking in a circle until he got back to admissions), he heads west; checking in at the Chapel in the long shot that she went back there.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

You've got the bonus for my Binding check wrong. It's CHA + 1/2 BL + Misc mods. I get +INT to the check due to my archetype. That should make it 3+2+5 for +10, but you only have it listed as +8. Also, each of these checks are at +2 (already included), because I meet one of the totems, but not all 3 (Cha 15+ for Gaston and Good aligned for Urbo, respectively)
(1d20+12)[14] binding Gaston; DC 17. Capstone at 22.
(1d20+12)[21] binding Urbo; DC 20. Capstion at 25

[lostsole31]

Maeni has not checked in at the Chapel, and nobody has seen her.

[bcool999]

Jens

Jens appears genuinely surprised that they had succeeded at the ritual. After so many attempts they has started to blur together in his perception. He had awoken today thinking that they would be in for more gruesome repetition and being freed of that burden was very freeing. Wanting to see their new freedom for himself, Jens walks to the broken room and looks out at the more natural fog, wondering if he could watch the sun burn it all away.

[digiman619]

Worry started to pick at Flair. Oddly, he found that a good chunk of that worry was about Winter would say if he failed to find her. Putting that aside for now, he started heading north; she was rapidly running out of places she could be.

[lostsole31]

In the northern sections ... where he finds no mirror (having been smashed to nothingness by Grays long ago), the kitchen and prep area (where no haunt attacks), and back to the Great Hall. No Maeni.

[digiman619]

Flair was getting more agitated. He'd visited everywhere they'd been on their exploration of the building, but there were a few places they'd missed. The smart thing to do would have been to go get the rest of the party and check the unseen areas, but that would have been an implicit admission that he couldn't handle the task set to him, so he instead set off alone. Heading to the southeast corner, he began checking the remaining rooms, doing his best to stay stealthy as he did so and making sure not to stand in front of any door he was checking.

[lostsole31]

No Maeni in the previously unexplored areas.

[digiman619]

Flair sighed dejectedly. That was everywhere inside. All that was left to do was check the outside perimeter of the building and, unless she was there, report his failure to Winter. He found himself dreading that outcome, but sometimes there was no way out but through.

[lostsole31]

Flair goes outside to a very foggy day, but enough to see survivors cavorting around ... but no Maeni.

[digiman619]

Flair nodded to himself, confirming his fear. Somehow she had vanished in the final encounter, and it was up to him to report it. Add to the help he promised to get for Wren and he was really wasn't acting from a position of strength. Still, he returned to Winter to report his findings.

"I regret to inform you that Maeni isn't here. I checked every room in this building and the surrounding area outside; wherever she is, it isn't here. And in other less than stellar news, Dr. Elbourne is having trouble with some patients downstairs; without proper supplies, they have gotten a sickness he's having difficulty curing. He has requested Jens and yourself to see what you can do. I am currently binding a spirit of health, so should be able to offer some help as well."

Spoiler

Show

Roll a Bluff check for me. Remember, being bound to Gaston means I'm getting +4 to the Bluff check

[lostsole31]

Winter agrees, and will collect Jens.

In the meantime, she asks that you and Brother Jaume check out the top floor (here), since previously you had done a relative beeline to see Dr. Elbourne.

[digiman619]

Flair nods, and does so. He'd had assumed that they'd checked the immediate area before sending him off, but might as well be thorough with the search.

[lostsole31]

Flair and Brother Jaume check the first northern chamber, the one that has no door. Nothing.

Then Flair and Brother Jaume check the next northern chamber, the one with a door that was closed (and where Jens had hidden from the Tatterman previously, not that he is here right now to mention that). When they open that door, they are both instantly assaulted by a vile mix of smells ... vomit, viscera, and blood.

Lying against the rubble and totally unconscious is a vomit-and-blood-covered Maeni Llioredn, with what remains of what you believe to be Ulver Zandalus' previously wrecked body. It appears that Maeni had taken Ulver's body in here to hide away ... while she ate at it. Either because eating a sentient creature is disgusting, or given how much is missing, because she overate, Maeni had vomited. It seems she vomited several times, after having filled herself several times.

[digiman619]

Flair felt many emotions in rapid succession. First was disgust, then relief followed quickly by anger and finally concern. The smell was an obvious source for the first emotion; people generally prefer not thinking about their insides outside their body, so seeing it on display like this was off-putting to say the least. The next two were in seeing Maeni was still alive (he'd lost too many female teammates trying to get out of this place), but immediately followed my anger in that Winter had sent him off on a wild goose chase while not doing the minimum of a check herself; like looking for one's money purse without bothering to check their pockets.

More concerning, was Maeni, however. "Get Winter." Flair said quietly to Jaume. "Be discreet if you can." As he did, he took off his boots; his feet were easier to clean than the boots would be. He then went over to Maeni, dodging the nastiness as best he could. Putting a finger on her neck, he tries to determine her condition.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Using the Check-up ability of Urbo. Roll me a heal check at +2 as I try to determine what's up with her.

[lostsole31]

Brother Jaume (likely) gets Winter and she comes to see this hideous scene.

Meanwhile, Flair, Maeni appears to be in the flush of health, without any injuries.

[silphael]

As she opens her eyes, gaze clearer than ever seen before, Maeni starts yawning but quickly spits, trying to clear her mouth of the lingering taste.

"What the ..."

[digiman619]

"Maeni, look at me, look at me.", Flair says, trying to distract her from the scene surrounding her for a few moments. "What's the last thing you remember from yesterday?"

[silphael]

Maeni seems to think a little, probably gathering her thoughts, then answers.

"Flair ? I remember the ritual, what happened ?"

[digiman619]

"You've had a psychotic episode. The energy from the ritual has clearly interfered with with your mental process. Look at me." Flair said, doing his best to be comforting and forthright. "You didn't hurt anyone; everyone who was alive before the ritual is still living. However, you did something you will be disgusted with should you find out. If you don't want to know, close your eyes now and we'll clean you up and never speak of it again. Or you can look past me and see for yourself. Either way, the choice has got to be yours."

[silphael]

Focusing her thoughts, Maeni starts looking around.

"I ... need to know."

[Blackhawk101]

BJ searches his knowledge of healing and religion to see if he has ever heard of such an affliction.
To Winter he say, “We need to quarantine her and give her a thorough examination before she can be allowed back into the group.”

[lostsole31]

Maeni, you are sitting against a flat, slanted portion of rubble in a tiny room whose only light is coming from Flair's clothing. You are surrounded by pieces of Ulver's mangled and gnawed-upon remains, and there exists down your front and to the side several chunk-puddles of vomit from where you overate, then vomited, then fed again.

Winter looks to Brother Jaume, horrified at the spectacle, and mutely nods.

[silphael]

Maeni stands up, then starts walking out, her pace oddly assured.

"Let's go and set up that watch, would you ?"

[bcool999]

Jens

Upon hearing about Maeni's grisly feast, Jens is instinctively appalled... at first. But then he descends into a morbid scholarly debate with himself as to where the line of cannibalism is drawn with so many humanoid species wandering about. Maeni's scales and claws at least hint and non-human lineage unless that itself is a mere symptom of her magic.

Curiosity winning over social niceties, Jens addresses the group, "Forgive me for being crass, but is this technically considered cannibalism? I've never given it much thought before, but Maeni does have those scales, and assuming it to be a natural trait, means she is at least not entirely genetically human, and as far as I know, cannibalism is when a species eats the flesh of it's own species. However, my memory has proven unreliable and I agree that something appears to be medically wrong considering the method of consumption... unless that itself was some form of cultural ritual I am unaware of."

[digiman619]

Flair rolled his eyes at Jens. "Now's really not the time, but that definition presumes that there are no non-human sapients." He turned to Maeni, making sure not to touch her before they could get her into quarantine. "The important thing is that we you somewhere safe and make sure there aren't any lingering side effects."

Turning to the rest of the party, he says "Does anyone know how to conjure water? We need to clean her off before we go any further."