Who You Gonna Call?

"So uh..." Hallows begins, as they walk over to the machine. Gallows reaches for one of the levers. "Where are the ghosts?" He pulls the lever a bit, not expecting anything to happen.

Rhinestone sniffed at the air and sneezed a bit. "Bluh. I hate factory smells."

She moved over to one of the crates and tried to crowbar it open with her shovel.

Bronymous wrote:"So uh..." Hallows begins, as they walk over to the machine. Gallows reaches for one of the levers. "Where are the ghosts?" He pulls the lever a bit, not expecting anything to happen.

As Gallows pulls the lever, the pole on top of the machine spins rapidly.

Elacular wrote:Rhinestone sniffed at the air and sneezed a bit. "Bluh. I hate factory smells."

She moved over to one of the crates and tried to crowbar it open with her shovel.

Inside the crates are more gears and metallic parts which Rhinestone guesses are used to assemble clocks.

The twins instinctively back away from the whirring machine. "Uh... let's go look at something else." They make their way to the north door, opening and going through it.

---

Gonna mess with as much stuff as possible. Should draw the ghosts out.

Rhinestone jumped slightly at the sound of the machinery and moved over to examine it. "Well that's a thing."

On a whim, she lifted up one of the ribbons and stood on her hind legs to see if she could reattach it to the pole. "Hey, Artie, you're good at this stuff, right? Could you help me?"

As the door opened, Artesian Maverick shouldered the heavy proton pack. He pulled out the M.E.D.S. and set it to passive scan; it would beep if a ghost or other electromagnetic field came nearby.

Elacular wrote:"Hey, Artie, you're good at this stuff, right? Could you help me?"

Artie glanced up at the spinning pole. "Sure. Gove me the ribbon, go hit that lever the twins pulled, I didn't see which one it was. We want this thing off before we mess with it," he said, watching it carefully as he endeavored to learnit's purpose...

Mechanics and OOC:

Bronymous wrote:The twins instinctively back away from the whirring machine. "Uh... let's go look at something else." They make their way to the north door, opening and going through it.

Hallows, Gallows, and whoever comes with them end up in another two-story room. In the center of the room is a large turntable with rails on it (several of them bent) littered with fallen crates and bricks, and on the first floor there is a door to the east (along with a door to the south, which Hallows and Gallows just went through.) A ramp separates Hallows and Gallows from the turntable, but there is a nearby chain attached that likely lowers the ramp. The second "floor" is a series of thin metal bars, and from what Hallows and Gallows can see there are two doors on the second floor - one to the south and one to the northwest.

Elacular wrote:Rhinestone jumped slightly at the sound of the machinery and moved over to examine it. "Well that's a thing."

On a whim, she lifted up one of the ribbons and stood on her hind legs to see if she could reattach it to the pole. "Hey, Artie, you're good at this stuff, right? Could you help me?"

Crystalite wrote:As the door opened, Artesian Maverick shouldered the heavy proton pack. He pulled out the M.E.D.S. and set it to passive scan; it would beep if a ghost or other electromagnetic field came nearby.

Artie glanced up at the spinning pole. "Sure. Gove me the ribbon, go hit that lever the twins pulled, I didn't see which one it was. We want this thing off before we mess with it," he said, watching it carefully as he endeavored to learnit's purpose...

Maverick has a point - perhaps attaching a ribbon, or a spool thereof, onto the pole while it's spinning is not the safest idea. As soon as Maverick sets the M.E.D.S. to passive scan it beeps - six times. If Bell Mare and White Whisper count as two, then at least four ghosts are in this room.

The machine, meanwhile, looks perfect for the ribbon, or the spools thereof - if somepony were to set a spool or ribbon onto the pole and turn it on, the ribbons could be wound or unwound perfectly in a matter of seconds. Back when the factory was running, this machine may have been used for quick assembly of various mechanical parts.

"Oh, uh, right." Rhinestone flushed, moving over and turning the lever off. "Yeah, I'm, uh, not good at machines. Sorry."

Gallows, in the spirit of still touching things, walks up and pulls on the chain to lower the ramp.

(if it works) the twins walk up the ramp and stand on the platform. "So... then what."

---

Perception: 2 (derp)

The ramp indeed lowers when the chain is pulled. The twins fail to notice, however, as it snaps back into place when Gallows lets go. They get dumped back down on the platform, not very injured but pretty dizzy.

---

Hallows and Gallows take a -3 penalty to the next 5 perception checks, or until they uncover three new rooms, whichever comes first.

White Whisper, never one much for looking around and even less for messing with stuff he didn't know about (well, not after he was eight or so), was not encouraged to start doing either of these things by a spooky factory that reportedly contained one or more angry ghosts. If you wanted an oppresive atmosphere...well, long story short - as if White Whisper was any good at the concept - the white wonder was slowly losing what little enthusiasm for his job he'd managed (against all odds) to wake up with. Sure,the idea of ghost-hunting was one that thrilled the darker parts of his subconscious, the parts that thrived on revenge and violence and fear-mongering in general, but...

...he sighed. Cold, hard, colorless places like this? Sucked all the personality and colorful metaphor right out of him. Fast, too. Perhaps not oppressive atmosphere, then, but certainly a suppressive one. Yeah, that was the way. Either way, though, nothing but nothing got a train of thought puffing like a good shock to the cranium, and apparently that noggin didn't necessarily have to belong to oneself. "Oy, uh..." White Whisper sniffed, and a puff of smoke did something strange out his nostril, making the dusty air slightly worse in the passing. "You okay over there, you two? That is, uh, you're not hurt? Er, I mean, that thing jus' happened, erm, tapped against your head, didn't, uh, hurt you...did it?"

Everything sounded like talking about guns and screaming and whirlwinds, which was exactly what was White Whisper was most afraid of.

After finally pulling out all the pieces of broken glass, Sweet Puff decides to fly around, maybe take a look at the stuff on the second floors of the various rooms.

Perception, I guess:

"Fine." Hallows calls up from her back. She rolls over and stands, and then seeing who she was talking to, quickly turns and looks the other way. Gallows looks about the platform they are now trapped on. He takes a look over the side, contemplating jumping down.

---

I swear I'm not trying to burn through the perception penalty, but I super don't know what to do up here.
Perception FFFFFFFUVGIUGIUGROIGHOIGEHRBE8HOI3GPWGHEIBLVD E RJBDF

2. Derp. AGAIN.

Copper Rose wrote:After finally pulling out all the pieces of broken glass, Sweet Puff decides to fly around, maybe take a look at the stuff on the second floors of the various rooms.

The second floor of the room Sweet Puff is currently in has a second floor that consists of a platform taking up about half the room - presumably to look over the first floor. There is a thick layer of dust over the platform, with small circular imprints along the side of the platform at least three feet apart. More crates and boxes are up here, along with doors to the north and to the east. There is a lift up here next to a simple switch with two buttons, "up" and "down". More crates are up here, but no ribbons.

The second floor of the room with the turntable is almost featureless, being made of nothing but thin metal bars. It has two doors, one to the south and one to the northwest.

AProcrastinatingWriter wrote:...he sighed. Cold, hard, colorless places like this? Sucked all the personality and colorful metaphor right out of him. Fast, too. Perhaps not oppressive atmosphere, then, but certainly a suppressive one. Yeah, that was the way. Either way, though, nothing but nothing got a train of thought puffing like a good shock to the cranium, and apparently that noggin didn't necessarily have to belong to oneself. "Oy, uh..." White Whisper sniffed, and a puff of smoke did something strange out his nostril, making the dusty air slightly worse in the passing. "You okay over there, you two? That is, uh, you're not hurt? Er, I mean, that thing jus' happened, erm, tapped against your head, didn't, uh, hurt you...did it?"

It occurs to Whisper that perhaps he could pull on the chain and give the twins a way back...

Bronymous wrote:"Fine." Hallows calls up from her back. She rolls over and stands, and then seeing who she was talking to, quickly turns and looks the other way. Gallows looks about the platform they are now trapped on. He takes a look over the side, contemplating jumping down.

Gallows has no need to complicate things, as he's so dizzy that he falls over the side, landing in a large room made mainly of dirt and sandstone. A few large gears are scattered about, along with a few boxes and barrels, but most of the room is blocked off by a large brick wall.

---

Take 29 5 damage. Gallows and Hallows are now separated.

Gallows lets out a yelp as he falls and hits the ground. Hallows immediately erupts into a panic, and runs to the side. Without thinking, she jumps down after her brother.

---

Endurance: 4+6-2 (split penalty)=8

Sweet Puff flies over to the lift and pushes the "down" button, then investigates the circular imprints in the dust.

more perception, just cuz:

Bronymous wrote:Gallows lets out a yelp as he falls and hits the ground. Hallows immediately erupts into a panic, and runs to the side. Without thinking, she jumps down after her brother.

Hallow falls into a heap beside her brother, but since she intended to fall rather than stumbled over she isn't as badly hurt. The twins notice that, barring climbing straight back up to the room with the turntable, the only exit (unless there's one hidden behind the bricks) is to the south.

---

2 damage.

Copper Rose wrote:Sweet Puff flies over to the lift and pushes the "down" button, then investigates the circular imprints in the dust.

As the lift heads down Sweet Puff gets a clear idea of what was up here to make the imprints - railings. Platforms like this one shouldn't go without railings according to POSHA regulations. She then starts hearing something... laughter, maybe? But before she can figure out what she's hearing she sees a vision nopony else seems to be aware of...

Three ponies, one unicorn and two earth ponies, sit off-duty, watching a scantily clad earth pony female dancing around several mechanical devices - probably used to assemble clocks. The earth pony swings through the air gracefully using nothing but thin ribbons to propel herself around the room and let herself dangle from the ceiling. They cheer, clapping loudly.

The vision becomes blurry for a few seconds, then comes back into focus - the female is missing, but a loud cracking noise is heard. The three ponies, standing where the jackets now lie, look up to see a railing falling down towards them-

The vision ends as the lift reaches the first floor with a "DING!"

Gallows is already standing again when Hallows lands next to him. She lands on her paws, but hits the ground hard enough anyway. After a moment, she also stands, wincing, and together they then look around their new location. "I guess we go that way." The sister says, and the brother responds, "In a minute." He walks over to some of the boxes and begins opening them, looking inside.

Brony 7 of 9 wrote:Maverick has a point - perhaps attaching a ribbon, or a spool thereof, onto the pole while it's spinning is not the safest idea. As soon as Maverick sets the M.E.D.S. to passive scan it beeps - six times. If Bell Mare and White Whisper count as two, then at least four ghosts are in this room.

The machine, meanwhile, looks perfect for the ribbon, or the spools thereof - if somepony were to set a spool or ribbon onto the pole and turn it on, the ribbons could be wound or unwound perfectly in a matter of seconds. Back when the factory was running, this machine may have been used for quick assembly of various mechanical parts.

Maverick tried to hide his surprise; he hadn't expected ghosts so soon! But, they either hadn't noticed them or didn't care, and the unicorn decided to exploit this if possible.

As the pole stopped spinning, Maverick wondered what difference it made if he wound the ribbons up; and then had a thought. He telekineticly shifted a few things in his bags around, and readied his magnet dust as he attached on end of the ribbon to the appropriate spot on the pole's spool...

Checks:

Bronymous wrote:Gallows is already standing again when Hallows lands next to him. She lands on her paws, but hits the ground hard enough anyway. After a moment, she also stands, wincing, and together they then look around their new location. "I guess we go that way." The sister says, and the brother responds, "In a minute." He walks over to some of the boxes and begins opening them, looking inside.

Inside the boxes are cogs, wheels, and wrenches of various shapes and sizes, all of the parts covered in dust. One of the boxes, however, has blood instead of dust covering the parts up - but very, very dry blood, the type that's been there for years. Strangely enough, there's not a bit of rust on any of the metal parts.

Crystalite wrote:Maverick tried to hide his surprise; he hadn't expected ghosts so soon! But, they either hadn't noticed them or didn't care, and the unicorn decided to exploit this if possible.

As the pole stopped spinning, Maverick wondered what difference it made if he wound the ribbons up; and then had a thought. He telekineticly shifted a few things in his bags around, and readied his magnet dust as he attached on end of the ribbon to the appropriate spot on the pole's spool...

The unspooled ribbon attaches nicely to the pole, and when the lever is pulled (if the lever is pulled) almost immediately curls into a ball. Chronos, meanwhile, finally speaks up.

"The twins haven't been back for some ti-"

He is interrupted by giggling near Maverick, and the M.E.D.S. indicating a ghost's presence. Maverick instinctively hurls magnetic dust at it, hitting the ghost and revealing it standing uncomfortably close.

"Nice toy, big boy..." came a giggling voice emanating from where the magnet dust hit.

---

You might wish to do a Perception, Mechanics, etc. check on the ball regardless. But, you know, priorities.

Rhinestone had to bite her tongue to keep from instinctively screaming, and she tensed her muscles until they cramped so she couldn't whip out her shovel. Instead, she took a few slow steps towards the ghost. "Um, hello. My name is Rhinestone Eyes. I'm Bell Mare's..." she paused to try and think of a decent word. Mark? Victim? Foal with the leash? "...Companion. What's your name?"

Maverick tried as hard as he could to resist the urge to bolt, sensing that it might be counterproductive. Instead, he turned slowly, taking a few steps back away from the floating mass of dust indicating the ghostly presence...

((Text is inconvenient at times... What sort of tone is this ghost using to say that? I have interpreted it as seductive/lustful, is that correct?))

Crystalite wrote:Maverick tried as hard as he could to resist the urge to bolt, sensing that it might be counterproductive. Instead, he turned slowly, taking a few steps back away from the floating mass of dust indicating the ghostly presence...

((Text is inconvenient at times... What sort of tone is this ghost using to say that? I have interpreted it as seductive/lustful, is that correct?))

((That is absolutely correct.))

Elacular wrote:Rhinestone had to bite her tongue to keep from instinctively screaming, and she tensed her muscles until they cramped so she couldn't whip out her shovel. Instead, she took a few slow steps towards the ghost. "Um, hello. My name is Rhinestone Eyes. I'm Bell Mare's..." she paused to try and think of a decent word. Mark? Victim? Foal with the leash? "...Companion. What's your name?"

Ribbon Dancer..." giggled the ghost.

The magnetic dust indicating Ribbon Dancer's position quickly moves over to behind Chronos.

"And who's this fine gentlecolt?"

"C-Chronos, MASTER OF ALL TIME!" exclaimed Chronos.

"I make it a habit of mine to learn the names of my... patrons, let's say," giggled Ribbon Dancer.

Maverick swallowed uncomfortably. "You'll excuse me for saying it, but I don't think that's going to work the way you think it's going to work," he said, trying hard not to show his discomfort, while readying the proton pack as much as he could without drawing attention to the fact.

Stealth:

Rhinestone nodded slowly. "It's good to meet you. Would I be off base in assuming your profession as a dancer of sorts?"

Meta: