Call of Colthulhu: Team One's Adventures

"...I never mentioned anything about soul distillation, merely advanced necromancy....I mean, I don't know much about necromancy and soul distillation may be the obvious progression, like calculus being a natural progression of arithmetic, but still! Also, clearly the name Xenith means something to you, so I suggest you inform us of what you know. One of your classmates, I presume? And what the heck is this...board, anyway? I mean, it's creepy enough as it is, but why go through all the rigmarole of trying to hide it!?"

Torque took a deep breath to calm down. "Look, I don't know exactly what your deal is, but we suspect that Mirrored Clear and possibly others may be in real danger. We just want to follow our leads and make sure that she's safe." He paused for a moment, then sighed. "Even from the most cynical of mindsets, the sooner we get the information we need, the sooner we'll be out of your hair. And the more ACCURATE the information, the less likely we'll be coming back in a worse mood."


Rolling Persuasion...6 (1d20) + 11 = 17

Lyntermas wrote:"...I never mentioned anything about soul distillation, merely advanced necromancy....I mean, I don't know much about necromancy and soul distillation may be the obvious progression, like calculus being a natural progression of arithmetic, but still! Also, clearly the name Xenith means something to you, so I suggest you inform us of what you know. One of your classmates, I presume? And what the heck is this...board, anyway? I mean, it's creepy enough as it is, but why go through all the rigmarole of trying to hide it!?"

Torque took a deep breath to calm down. "Look, I don't know exactly what your deal is, but we suspect that Mirrored Clear and possibly others may be in real danger. We just want to follow our leads and make sure that she's safe." He paused for a moment, then sighed. "Even from the most cynical of mindsets, the sooner we get the information we need, the sooner we'll be out of your hair. And the more ACCURATE the information, the less likely we'll be coming back in a worse mood."


Rolling Persuasion...6 (1d20) + 11 = 17

"You assume that Mirror hadn't consulted me before seeking further aid." Zanbar gives Torque a flat look. "And you assume that I care about the plight of others."

(For anyone who would be paying attention to this back and forth: Perception or Arcana prompt.)

Perception...6 (1d20) + 8 = 14

Arcane listened for now. Torque seemed better at talking to others than she did after all (Not that that was saying much, she was aware she had hoof-in-mouth disorder,) but something seemed...Off about this exchange.

--

Rolling Arcana on this one.
1d20 + 15 = 19! + 15 = 34 and an Adept CMC. Huzzah.

(Also, here's an image of the board:)

Board:

Caden2112 wrote:
Rolling Arcana on this one.
1d20 + 15 = 19! + 15 = 34 and an Adept CMC. Huzzah.

Lyntermas wrote:Perception...6 (1d20) + 8 = 14

Torque sees little more than what seems to be an annoyed quirk of the eyebrow from Zanbar.

Aurora, however, sees something entirely different.

For the briefest of moments, Aurora gets the sense that Zanbar should not be a mere student. It's a strange sensation, but that's what she feels. The moment passes quickly, but the feeling of slight fear towards the zebra remains.

In the meantime, the Zebra leans back in his seat, giving the unicorn a long look, his expression unreadable save a vague sense of boredom.

It had taken a moment for Torque to process the information. "...You're telling me that you were aware that Mirrored was pursuing potentially life-threatening research and you didn't tell anypony about it!?" he asked angrily. "What, you just thought that "it wasn't your problem" so long as you didn't get your own hooves dirty? W-what kind of sociopath are you!?"

He looked over at Skyline. "Wouldn't this make him an accessory to...whatever the full extent of Mirrored's crimes are?"

Lyntermas wrote:It had taken a moment for Torque to process the information. "...You're telling me that you were aware that Mirrored was pursuing potentially life-threatening research and you didn't tell anypony about it!?" he asked angrily. "What, you just thought that "it wasn't your problem" so long as you didn't get your own hooves dirt? W-what kind of sociopath are you!?"

He looked over at Skyline. "Wouldn't this make him an accessory to...whatever the full extent of Mirrored's crimes are?"

Skyline's expression is a mix between incredulity and anger. "Yeah... it would. I didn't want to believe that students would be behind this, but..."

"Crimes?" Zanbar raises an eyebrow. "I am not aware that whatever it was Mirrored was pursuing was illegal. Dangerous, unorthodox, perhaps, but all cutting edge developments in magic are until the old fashioned ponies catch on. And don't tell me any of you two haven't done something pushing the borders of acceptable collateral in the pursuit of your craft. Szarnowski, that's a name that's basically stuck to the words questionably ethical, and I can virtually smell the explosions off of you, Arcane Aurora."

"You're hurting ponies, Zanbar!" Skyline growls, glaring at the student. Zanbar snorts and looks away from the guard pointedly, which only serves to infuriate the pegasus further. "I don't want to have to do this, but you're giving me no choice but to get the guard proper involved!"

The zebra bares his teeth, but doesn't respond, instead turning to Torque. "I don't expect the pegasus to understand, but you, you two are students of magic and science. You must know the struggle. There are ponies who would trade their souls for power... and those who would give up all their power to save a soul." He says, the last sentence barely a whisper, brushing a hoof across the board. "Mirrored, like all of us here, is a scholar. She lives for knowledge, as I live to master the art of my people, as Stone Circle lives to understand the craft of stone magic, as Copper lives to delve the secrets of the past. Who am I to deny what I myself would do? Better an accomplice, unicorn, than a hypocrite."

Aurora narrowed her eyes, shaking her head. He was trying to distract them from the issue. "Sometimes experiments go awry. At least I can fix what I break. But, don't play this game. You don't care about Mirrored, or her work, only how you can exploit it! Whoever you're trying to save...Is it worth the bodycount? You think they'd want to be 'saved' for that cost? But, since we're playing for low blows...Why are you here, Zanbar...Or should it be Xenith, now? It's faint, you did a good job hiding it, but it's there. If you're just a student, I'm a minotaur." She took a slight breath, stepping forward. Something in the back of her mind was telling her to back off, but she didn't usually listen to that anyhow. Besides, he was kind of ticking her off.

Torque glared at Zanbar. "I'm afraid you picked the wrong pony to try using that argument on. Long story short, the reason my last name is, as you say, basically stuck to the words questionably ethical is because of the UNquestionably UNethical experiments conducted by my great-grandfather Neuro Szarnowski. You may think the ends justify the means, but bloody means can tarnish any ends that are reached. You think any of Neuro's scientific findings are listed in any textbooks or scientific journals? That his research improved the life of anypony other than himself? All the lives and legacies of his victims, all that they were and could have been, were WASTED, earning nothing but a cursed name that his descendants have to bear."

"Yes, my parents and I perform experiments may push the limits of known science, but safety and consent are still important to us. From what I understand, the research you speak of necessitates the reduction of the lifespans, if not outright deaths, of sapient creatures. MAYBE if I believed Mirrored limited her research to manipulating her own soul energy, I might be more willing to accept it (although it would be horribly tragic to have a great mind literally siphon her life away). But doing such experiments on unwilling ponies is completely unacceptable!"

It was at this point that Torque realized something wasn't quite adding up. Zanbar had just openly admitted to his involvement in Mirrored's research, but he didn't seem cornered. Along with Aurora saying that Zanbar wasn't "just a student", Torque felt that Zanbar probably wasn't going to be cooperative...or do anything resembling "coming quietly". Torque took a quick look to see how Stone Circle and Copper were reacting to all this (and see if there was an open route to back away from the necromancer).

Rolling Perception...15 (1d20) + 8 = 23

Lyntermas wrote:
It was at this point that Torque realized something wasn't quite adding up. Zanbar had just openly admitted to his involvement in Mirrored's research, but he didn't seem cornered. Along with Aurora saying that Zanbar wasn't "just a student", Torque felt that Zanbar probably wasn't going to be cooperative...or do anything resembling "coming quietly". Torque took a quick look to see how Stone Circle and Copper were reacting to all this (and see if there was an open route to back away from the necromancer).

Rolling Perception...15 (1d20) + 8 = 23

Stone Circle looks like a chicken trapped between two foxes, sweating bullets and stealing nervous glances at the zebra. Copper, meanwhile, is staring at the zebra in open disgust.
Zanbar doesn't seem to be moving in any particular manner, so it would be only a matter of time for the group to leave the room through the doorway.

Zanbar shakes his head. "Neuro is reviled in the scientific community, but you have to admit that some of his research is... groundbreaking. No matter how horrific his methods, how selfish his intentions, the knowledge, the knowledge remains priceless."

His body sags, and you could almost feel a tangible sense of ancientness coming from the zebra. "Still, you have shown that we will never be alike in thought. Our paths do not cross. Perhaps I am wrong in my ways, and my path is too harsh for those with finite souls. Perhaps you are overly cautious, blinded by a mortal desire to maintain the natural order. But you seek knowledge, and who am I to deny seekers of knowledge?"

Zanbar stands up, loosening up his neck with a sigh. "To Xenith's embrace, does every lost soul go. The eye of eight heads foresee all that will be, and has been. Wood but not wood, stone but not stone, the board of many facets." He recites, still with a hoof on the board. "Tell me, unicorn, have you heard of a spirit board? Such a thing was sought after by Mirrored, and countless knowledge seekers before her. What price would you pay to save this wayward soul, who stared into the depths of Apocrypha?"
(You can respond, or roll arcana/history to figure out what a spirit board is. Meanwhile, Flashpoint, roll perception)

"I thought that board looked oddly familiar." Flashpoint says, cutting in to the heated moment like an icy razor. "Or actually, the symbols on it, the writing. I don't think it counts as legitimate scientific research if you're enslaving yourself to Demons for easy answers, like that cult out in the countryside was doing. And they managed two murders before we finally got them. Looks like a couple of entitled little magic students think they're of the same breed." Flashpoint steps forward and sets his own hoof on the board, his custom horseshoe glinting in the light. "Am I in the ballpark or what? Because if so, sounds like you were very aware of Mirrored getting involved in illegal activities."

---

Between the Daedric writing and the mention of Apocrypha, I'm assuming I'm basically dead on with the Daedra worship, if by a different name.
Perception: 19+11=30
Persuasion: 13+8=21

Torque rapidly tried to sort out the information presented to him. It was clear that Zanbar (or whoever he was) was much older than he looked and most likely very powerful. He valued knowledge above all else, and seemed to be showing them something out of...obligation? Torque wasn't sure about the exact particulars, but he could make an educated guess based on the speech.

"...You're saying that Xenith is no student (or pony, for that matter), but some...entity that can be communicated with through this board?" He looked down at the board. "Like some otherwordly information broker? But what are the terms...and what is the cost?"

He looked over at Flashpoint. "...And you recognize this?" Torque tried to think about what he could remember about spirit boards.

Rolling History...12 (1d20) + 10 = 22

Alt-script time!
Torque: Soul magic, philosopher's blood, and now a knowledge octopus thing? What have I gotten dragged into?
Aurora: Soul magic, philosopher's blood, and now a knowledge octopus thing? BEST! DAY! EVER!

Lyntermas wrote: Torque tried to think about what he could remember about spirit boards.
Rolling History...12 (1d20) + 10 = 22

Torque recalls, in some old texts he trawled through when researching enchantments, that spirit boards are boards that enables metaphysical entities to temporarily manifest through the board. These entities can then be contacted reliably, and while the connotation is that demons and such are to be contacted, Zebrican shaman often use spirit boards to contact benevolent nature spirits and ancestral guardians.

He also hazily recalls something related to the complexity of the board's decoration being linked to the strength of the being that can be bound to the board, but he can;t be sure if it's the more complex the stronger, or the less complex the stronger.

A1C Bronymous wrote:"I thought that board looked oddly familiar." Flashpoint says, cutting in to the heated moment like an icy razor. "Or actually, the symbols on it, the writing. I don't think it counts as legitimate scientific research if you're enslaving yourself to Demons for easy answers, like that cult out in the countryside was doing. And they managed two murders before we finally got them. Looks like a couple of entitled little magic students think they're of the same breed." Flashpoint steps forward and sets his own hoof on the board, his custom horseshoe glinting in the light. "Am I in the ballpark or what? Because if so, sounds like you were very aware of Mirrored getting involved in illegal activities."

---

Between the Daedric writing and the mention of Apocrypha, I'm assuming I'm basically dead on with the Daedra worship, if by a different name.
Perception: 19+11=30
Persuasion: 13+8=21

Zanbar looks at the pegasus, an odd glint in his eyes. "Maybe my mortal eyes deceived me before... the pegasus, experienced through his duty, seems to come close to the truth as well... Guilty as charged, I am aware of Mirrored's scholarly pursuits. Whether she strays into the morally reprehensible, only she knows. And knowledge is knowledge, pegasus, no matter the sounce. That said, I'm wounded by the thought that I'm on the same level as mere demon worshipers. I like to think myself... a guardian of knowledge."

Even as he says so, Flashpoint, who has thus far been less involved in the conversation as thus has more time to calmly observe the conversation, sees something fairly odd. Zanbar's eyes, though seemingly normal on the surface, they seem kind of... glassy? Lifeless?

Yes, Lifeless would be correct, as though the warmth of life has been sucked out of the zebra. The other students, too, seem to sag ever so slightly the longer the conversation ran on, looking just ever so slightly more tired by the second. However, it's barely noticeable, and Flashpoint himself almost missed it.

((No IC commentary juuuuust yet, I AM gonna roll Arcana on that spirit board though.

1d20 +15 = 15+15 = 30))

Better hurry up with that check because....

---

"Yeah, that's about what I thought. Knowledge may be knowledge may be knowledge, but favors or lives in exchange for knowledge is still wrong, and making that exchange with a demon is still demon worship. So," Flashpoint kicks his hoof, sparking the flint on his horseshoe, and setting fire to the board. "Let's just take this thing out of the equation for now, shall we?"

---

Flint and Steel Horseshoes (Elemental Affinity) (1)
When you take this ability, choose one of the following effects.
Fire – Affinity
You can safely create small puffs of flame at will. These puffs of flame are identical to a torch in many respects and are capable of burning objects and lighting fires outside of combat just as a torch might. Puffs of flame are ordinary fire, they extinguish quickly without tinder.

Caden2112 wrote:((No IC commentary juuuuust yet, I AM gonna roll Arcana on that spirit board though.

1d20 +15 = 15+15 = 30))

A spirit board is one of the things Aurora has studied in the past. In addition to what I said with Torque, Aurora knows that a spirit board relies on a particular magical receptacle to host whatever spirit dwells within. The complexity of the runes dictates how powerful the spirit can be, so a well made board can host a stronger spirit. The strength of the spirit also corresponds to the strength of the board, so a weak spirit can easily be disrupted by breaking the board but a board inhabited by say an archdemon would take nothing less that Celestia herself to destroy.

A quick sense using her magic tells Aurora that whatever is in the board is, well, powerful. Not overwhelmingly so, but definitely something you wouldn't expect a bunch of college students, or indeed even moderately skilled mages, to be able to contact. With enough talent, a little luck, or some kind of short cut, though, it might be possible.

"I don't know that just burning it will work...I know a bit about them, they bound something powerful to it. Well, Zanbar did, at least. Doesn't seem like something they should have been able to do without a lot more mojo than they have...Er, no offense to you two." She glanced at the students, thinking. "So, Zanbar, what shortcut did you take? Binding something like that, you had to have some trick or something."

A1C Bronymous wrote:Better hurry up with that check because....

---

"Yeah, that's about what I thought. Knowledge may be knowledge may be knowledge, but favors or lives in exchange for knowledge is still wrong, and making that exchange with a demon is still demon worship. So," Flashpoint kicks his hoof, sparking the flint on his horseshoe, and setting fire to the board. "Let's just take this thing out of the equation for now, shall we?"

---

Flint and Steel Horseshoes (Elemental Affinity) (1)
When you take this ability, choose one of the following effects.
Fire – Affinity
You can safely create small puffs of flame at will. These puffs of flame are identical to a torch in many respects and are capable of burning objects and lighting fires outside of combat just as a torch might. Puffs of flame are ordinary fire, they extinguish quickly without tinder.

The sparks skitter uselessly over the wood, fizzling out within moments. The zebra bares his teeth at the pegasus, he himself leaning over the table as well to face the pegasus at equal height. "I don't take too kindly to strangers trying to break my stuff, pegasus. If you want this conversation to remain amicable, I would strongly suggest you step away from the board. I'll let you off the hook this once, as your spark failed to harm this Xenith protected artifact... but try again, and..." He lets the threat go unfinished, opting to fix Flash with a stony stare from those empty eyes of his.

Caden2112 wrote:"I don't know that just burning it will work...I know a bit about them, they bound something powerful to it. Well, Zanbar did, at least. Doesn't seem like something they should have been able to do without a lot more mojo than they have...Er, no offense to you two." She glanced at the students, thinking. "So, Zanbar, what shortcut did you take? Binding something like that, you had to have some trick or something."

Zanbar breaks his stare and smirks. "Ah, the prodigal one asks again. The pegasus was an interesting diversion, but ultimately knowledge is more compelling, no? Xenith believes so, and I am inclined to agree. Above all, Xenith values knowledge. The little secrets of life, and death, and all things on the world."

Zanbar tilts his head. "Can you hear the haunting tunes of the serpent eye? Tempting you with knowledge? Devouring your every secret? To pledge yourself to Xenith is an easy task indeed, for the dedicated: trade knowledge for knowledge. A little tidbit of my own, and I learn knowledge cosmic... a worthy trade, no?"

(EVERYBODY roll perception)

"No." Flashpoint kicks his hooves again, calling the Zebra's bluff, and attempting to light the board once more. Whatever was going on here needed to stop immediately- better that the Zebra breaks the peace himself.

---

Perception: 18+11=29, though he isn't paying attention to much more than the board and the Zebra.

"Knowledge for knowledge, huh?" Torque thought a moment. "Well, I'm not as interested in the "secrets of the universe," but if it knows what Mirrored is planning and how to stop her, we might be able to-" Torque paused as another set of sparks landed on the board. "Flashpoint, can we not antagonize the sociopathic necromancer with something you know doesn't work?"

Torque stopped, then contemplated his own words. "You're...not doing this to help us stop Mirrored, are you? You don't care about that at all. You're just trying to get us to "pledge" something to Xenith. What, is this some service you provide to knowledge seekers, or do you get something out of it?" He thought about the feeling of ancientness he felt from Zanbar. "...How long have you been doing this, Mr. "Infinite Soul"? And how have you stayed so young? Assuming....that's your original body..."

This felt wrong. Torque felt like he had almost been suckered into something that would cost much more than a random tidbit of information. He tried to get a better sense of what was actually going on.

Rolling Perception...16 (1d20) + 8 = 24

"Oh my sweet Luna, stop feeding him!" Flash snaps at Torque, glaring. "All you're doing is giving him more time to commune with Tartarus or wherever and gain an advantage. Stop trying to have a discussion with him, at least until after we've shut down his little demon ritual." He gestures to the other History club members. "Or are you planning on letting him suck the life out of all of them first?"