The cultists were consumed as the cost of their ritual, attempting to summon a powerful ancient being and failing. You're succeeded in stopping their plan, for now. The god Agni, nor their twisted version of it, will not show its face in Arzata any time soon.
EVERYONE LEVEL UP. Feel free to post additional questions and/or RP.
"These guys really take the whole fire thing seriously..." Dave mutters about.
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Dave suddenly feels quite a bit more deadly, and flexible. In fact, he also feels like he knows spanish now for some reason, which is clearly because he's been teaching himself online with Duolingo and didn't randomly appear out of nowhere. There are things you just learn to accept when you're secretly part of a online tabletop game, things which would probably cause great amounts of insanity if you were to find out.
He adjusts his shades, and looks around. These people had to have come here somehow, so he's looking for any sign of vehicles or whatever it may be.
Scouting ahead in the direction the cultist was running when taken down by Isagoras' eagle, Dave finds several vehicles. The doors are unlocked, so Dave is able to figure out that one of the vehicles belonged to David Lee, the fire chief transplant from Mississippi. The rest belong to...[insert nameless NPC here with no significance to the plot]
Isagoras gains the additional insight that, whatever these people THOUGHT they were summoning, it was no Hindu god, but rather something less mythical and more inherently evil.
Dave puts on some gloves, can't do to have fignerpritns everywhere, and looks around in the cars for anything worthy of taking. It's not like they were going to use it anyway, and he doubted they would've kept their wallets while being all dressed up in robes.
Their day clothes are in their cars, as you suspected. You have 14 ID cards, about 30 credit cards (though it would be a bad idea to use them; you might be able to fence them for a fraction of their value) and aboout $500 in cash. Other than that, there's not much.
"Do we make this lot disappear," Valda asked curiously, "Or let someone find this stuff and see what's made of it?"
Dave walks back, sorting through the cash discovered. He left the credit cards behind, since he didn't have a way to sell those. "A bunch of people in robes came out into the middle of the dessert and spontaneously combusted. We can probably safely call the actual police, tell them we found it while hiking. Or just leave the site for actual hikers to find. The police will likely rule this as some sorta weird suicide cult, which to be honest, could be closer to the truth then we realize."
Taking the time to reload his pistol before returning it to his holster, Joey chimes, "I know if I had stumbled upon this, I would've figured that this lot lit themselves up.. As long as there's no connecting us to them, we should be alright."
He places a gloved hand to his mouth as he ponders over everything for a moment, thinking out loud.
"How ironic is it that the Fire Chief was involved in a Fire Cult. And all these others? This thing really seems to be bigger than we realized.. I would've loved and hated to see what would've happened had they been successful.. Their remaining members are going to be curious why the ritual wasn't successful.. Why the captain 'just so happened' to 'go to sleep forever'.. I think we're going to have an interesting couple of days ahead of us.. Shit... Do you think they'll find out it was us through channeling with their demon-monster-whatever? Is that something they can do...?"
The more Joey thinks about it, the more he doubts their safety, but - seeing how they handled everything so far - as long as they all stick together, they should be fine... right?
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Whatever this cult was trying to conjure, it's old, and it's insidious, somehow making its way into the minds of religious seekers and twisting them to its own purposes. It certainly sounds "demonic" not necessarily in the Christian sense, but in the sense that extra-normal beings were influencing the thoughts and actions of regular folks. This would probably rear its head again in some fashion of other.
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Joseph is going to take 20 on Knowledge (Local) to have spent time visiting past contractors and stopping by common criminal hang-outs, gaining as much useful information he can to learn exactly how large this cult may be, where their base of operations may be stationed, and just how much power and influence they have - or discovering that this cult is elusive and has left very little trails to be traced back on (whichever works more for the plot :P).
Other than that, he'll have spent time with his new comrades, getting to know them, preparing himself mentally for war, and studying witchcraft with Maria - Joey gained his first level as a Witch!
Dave spends time honing his skills to an edge, and begrudgingly takes lessons from Joey about learning Spanish since that appears to be a thing he needs. He doesn't spend much time with the others if t all, but he keeps in contact with Joey fairly regularly. Much time is also spent gathering materials for and producing some various amounts of poisons and perhaps a few alchemicals as well.
He's dosn't feel the need to take on another 'job' more then once, on account of having received a very nice payment from his last to keep him afloat for awhile. The money he took from the fallen cultists would've been distributed somewhat evenly at about 66 dollars each.
Just let me know what you're trying to produce and I'll work with you.
ADVENTURE 2 INTRODUCTION
Joey is in his office one day, continuing to research the Agni cult. So far, he's turned up no local leads. A similar fate seems to have befallen David Lee's followers in Mississippi; little information about the cult survived the fires there, either.
It is now March 1, and several months have passed. David and Isagoras have been visiting regularly, and Joey has also kept in touch with Maria and Valda. The mysterious martial artist named Starsoul has been hard to find.
It’s after noon on a bleak, dreary day, and an ominous blanket of low, gray clouds hangs over the desert, indicating more rain, and probably flooding. A knock on the door takes Joey by surprise. (any PC who wishes to be in the office visiting Joey may consider themselves here).
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Isagoras has spent most of his time engrossed in the library of the Order, poring over ancient tomes filled with flowery script which describe deep secrets of magic and power. In time he feels he has grasped a higher circle of manipulation of the elements, and feels more prepared to take on the threats of the Cult, wherever they should rear their ugly head.
In time even his mind swims with too heavily with arcane sigils and writhing runes, and he steps out for a coveted street-vendor hot dog and a breath of air. This day his steps (and automobile) lead him to his good friend the Investigator, to spend a moment indulging in the gossip of the day and seeing if there is anything new about the Recent Unpleasantness. And should that bottle of excellent Mexican tequila that he keeps hidden in his desk come out to make smoother the avenues of discourse, then so much the better!
Isagoras knocks out of good manners, and greets Joey informally. "Salutations unto you, Purveyor of Secrets. Grasp thine ken unto the known unknowable upon an arc unseen afore this moment's sight doth look upon us?"
Isagoras walks into the room, happy there is someone with whom he can just speak plainly.
Maria would have spent most of her time taking care of her shop and telling fortunes, and so wouldn't be at Joey's office this time of day, however she is only a phone call away.
Valda headed to Joey's office due to bordeom. Her new place wasn't quite ready, and she didn't have anything better to do. "I bring caffiene and doughnuts. Yes, I'm aware I'm stereotyping. No, I don't think you'll care. They're good doughnuts."
As Valda walks in, she notices a short young woman, curvy build with a boyish haircut in caramel brown, with black rimmed glasses and a Slipknot T-shirt. She seems to be coming this way.
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Dave reveals himself as being the young woman all along! No, he makes himself known by tapping Valda on the shoulder. "Sup. Seems we all picked today to pop in and say howdy."
A few seconds after the door closes behind Valda, a predicable knock comes, almost certainly from the brown-haired young woman.
Who opens the door?
Putting down the coffee and food, Valda opened the door. "Joseph Adam's office, how can he help you?"
Dave snakes around Valda, proceeding to shove a chocolate doughnut into his mouth while picking up some of the coffee for himself, whether or not there was any meant for him in the first place.
"Hi. Name's Stacey. I run a podcast I think you're family with. Can I come in?"
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Turning in his chair to face the door as he hears who has come to join their party, Joey's eyes are wide with a blend of excitement and wonder. Quickly opening the drawer to his desk, he throws the bottle of tequila he was getting out back into it and tries to hide it as if it were some raunchy porno mag before standing up and making sure he looks presentable by running his hands through his hair and adjusting his shirt, though it only serves to dishevel his look in his rushed state. Regardless, he quickly hops to the side of his desk and leans against it, holding up a client's folder upside down as he pretends to be reading it coolly, clearing his throat as he says as formally as he can, "Oh, miss Stacey? Do come in. We were just in the middle of..." He pauses as he looks about the room and realizes how casual of a setting they're in and that Dave is suspiciously drinking a coffee... as if it wasn't his?
"...We're just... Researching the.. how much research we've been doing lately... and if donuts attract evil?"
Trying to maintain his composure, he looks between the others and awaits their response, thinking to himself, God dang, Joey - if only dad could see how smooth you are! He'd be so proud - just a spittin' image of him!
Dave's brow cocks upwards to the right as he's sipping his- at least, it's his now -drink. He lowers it in time to give a comment on Joe's performance. "I give you an A for effort, but an F- on execution."
Stacey quickly surveys the group. Here eyes are very piercing, as if she's taking in more information about you than just what most people normally see.
"Nice to meet you. All of you. I...heard about your efforts solving the arson cult case. Don't worry, I'm not telling anyone.
"I don't normally like to get involved, directly. I like to report. But something has happened that has pretty much screamed for my attention. May I?" she asks, taking a seat and not waiting for an answer.
"I was driving in the northern desert yesterday after consulting with a source. I happened to have the voice recorder app on my phone running because I was dictating my notes from the meeting as I drove. That's when I heard THIS..." Stacey pulls out her phone and presses the screen a couple times.
The sound is masked by static, but you can still catch the tentative quality of the woman’s voice.
“Hello? Hello?” she says. “Oh, Gd, can anyone hear me?” It sounds as if she’s close to tears.
"My name is Marilyn. My daughter and I are trapped...we're in a farm house. They're coming...there's something wrong with them, sick or...I'm not sure what. We're in a small town, "Black...something. I passed an old gas station with all its windows smashed out. Then my car overheated. I tried to ask for help, but that's when they came after me. Please, if anyone can hear me, please help!"
Stacey pauses. "I called the state police, they 'assured me they'd look into it'. But, I thought maybe there was a story here that the police wouldn't be ready to deal with, so I figured I'd bring the mess to you, since you all acted so quickly on the fire cult case."
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Iasgoras swallows the bite of French cruller that he had been working on and reaches for his coffee...which has mysteriously DISAPPEARED! 'Oh confoundable munchkins! Ever since Arch Bishop Denizcsh cancelled that pact with Uberdrone Phn, we've had nothing but mishapps! Now I'll have to put in paperwork for Justin's office to be burned down and then re-built due to an infestation of lemurs. Oh bother.'
That is indeed an arduous conundrum, Ms. Stacy. Be assured that damsels finding themselves in convoluted criseses do indeed fall into our prevue of allotted curiosity. But Soft! To state that it is merely 'in a town' might refer to an elaborate acreage of mysterious landscape which would require several lifetimes of men to scour unto satisfaction. Hast thou inkling or reference that might narrow down the search unto a task that might be accomplished afore time itself wears our bones down to their base elements?"
Isagoras didn't think much of Stacey, so he tried to keep it plain, on the 'low down' so she could 'vibe' his 'gib'. He was proud that he could talk the peoples' patois when he needed to.
Dave stares at Isagoras rather blankly, before realizing that someone else was just talking. "Sounds rough. And I'm curious how you learned about that."
"Sorry," Stacey responds to Dave. "Sources, gotta keep 'em happy. I can tell you you're in no danger of exposure from them, either though."
Turning to Isagoras, she says, "Well, the only other clue I have is the name 'Black' something. I can show you exactly where I was when I picked it up, but I already did a search and didn't find any 'Black' city names within the range of FM radio, at least not on google."
"Three choices then," Valda mused, taking a sip of coffee. "One, it's not named Black. It's a word meaning Black in another tongue or something like that. She was busy translating. Second is that it's outside the range of normal Radio, but it doesn't exactly sound like your usual transmission. Third, it's a town that Google forgot. Old mining town, maybe, or one that went bankrupt during the Depression." She glances around at the others. "Anyone think of anything else?"
"Alternate dimension, her message got sent to Stacy's radio through a quantum magic portal that happened by sheer chance, and it's completely impossible for us to break through the barriers between worlds and save her before she get's eaten by zombies. But I'm more inclined to believe the last thing you suggested or the second." He tosses a doughnut hole into his mouth. "These really are p' good. Gonna have to check it out myself sometime."
Maria might be able to help if someone thought to call her.
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"Black and Marilyn...? Where have I heard those names before..."
Setting his fingertips to his mouth, he ponders for a moment, making his brain connect the seemingly unconnected dots as he tends to.
"Marilyn is a woman's name... Black is a magic's name... Marilyn has three syllables... Black has one... Black's third letter is 'A'... If we take Marilyn and subtract the last three letters and replace it with the 'A,' we get 'Maria...'"
Snapping his fingers as he draws his genius conclusion and turning to face his comrades proudly he proclaims, "Maria's connection confirmed... It all make sense now. We're going to need Maria's help! Who's got their cellular handy - we need her here urgently! It's urgent!"
Dave tosses Joe a cheap looking phone rather promptly, not even seeming to care if it broke.
"Marilyn is a woman's name... Black is a magic's name... Marilyn has three syllables... Black has one... Black's third letter is 'A'... If we take Marilyn and subtract the last three letters and replace it with the 'A,' we get 'Maria...'"
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Joey seems to have gotten Maria's answering machine. He leaves a message and the group continues to discuss their options. Stacey is perfectly willing to ride out with you guys, if you want. Or, if you prefer, she'll give you the GPS coordinates that she got the message at.
"Best we take your car," Valda suggested, sad at the idea of leaving the bike behind. "We'll want to replicate the set of circumstances as close as we can. If we can bring some transmitting equipment too, and that picks it up, we might be able to send something back." Glancing around, she adds, "I am assuming we have some kind of transmitter, and don't have to raid a Radio Shack."
"Thank you for calling Belladonna's! I am either closed, or with a customer so please leave your name, phone number and the reason for your call and I will attempt to return you call soon."
About two minutes later, Maria calls Joey back.
"Just let me turn my sign around and wait for one more customer to finish up, then I'll be on my way. You want me to come to your office first, or meet you at the location?"
Given that Valda is the most recent poster, we'll go with her suggestion.
The team heads out into the desert, following Stacey's lead. Probably you need at least two cars.
As you get out into the open, an ominous blanket of low, gray clouds hangs over the landscape. It seems there is no end to the parade of empty land and derelict buildings flanking this stretch of road.
You hear static, and then a voice that makes your heart jump. “Hello? Hello?” she says. “Oh, God, can anyone hear me?” It sounds as if she’s close to tears.
Trying to tune the transmitter into the same frequency, Valda replied, "Depends on if his damned thing is working. Can you hear me?"
"Oh, thank heavens! My name is Marylin. I'm trapped in...a room. A barn? I don't know, it's very dark. I tried 9-11, but you're the first person who responded!"
"Well, we're a fairly unique bunch," Valda replied. "My name's Valda. We'll try and get you some help if we can, but we're going to need every detail you can give us about where you are. And how are you talking to us?"