Deus Machina - The Last Grimoire (Inactive)

Game Master Rednal

A cold fog has settled over Arkham City, dousing the landscape of this quiet town. Here and there, a particularly bright light shines through the darkness, providing guidance to people willing to be out and about on a night like this one - but more importantly, it's finally time for the dinner that Professor Freeborn invited you to. At the center of Miskatonic University is its largest building, the school library, which is normally out-of-bounds to anybody who's not either a member of the faculty or a student at the university... and, technically, you're not students yet. Classes start tomorrow. Still, the school seems to have made an exception for this meeting, and this will be your first time inside the building. According to the instructions that came with your invitation, you're to go ahead and enter the library, then take the second door on the left to enter one of the larger study rooms. Dinner will be served there, safely away from the main collection of the library. All that's required for your entrance is for you to have brought the strange tome in your possession, and to hear what the Professor has to say while you eat.

The book has always seemed a little strange - no matter how you've studied it, it's remained cryptic and unyielding to any form of inquiry. You've been promised answers, but have no idea what form those answers will take, and Miskatonic University's reputation for eccentricity suggests it won't be anything normal. This would be your last chance to turn back, but you've already come too far for that, haven't you? Then by all means, enter the library and be seated...

Aiden arrives at the room and stands at the door for a moment before entering. He opens the door and quickly scans the room hoping to figure out what is going on.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

Aiden: The room seems to be empty of people, as Professor Freeborn has not yet arrived. However, a number of places have been set at the nice table in the center of the room, though the middle of the table has been completely cleared away. It's still a few minutes until the scheduled start of the dinner, so perhaps you're simply a bit early...

Aiden takes a seat and sets his backpack down under the chair.

Walter walks through the campus making his way toward the library, giddy with excitement. If half of the rumors I've hear about this place are true, I could spend a lifetime here and never get bored. The book bouncing in his backpack as he walked was the only note of peculiarity about him as despite even his intellect, he could not glean anything of import from its text. Still, a little bit of an irregularity is to be expected from this place.

Opening the door, Walter is surprised to find only Aiden waiting at the table. He checks his watch in confusion, I can't be that early... Shaking his head, he moves to the table and takes a seat near to Aiden, leaving on empty space between them. "Has anybody else shown up yet or have you been waiting here by yourself?"

"Walter" says a bit surprised, noone was here when I arrived but I've only been here for a few minutes. I suppose we're both too prompt for our own good. I was not expecting to see you here but it will be nice to have a familiar face present. Is it safe to assume you received a strange book as well?

Jonas eagerly entered the room, and sees the door is already open.

Hey! You guys again! You have weird books too? I wonder what kind of things are really in them...I can't make heads or tail of mine...His face scrunched up in thought.

Orne Library, Denton reads with a satisfied grin. No problem finding anything today!

Passing through the main entrance and making his way to the room indicated on the invitation, he steps inside to see three people already there. A slightly surprised look crosses his face.

"Hey, you're the guys from last Sunday, right?" he asks as he moves toward the table. "Sorry for dashing like that, I was kinda freaked over missing Orientation and all. Name's Denny. Friends call me 'Sal'," he says as he sticks his hand out good-naturedly.

"So," he rapid-fires before anyone can get a word in, noisily pulling out a chair to grab a seat near the others. "what's the deal with the book, anyway? As I'm getting on the bus some guy in a hoodie shoves a leather bag at me. 'This is yours,' he says. I'm like, 'No it's not'," but by the time I look up he's already gone."

He shucks his backpack and hauls the book out as he continues to talk. 'It's not in any language I know, and I can read a few. Plus it has all this fancy decoration on the cover like, 'Oooooh, mystic book!'" He splays his fingers and waggles his hands as he says the last part in an exaggerated wavering tone, grinning widely.

"I figure it's probably some initiation thing and..." Suddenly he stops, jaw flopping over for a moment, understanding in his eyes... and then he bursts into laughter.

"Sonofa... I shoulda seen it!" he manages to get out between guffaws. "It was all a setup! You three are on the hazing committee, right? Aw damn, no wonder I kept getting lost last Sunday, I bet you guys were constantly switching the signs around on me! Hell, there probably wasn't even any Orientation! Oh, this is rich!" he says as he wipes tears from his eyes.

He gets himself under control and leans on the table, looking at the others. "Okay, you got me. I gotta tell ya: I'm not the frathouse type, but if I was going to join one yours would be the kind of fraternity I'd go for. Geez, the amount of planning and prep work you put into this!" He flips the cover of the book open and pages through it. "Tons of time and effort in making this thing alone. And how the heck you managed to find somebody in Jersey to nail me right before I got on the bus... well, I'm impressed, guys. Really."

"Still... fun's fun and all, but let's cut to the chase. What's your deal?" He looks back and forth between the three expectantly.

Val was rather surprised to receive the invitation about the book. After all, she'd never told anyone she had it, not to mention that it might sort-of be stolen. On the one hand, it'd been wedged in between a couple harlequin romance novels in what used to be her convertible. On the other? Since she was paying all the damages done to the store she'd technically bought it, right?

Well if this was about returning said book that's what she'd say anyway. And she had an overpriced lawyer on speed dial to back that claim up.

So she'd hung outside the library at first, leaning against a nearby tree and watching the entrance. Not hiding nor advertising her presence as she sips her coffee before finally biting the bullet and entering the building, immediately soothed by the scent of books and quiet.

"It might not mean anything. They could just be random scribbles made by a very bored person." Val comments to Jonas as she enters, not that she really believes that. Because if it was just a prank book that would be terribly boring.

"You should totally go with Denny, it's a much better name than Sal" and of course it has nothing to do 'Sal' being so close to 'Val'. Nope, not at all. Then in a more lecturing tone adds, "Oh and don't accept bags from creepy people on a bus. There could be something very bad inside."

Aiden laughs hearing how the others came to aquire their books. "I just got mine at mail call and assumed the return address sticker fell off at some point. I see now it was a tad more sinister than that. "

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The doors to the room burst open a moment later as a tall man strode into the room. "Sorry, sorry! Had to finish a few things before classes start." The man strode around to an empty seat at the table and calmly sat down. Even when in the chair, he was a tall man, with the air of somebody used to addressing crowds and getting his way. "Excellent, lovely to see you're all here. For those of you who haven't met me yet, I'm Professor Freeborn, the head of Anthropology. And this..." the door opened a moment later, and a prim lady just heading into middle age walked inside. "Is Professor Derleth, head of our Occult Studies department."

"Welcome." Professor Derleth said calmly, adjusting her glasses a bit before taking a seat next to Professor Freeborn. She didn't seem quite as welcoming as the other Professor, who simply rubbed his hands together.

"There's nothing like a good meal to stimulate conversation. Come in!" he called, and several members of the school's staff entered the room, setting a variety of dishes onto the table. Fish, meat, salad, fruit... a bit of everything seemed to be present. "Now, I'm sure you're all very curious about why you were invited here tonight, so here's a little question. What does the occult mean to you? I want your honest feelings, not a textbook answer. We get enough of those in class!" he laughed. Rather loudly. Professor Derleth simply served a small helping of salad and began eating.

Such a simple and entirely unsurprising question, Walter thought to himself before speaking, taking mere moments to put his thoughts into words insomuch as he is able. "It is possibility. I don't know how else to describe it. The ability to do something - or methods to reach that end - previously thought impossible for one reason or another. For example, moving instantaneously between two physical locations, reaching another plane of existence, mind to mind communication. All would be feats accomplished, if they were to be accomplished, through means inexplicable based on the general knowledge of the limitations of physics and mathematics, quantum or otherwise."

"I'd have to agree with Walter, in that it involves a breaking of the rules as we understand them. Though I suppose if the occult was real, then we would have to include occult effects in those rules which breaks that definition. I feel it's a bit like metaphors not actually being metaphors."

Val let's out a small 'eep' as the door bursts open, nearly tossing her book in surprise, but manages to catch it after a bit of fumbling. 'So much for playing it cool' she mentally grumbles to herself.

Setting the grimoire on the table she starts go get food, picking a little bit of this and that seemingly at random, mixing together some things while keeping others separate. In the end it's amazing what she manages to fit on a single plate without seeming to overload it.

"Occult?" she echoes, "Magic, witchcraft, satanism, goths, monsters, basements, symbols, annnnnd Jensen Ackles."

Denton blinks as Val ticks off her list. "Ohhhh...kayyyy..."

"I think these two," he says, nodding towards Walter and Alden, "nailed most of it. What's that line about any sufficiently advanced science? Everything that happens happens somehow, even if we never work out the details. We're just starting to seriously theorize about higher dimensions, m-branes, all manner of things unimagined just decades ago... and I think we still don't have a clue how much we don't know."

"Not to make the term mundane, but I think 'the occult' is -- in a sense -- a label we slap on things we don't understand."

"And I think," he adds as he begins loading his plate, "that even things we consider immutable, things that break 'the laws of physics' -- like stopping or even reversing entropy -- are up for grabs."

To me, the occult means mystery! Things we don't understand! Magic! Jonas eagerly grabs a plate and begins to fill it up as he answers. It's...different! Science can't explain it! Are the books that we have occult?

Professor Derleth laughed as the students gave their answers. "I suppose you're getting there. Some of you, anyway." she said. She calmly drew a small pack out of her purse, opened it, and spread a number of cards into the center area of the table. Each of the cards had a starry background, and lines had been traced to create shapes - rather clearly, they were drawings of constellations. Instead of the traditional ones that most people knew, however, these shapes seemed to be a bit... different. The same starts, but connected in a different way. "We made these after an excavation in Europe." Professor Derleth explained, nodding to Professor Freeborn. "Our cultures and societies teach us to view things in a different way, but the original carvings of these constellations were made by a people who hadn't had contact with anyone else for a very long time. They looked at the same things we have, but saw something entirely different." she left the cards in the middle of the table, and gestured for the guests to pick one up and take a closer look. "This has happened many times throughout history. The 'Occult', as the masses call it, is often just the same information when viewed from a different perspective, sometimes with parts that the rest of the world hasn't yet discovered." She seemed... quite interested in the subject. But then, she was the head of the department. "Here at Miskatonic University, we try to understand other cultures from their own perspective as a way of getting a better understanding of what they did, and why. Most cultures have had at least some form of mysticism and religion, and understanding how they viewed their sacred traditions is critical if you ever want to understand the rest of their society."

"Just so." Professor Freeborn said, waving a chicken drumstick cheerfully. "If you seriously apply yourself to your studies in any area, then there are a lot of people who simply won't understand what you're doing. They'll hear one or two words and leap to form judgements on your actions without even the faintest thought. While you're here, though, you won't have to worry too much about things like that. Acquiring knowledge isn't easy, but it is worthwhile, even when the rest of the world thinks you're crazy. We have a strong emphasis on original research here, and you're going to find yourselves working a lot with students from different disciplines as you advance your studies. Just keep an open mind and you won't go wrong."

Val shrugs and then breaks down and gives in with a serious answer, "What? It's a catchall for things we don't understand. A couple hundred years ago worms appearing after a storm was an occult phenomenon! The problem is lately that particular word has negative connotations to it. When was the last time you heard the word 'occult' in a good way?"

"Mysticism!" the young woman repeats, gesturing to Derleth with a forkful of veggies, "See, I'd rather be labeled a Mystic than an Occultist. One can be eccentric and fun and another seems... well it seems like they'd be sacrificing goats in a basement or something. Even if it's not true."

Eyeing the cards on the table the starlet's hand bounces between the Angel and Nobel card for a few moments before she takes the Angel.

Aiden watches as Val grabs a card. Aiden looks over the cards and his gaze is drawn to the beast.

Aiden grabs the beast card and looks at the constellation for several moments before turning the card over a few tomes in his hand to get a better look at it.

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Impulsively, Jonas snatches the dragon card. He's always liked dragons.

She has a point. Jonas nods at Valerie. Occult has a very negative connotation. It would be neat to see that change...even on a small scale. Will it change for us?

Denton nods at Professor Freeborn's words. "That's so true. I applied to dozens of universities and colleges. As soon as they read the phrase 'cold fusion' it was like their minds slammed shut. Or the mention of Maxwell's Demon. Bam, preconceived notions and it was all don't call us, we'll call you."

"Miskatonic was the only university that actually considered what I had to say. And saw some worth in my theories, I guess."

He puts his index finger down on a card and draws it across the table to him for a closer look: the Scholar.

Well, damn. Been in a meeting for the past two hours and didn't get a chance to pick before I went and now two of my top three are gone lol.

Walter watches as, one by one, the others at the table select their cards, frowning when first Beast and then Dragon are taken, but he still makes no move until after Denton chooses his card. I wonder what the choice of card says about us. As the rest of the students study their cards, Walter reaches for the Mage. He doesn't say anything, instead he sits back in his chair, watching and listening to the others, absentmindedly twirling his card over his fingers.

Professor Freeborn nodded at Val's words. "One of the largest differences between mystic events and occult ones is where the sacrifices are done. Occultists might do it in the basement... while mystics will build temples and do blood sacrifices in front of everyone. Of course, people often fear what they don't understand. Even the strangest and most gruesome things, if done in a suitably public manner, will often become accepted by societies. When you add in patriotism, faith, and finances, well, the lines of what's acceptable suddenly start to get much blurrier."

Professor Derleth simply watched as the students picked up the cards of the Constellations, nodding slightly. "The angel, or at least a holy being of some kind." she explained to Valory. "Very few societies only had deities that were considered evil, so it's natural enough that stories of heavenly soldiers and guardians would become popular. Like our own society, older cultures often saw the things they wanted to see, and drew their constellations accordingly." She turned to Aiden, glancing over the card in his hand. "Animals have always been popular as symbols of power. Many people valued those who seemed to carry the traits of animals, or had totems that represented them." To Jonas, she added, "Dragons are much like beasts, but while humans were often thought to be able to have the power of beasts, stories of gaining the powers of dragons are much more rare. They might be the great villains of Western stories or the wise guardians of the East, but they're always important." Her mouth twitched slightly as she continued to Denton. "We like to call that one the Scholar, but it's also right if you think of it as a village elder, or a shaman of some kind. Knowledge was respected and feared in many cultures, and even the greatest of warriors would often find themselves giving into the words of a frail old man. When leaders bend their knees, others followed." Lastly, to Walter, she noted, "Mages, sorcerers, warlocks... whatever their name would be, those with the power to tap into powers far greater than their fellows were widely feared. Of course, most of it was just showmanship..." she smiled widely. "But then, belief is another kind of power. Just ask any religion."

Professor Derleth probably wasn't welcome in very many churches. She sat back a moment later, lightly clasping her hands together and resting them on the table. "So, who wants to perform a little mysticism and find out some of what the ancients felt?" It was impossible to fully replicate their cultures and viewpoints, but you could still at least experience some of their ceremonies to help get a better understanding of how things went. "And yes, you will get extra credit for participation. We believe in rewarding those who go outside of the confines of their assignments to help with research and studies."

"Find out what the ancients felt? I'm not sure what you mean but I am curious enough that I suppose I'll participate."

Aiden looks as Proffesor Derleth with and eyebrow raised and awaits her response.

Walter smiles slightly at Professor Darleth's explanation of his card and the implications thereof. His eyes widen at her offer to them and he doesn't bother trying to hide his excitement as he replies, "Well I didn't pick the Mage for nothing. When do we begin?"

"A shaman, huh? That's so totally not me," he chuckles. "And you lost me with the whole 'what the ancients felt' thing, but it's not like I have anywhere to be so... why not? I'm in."

Val eyed Derleth interestedly, that sounded suspiciously like a séance! Perhaps she wasn't as dour as she looked. Fun and extra credit? "I'm in!"

Dragons can be intelligent, and powerful as well, though!

Jonas got wide-eyed, wondering what could be in store. Either way, it sounded fun. Why not? Sounds like fun!

Professor Derleth looked more amused than anything else. Students jumped quite predictably at certain times. Instead of standing up, though, she calmly returned to the meal and thoughtfully ate a bit of apple. "I'm glad you're all so willing." she said. "After all, our study can't proceed without those books you all brought." Quite calmly, she reached into her bag and drew out a thick, aged book that she set onto a clear spot near her plate. Like those of the students, the text scrawled all over the cover seemed gibberish. Some sort of skin had been used for the exterior of the tome, giving it a tight appearance even when it was simply resting there. "Still, you should all finish your meals. Hunger is good for many things, but the best research is done on a full stomach."

"Wait, wait, you mean these books are for real?" He looks at Aiden and Walter. "It's not a prop for some frat hazing?"

He eyes narrow and he looks back at Professor Derleth. "Or is this whole thing a setup? You two," he says, indicating Derleth and Freebord, "you're like the fraternity's faculty advisors, yeah?"

Professor Derleth gazed at Denton for a few moments. "We do not have... fraternities." she said, apparently finding the very word distasteful. "While many of our students do group together, such exclusive organizations are contrary to the ideas of research, study, and mutual assistance that we prefer to promote. Additionally, this school possesses many old and irreplaceable artifacts from civilizations around the world, and we would be very unhappy if a group of drunken fools decided to smash them up for fun."

One thing people would never accuse MU of was being a party school.

"Well that, I'm totally for. I already told these guys," Denton said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder, "I'm not a frat kinda guy. I worked too hard to get here to beer-piss the chance away."

"But then... so... these books." He looks at his, putting his hand on it almost gingerly. "They're legit?"

"Denton, Walter and I are both new as well. Even if Miskatonic had frats, I'm not sure this is what happens during a hazing". Aiden pulls his book out of his bag, visually compares his with Professor Derleth's, and asks "So what are these books exactly? "

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Both of the Professors shrugged.

"We haven't decrypted them yet." Professor Derleth explained, opening hers to a random page and showing the group. It was covered with a dense scrawl, with odd letters written in a variety of directions and seeming to follow no sort of pattern at all. "Much like the Voynich manuscript, they seem remarkably resistant to all attempts to decipher them, and believe me, we've looked hard. We've discovered a few patterns within them, but nothing that's helped to make them understood... and I believe this was where your department came in, Professor Freeborn."

The man nodded, turning seriously to face the students. "Just so. It seems like the groups that wrote these books took great care in performing certain rituals. Maybe they were trying to communicate with their gods, obtain lost knowledge... or uncover the cooking recipes of the next group over." he chuckled. "Our best guess is that they focused on emotions, and perhaps mild hallucinogens, as a way of disconnecting their minds from normal operations and allowing them to read these books in a way that people could never do normally. Tonight's experiment is to see if there might be something to the theory - and don't worry, we're not going to drug you." he added quickly. "Safety really is important when you're studying old things, if only because many of them are impossible to replace if they're damaged, and your brains are your most valuable possessions."

Professor Derleth calmly set her utensils down, then stood up and began walking towards the door. "Follow me. We'll be using one of the rooms downstairs." With that, she calmly walked out of the room.

The passage downstairs was relatively small, only two people wide, and the steps were deeper than usual. The walls of the passage were some kind of hard stone, and Professor Derleth calmly continued along the passage until she finally found the room she was looking for. It was a simple stone room, with a five-pointed star surrounded by a circle drawn in the center. Professor Derleth calmly walked around the outside, lighting a number of candles to provide better illumination. "The star, representing magic, and the circle, representing human will constraining it. You'll note that the circle is broken in five places; we're relatively certain that their intention was to create a symbol freeing both mind and energy, rather than containing them." she instructed in a matter-of-fact tone. She dropped her own book into the center of the star. "Now, place your own books inside one of the sections of the star, then take a seat in one of the larger areas and face clockwise. Open the books to any page; it doesn't really matter which."

As the group rises to leave the room, Denton grabs his book and then pushes forward to walk alongside Professor Derleth so he can speak with her.

"So just how many of these books are there, anyway? And how long have you had that one," he asks, pointing at the one she's carrying. Then he chuckles. "Is that 'your' book specifically -- I mean, mine was basically shoved into my hands -- or is it just one you're researching? Maybe each book is only meant to make sense to its owner. Or something."

He continues alongside her as they descend the stairs. "Have you considered this might just be asemic writing? After all, given that..." His words, and forward motion, halt when he steps into the stone chamber.

"Ya know, I like to think I have an open mind, but isn't this all a little too... I dunno... 'hocus-pocus-y?'"

Nonetheless, he turns his book so the spine points downward in his left hand and runs his other hand along the edges of the pages, opening the book at a point that somehow seems right. Any page, it doesn't matter which, he thinks. Then he hears Yoda in his head. 'That is why you fail.' He laughs out loud, then mumbles an apology as the others look at him... one or two, glaringly.

Placing the opened book in one of the points of the star, he takes a seat as directed.

"This is... freaky," he mutters to himself. And *still* feels like a frat hazing.

Professor Derleth snorted. "Of course it is." she said. "We have no idea what their actual rituals were like, aside from a small number of details we managed to cobble together. Since we can't fully replicate whatever their experiences might have been, we're going with our own culture's closest approximation instead. Remember, we are not cultists." she let out a long sigh. "We are not trying to summon their gods, we are not trying to become religious leaders, and we certainly aren't trying to impress anyone with lights and smoke. We are scholars, trying to gain a better understanding of what the experiences of certain ancient cultures were like. And if they were going to use... hocus-pocus... in their ceremonies, then yes, we will try that as well. You cannot understand others until you find out the way they think, and to find out the way they think, you must step into their shoes for a little while. Have I made myself clear, Mr. Salpicadera?"

"Well yes, but..." escapes before Denton seems to reconsider what he's about to say.

"Yes, m'am," he finishes tepidly.

Walter turns to Denton as they gather around the symbol and tried to reassure the man with a bit of levity and sarcasm, "This is Miskatonic, man. The Professor is the head of Occult Studies. Honestly I'd think there was something wrong if this weren't some convoluted plot to get us to summon a creature from Hell." The smile that he's trying unsuccessfully to hide, combined with the amusement clear in his voice should tell anybody who is paying attention that he doesn't entirely believe what he's saying, but there's a spark of possibility there inspired during his youth.

Walter continues to circle the ritual area muttering to himself, allowing the academic in him to come out, "We're facing deasil, a good start, though I'm not fond of breaking the circle of protection. But if this is designed to do what you think it is, I can understand it. Walls don't only keep things out, after all."

Realizing that he's speaking a bit more loudly than he had anticipated, he tries to include those who are better learned than he in the conversation, "Professor, you keep saying "they". Who was it that you think created these books or the ritual, and why you think that this particular ritual will do what you say it will. You said this is your 'best guess' pieced together from a small number of details. What if something goes wrong? What safety measures are in place? Don't get me wrong, I've got no problem testing out a hypothesis, but I like to have all of the information before I become a test subject. I wasn't expecting the answer to be 'Now,' when I asked when we were to begin. We haven't even been briefed on what's supposed to happen during the ritual."

Professor Derleth didn't seem terribly annoyed by the questions... just a little exasperated. Small, subtle differences. "Weren't you paying attention earlier?" she asked. "As far as we've been able to determine, the ritual was something designed to help the participants read their sacred books. What's supposed to happen is being able to look at something in a different way. We're not even going to bother with anything stronger than some mild incense from a shop in town, and I fail to see how anything harmful could possibly happen as a result of that. I'm more worried about you knocking over a candle than anything else... and that's why we're in a well-ventilated stone room." Some people could be very silly about their beliefs. Occult Studies was, after all, Occult Studies. It was like the difference between writing a book on communicating with spirits and writing a research paper comparing the claims of people who said they communicated with spirits, analyzing their success rates in terms of messages and the like, and then explaining why all of them were bogus and suggesting ways of making better claims because the project had been too easy and they wanted to have a bit of a challenge next time.

Walter frowned, thinking that her response didn't actually answer any of his questions. His eyes narrowed as he glared at the broken pentagram, as though willing it to divulge its secrets, but really just convincing himself that nothing too terrible will happen just because he doesn't know the minutiae of the ritual, There's a reason I don't mess around with Ouija boards... They're a ritualistic devices that I don't fully understand. Still, nothing ventured nothing gained...

Taking a deep breath, Walter sits down in one of the designated areas, opening his book to as close to the center as he can approximate without page numbers, and waits for the next set of instructions.

Aiden looks over the circle, takes a seat at the point closest to Walter and leans over to him. "You did say we should find something a bit more metaphysical," Aiden says with a small chuckle.

Aiden lowers his voice and says, "Perhaps once we participate, they will be a bit more forthcoming."

Aiden places his book down and flips to the end.

Valory had paused with a forkful of food halfway to her mouth when the professor started talking about hallucinogens, only relaxing a little when he assured them he wasn't going to drug them (that was a little suspicious in itself, like someone saying 'Drink this! It's not poison!') but aborts eating after that, setting her fork down and pushing the plate away as casually as she can.

"I'd like to amend my earlier volunteer...ism. I'm up for trying this as long as it doesn't involve sacrificing anything." the starlet states when she sees the pentagram. Her tone is light though and a bit excited, obviously she's (sort of) joking and interested in doing this. She has no problems trying to open her mind to read a magic book, she was the girl that would bring the ouija board to sleepovers after all...

Taking an open spot she opens her book and lets it flip to a random page. They're trying to communicate right? So let the book do the talking.

"Safety measures? Right, someone run upstairs and grab the saltshaker in case we do summon something." she teases with a wink.

Professor Derleth looked around as one, two, three, four... four of them, hm? Well, it seemed like one of them had decided to back out after all, rather than joining them for the experiment. In the back of her mind, Professor Derleth made a little note to herself - people who hesitated to study the crazy things might not have what it took to be a good scholar at MU, after all. She nodded as the rest of them followed instructions and sat down within the circle itself.

"All right, the ritual began by-"

Ring~ Ring~ Ring~

The Professor scowled as she pulled out her cell phone. "If this isn't something important... Hold on, I'll be right back." she said, walking out of the room with the still-ringing phone in her hand. The heavy door shut behind her.

Ten seconds later, every candle in the chamber went out, plunging the room into utter darkness.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

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Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21
Perform (Acting): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

The moment the lights go out a bloodcurdling scream rips through the room, an ear-shattering sound with a decade of practice and vocal training behind it trapped in the room.

"Oh, sorry, force of habit." Valory's disembodied (but otherwise normal) voice says into the gloom a moment later. "Did anyone else feel that?

"Feel what?" Aiden asks to the darkness.

"You know the hazing theory is becoming a bit more plausible. That or something seriously spooky is going on. Did anyone see where the light switch is?"

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Now see, this is where I'd pull out that "useless" smartphone and throw some light on the situation. And I wanna know what carrier Professor Derleth uses, 'cuz I'm seriously impressed she can get signal in a stonewalled basement room...

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

"What??" asks Denton loudly. "My ears are ringing like mad!"

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Walter ignores Val's screech. Were he to give it a second thought, he'd make a comment about it not comparing to some of the weapons he's fired. He doesn't bother looking around blindly when the lights go out, instead, he attempts to keep a recollection of the room as he'd last seen it in the front of his mind in case he needed to move about in the dark. He'd never attempted this before, and maybe the effort wouldn't be needed, but noticing the small details was his job for several years. Perhaps this was a new way to apply a trained memory. "Quiet. Nobody move. The room was lit by candles so we wait for Derleth to come back and perhaps shed some light on the situation."

Accidentally stole your joke.

@Denton: That is a very good question, isn't it? ^^ I was hoping someone would notice.

For several long seconds, no light entered the room at all. Then, as one, each of the books that had been set down inside the circle lit up, their pages flapping backwards until the covers slammed shut. Even as they did so, the cover of each book twisted, becoming readable to the sight of its owner. The books shot through the air a moment later, landing neatly in the hands of their owners - and to each person in the room came a flood of knowledge about how the tomes could help them.

However, that was only one of the problems that the students in the rooms currently faced... for the books somehow seemed to be very, very afraid. Another shockwave ran through the building, shaking the foundations and impossible to miss this time.

Note: The additional abilities that come with your Grimoire are tied to the book, and you will immediately lose all effects if you are more than ten feet away from your Grimoire. All abilities will be immediately restored if you once again are ten feet or less from the book. You must actually be holding your Grimoire in one or both hands in order to cast spells through it (exception: any spells or spell-like powers associated with your Grimoire's additional abilities, which fall under those restrictions instead).

"Whoa..." says Denton in quiet wonder as the books begin glowing. What comes after is too unexpected for him to comment further, and he's left sitting quietly in his chair trying to sort through the enlightenment newly rushing through his mind.

And trying to... somehow "comfort" his book which, inside his head, is doing a credible impression of a terrified puppy.