Overlord Jon's page

The inside of the apartment is a mess. It's hard to tell if this is just how the victim lived, if it's been searched, or if it was robbed. The piles seem to have a certain order to them, but beyond that...

There doesn't seem to be anyone in the room, however.

Joseph can hear people moving, but it seems to mostly be that the place has thin walls and no sound proofing.

The big magic will require a lot of power. Between the people here, that was accessible. It would leave the Hunters who did it drained and weak, however.

Second, the circle would need to be redrawn.

And third, it would take at least one minute. During that time the thing that had been called would know. It may well turn up to investigate.

Argh! Why am I not getting notifications on this stuff?

There are no thoughts suggesting anyone inside, nor does anyone respond to the knock.

The room doesn't give many hints as to the occupant's problems. They were clearly hiding things, strange circles non-withstanding.

The automata nodded. "Indeed. 100 silver, as you pulled three leavers, and these." He held out two thin silver rings. "Prototypes, and very limited. These will allow you to move a short distance without effort once a day."

Ring of Shift: Move 1m without spending any AP. This can remove you from a binding or grapple.

The tall automata at the start nods as the pair leave. "Ah. Congratulations. And how did you find my examination of mortality?"

The man looked at the book. "Oh, wow, this is heavy stuff. It's all about a girl who was...well, into girls, and that went as well as you would expect in ye bullcrap times. Says she wants to summon...uh...the end? Not like a briner of the end, but the end itself."

Zandora had no problem getting to the door. A small fanfare sounded as she moved through it. "Oh, congratulations! The guildmaster is just up the stairs over there, with your rewards," the young man with a clipboard said, sounding cheerful and surprised.

Kavax is familiar enough with his own rituals to know this wasn't aiming for him. It was more...conceptual. The idea of Endings, rather than a being in the traditional sense.

The lever moves far more easily than the previous ones, allowing Zandora to begin her trip back.

----

"Oh, it's fine, they're all illusions. But, uh, you can't go back now, because that would spoil the test and stuff." The kid looked slightly worried that she would try anyway.

Teleport and Long Range Teleport would. Teleporting Assault probably should, but perhaps with a risk or two.

The boy looks up. "Interesting."

With a flash of light the teen vanishes, and a lever, somehow floating in the air, is in his place.

Blink doesn't allow you take anyone with you, typically. It's pretty similar to the Pathfinder version, where it just improves your chances to avoid being hit. It looks like the best way through is to hit the glass.

The door isn't hard to find, as it has a police notification on it. The landing doesn't look like anyone's going to be paying much attention, though. Several bits of broken furniture litter the landing, and the lock looks...less than impressive. In fact, it's clearly already been replaced at least once.

The door opens into another dark tunnel. After a moment torches ignite to the sides revealing a horde of undead to either side of the narrow tunnel behind a barrier of what looks to be glass. Once more, a small magic circle sits on and 50m away a door sits, this one made rather more spectacularly with shaped brass hinges and a handle. "If there is one thing mortals fear more than the end, it is what li- apologies, on moment." The voice gets quieter. "Explain the situation. Oh. That is not a good situation." Getting louder, Guildmaster White continues, "Circumstances dictate the end of the test, please move to the exit." The undead paw at the glass mindlessly.

Circling around to the left, and keeping in contact, brings you into contact with cool metal quite quickly. The door opens without problem, allowing light in and revealing several pillars in the middle of the room, barely visible even now. The faint glimmer of copper pieces stuck to them shows what would have happened if you'd assumed the door was straight across like the last three had been.

There is no sign of a leaver from the doorway, but it's still very hard to see the far side of the room, or behind the pillars. On the other hand, you remember you only needed to pull three.

Do you guys start on the left hand side of the door, or the right? Or do you split up and go both ways?

The circle is a calling ritual. That much is simple enough to understand. It is *what* it is trying to call that becomes more difficult. Rather than a being or a named creature, it seemed to be trying to call upon a concept. End.

The voices from the staff searching the attic was starting to get closer.

----

Jessica jumps back into the hotel, thankfully not in front of anyone likely to faint, and heads to the bar. She locates one of the other guests stuck in the loop who speaks fluent German, Lukas.

Zandora's abilities allow you to learn one thing - there are several somethings in the middle of the room. Throwing the rocks into the centre has a 50% chance of not making any noise, suggesting they're getting intercepted by something there.

The final home is barely a home. If Fever has a bad area, it's this one. The apartment block is still standing, but that's about the only thing it has going for it. Three squat floors and zero maintenance that hasn't been required by law.

The buzzer to the building doesn't have names, instead having some uncreative slurs in the name area. Thankfully, the door lock also doesn't seem to work.

Assuming the GM remains logged in, of course.

It was a simple enough matter to deal with the problem as best could be. The family were...less than thrilled, but seemed happy to have the stuff out of the house. Simply removing them improved the feeling of the home.

Valda confirmed that she'd have someone keep an eye on the place, and that the Poppets weren't harmful directly. However, prolonged exposure and focus on them would in effect marinade a person in negativity. Given they'd been found in places where they could be hidden and the victims seemed likely to focus, this seemed relevant.

Go for it! It's fine, I've been flaky the last few weeks anyway thanks to work, heat and sickness.

Sorry, Paizo logged me out. It's less that your clothes aren't shedding enough light as the material here is absorbing it, meaning none of it's getting back to you. It makes everything in the room look like a giant hole. I think hurling copper pieces into the room is probably your best bet - rely on sound, touch and such rather than sight.

The floors in the house are bare, down to the floorboards. Beneath one they find old fashioned binoculars. They seem to be quite ancient, and from the faded lettering seem to be British military from the second world war.

Sounds like a good idea Median.

Man, the dice know only hate on Paizo.

Shada fell, but thankfully was caught by the rope. It took a little time, but the lever was pulled, the void cleared, and the room traversed.

Levers: 3
Time: 4

The entry into the next chamber is odd - a pair of doors linked by a 5m passage. A note on the wall instructs that only when one door is closed can the other be opened in several languages. Once the previous door is closed and the next opened the room beyond is...black. Only the familiar glowing magic symbol reveals any light, and the darkness seems to swallow it rapidly. "Many mortals do not fear the dark. They can see in it, hunt it. Still, even they fear what lives within the darkness."

The problem here is the dark. The room is coated in the magical equivalent of Vanta Black, absorbing light shed. You must simply find the door and escape. It's up to you to describe how you do that.

Median and anyone with her finds more of the poppets. They're made in much the same fashion as the first batch, although the twigs these ones are made of are a different tree.

------

Jennifer finds a path trodden from the damaged fence panel to the house. A window there proves to be unlocked, allowing easy access without much chance of being seen.

There is almost nothing in the home other than some basic furniture, so it doesn't take long to search. One thing of note is the master bedroom in the rear looks onto the back of the shop. It's quite easy to see Median, searching a room across the way, through the window. It looks straight into the young man's room it would seem. There doesn't seem to be much here, but...

The pages are filled with neatly cribbed writing. What it is not full of is English.

Does Jerry, or anyone else, read German?

The simplest option would be to jump. It's possible to do so on an Easy (+20) Agility check. But as mentioned there is the whole 'bottomless' detail there. Other options include rope, using the walls somehow, the ceiling, flight or Other. Telekinesis the rope over seems like a perfectly serviceable option. It is worth mentioning that these tests are probably meant to be non-lethal, too.

The home was nice, a pleasantly cluttered and lived-in area above the shop, although it hasn't been kept tidy the last few days. The plates are cluttered above the dishwasher, the dirty clothes basket is full, and what looks like a bag of takeaway sits by a full bin.

The woman showed Median to the boy's room, which seemed fairly typical of young man's room with a small ensuite bathroom. Magic pings behind the TV, in the bathroom and in the aircon vent.

Nothing obvious happened as the hunters stepped inside, although a senstion of being watched, that was someone was just behind you, breathing ever so slightly on the back of your neck, was present.

The bedside table contains a small book bound with string and a long dried ink well. The wardrobe has outfits suitable for two serving girls from a while back. And under the rug is a ritual circle, carved into the hardwood in deep, deep gouges.

It does seem like it'll be useful to have, yeah.

The next area is filled with a col, frigid mist that makes the heat of the previous chamber a rapidly fading memory. This room is larger than the others so far, and ​the floor is slick with ice. As with the previous room a magic circle glows by the door. The room has beep split in half, a deep trench splitting it in the middle.

There is no sign of a lever in the room.

The door ceased to exist as Kavax smashed through - along with the curse upon the door that never had a chance to trigger. Inside was what looked like a small, simple bedroom. Old styles of sheets covered the bed now layered with thick dust. A wardrobe, a bedside table and a rug on the floor were all the furnishings visible and equally dust-caked, the single window sealed up and blocked off completely.

The wave of malice emanating from the room was almost physical.

Ross and Jennifer are pretty confident no one in inside. The building looks cold and dark, the garden overgrown.

But if you wanna be sure, Perception check it up.

-----

The woman listened to Median's words without comment. "So, you think the person who did this was in my home?" she said softly. "Then yes, you can check to see if they left these things behind. We have enough sorrow here without such things." The man looked disquiet and disgruntled but opened the door.

Zandora is able to make it down, and after a moment's struggle, pull the lever. The sickening heat is almost instantly overwhelming.

Shada makes it most of the way to the door without problem, but the blistering heat is taking a toll on her as well.

Zandora is 80m total from the door, as it takes some AP to pull the lever. Shada is 10m. Zandora has taken 2 points of damage, Shada 1.

The man looks like he's going to shout some more before a woman in a robe comes and puts a hand on his shoulder, causing him to instantly deflate. "Excuse my husband, this is not an easy time. Yes, our son lived here. What is this about dangerous materials?" She speaks in a calm enough tone, but it's clear that it's the tone of someone who is simply too tired to cry anymore.

--------

Jennifer finds the panel moves enough to get into the rental property's overgrown garden.

The man's nose flared. "What 'Hazardous Materials'? My son didn't have any f***ing 'Hazardous Materials!' Let alone s*** that would get him killed by some f***ing sicko!" He slammed his glass into the fist suddenly, the armoured material creaking under the impact. "And you! You some, some f***ing ghoul, come to pick over his things or something? Huh? Who are you?"

--------

Jennifer scours the area. Most of it seems well swept, but she notices something the cops missed - the house behind the shop is to rent. It looks buttoned up pretty tight, but a fence panel seems oddly loose.

The trade-off part is intended, yeah. The idea is that you have the option to move, do a thing, and move again. Or do this thing then that thing. You absolutely can cast, then move, or vice-versa - so long as you have the AP for it.

And yeah, sorry, it was Shada who spotted the lever.

Zandora manages to return, get the lever, and get back...just about. The door between the two rooms is heavy, thick and awkward to move, but Shada manages to open it before her return.

The metal door opens to another room that, thankfully, contains fresh air. Less comfortable is the fact that the air has been baked. The source is easy to note, as the room beyond is extraordinarily hot. The air dances with heat and grills in the floor allow a constant stream of baked air into the tunnel. "The mortal form fears heat, the end of water and hope." A path to the door on the far end stands about 50m away, with a path splitting off to the left. A magic circle sits by the door. "If you fear this end too greatly then step into the circle."

Once you step into this stretch of the tunnel you'll take 1 point of damage, ignoring armour, as the heat bakes you. You take this damage each round. Stepping onto the teleportation circle will return you to the start of the Test, if you wish to quiet.

Time Taken: 1
Levers Pulled: 1

Hm, Hurl would probably work.

I think I shall invoke the 'Yes, but' Rule for being close here.

Zandora spots the lever they're looking for...but it is in the middle of the chamber, well away from both of your position, 30m back towards the beginning, part hidden in a pile of something...wibbly.

I'm sorry, I missed that you erase the footage. Work has been work the last couple of weeks. We'll assume that Prestidigitation was able to clean the phone's memory because the idea is entertaining.

Ringing the bell on the glass side door takes a moment to get a response. A middle aged man with heavy bags under his reddened eyes eventually comes to the side, looking through the door. "Yes?" was all he asked, his voice weary and suspicious.

Kavax manages to sense past the feeling of disgust to what is the likely cause. Magic. Fueled by pain, by blood and by fear.

Median and the others left a very baffled looking cop, who stomped over to the crime scene again, with only his cellphone footage of Jennifer. The party met up again, and unless anyone else had something else to do, headed for the Chaytor household.

--------------

The house is small, a little corner market with the home in the back and above it. Needless to say, the shop is dark and closed. A note asks that mail and deliveries goes around the side.

The door and the room beyond is silent, but Jerry feels nauseous just leaning against the door.

Both Shada and Zandora make it most of the way through before the horrifying smell makes them slow down. Zandora's chocolate helps her, but not enough to stop the all consuming stench. There is no clear sign of the lever, either, but there is an awful lot...awful around. Still, the end is invitingly in sight...

Your speed is your Agility modifier, yeah. Since you both have a 40+ in Agility 1 Action Point lets you move 4m, 2 lets you move 12, and 3 Ap lets you move 20m. I'm assuming both of used all your AP, and managed to get 40m.

I gave Zandora a +10 for her chocolate shennanigans, if she wants to use it again this round.

The ladder leads down - surprisingly deep, into the foundations of the walls. Moving into the long chamber is difficult, however, as the smell is almost solid. The sickly-sweet scent of rotting meat is nearly visible, with covered lamps along the wall - illuminating the piles of offal within. "It is well known that mortal meat-creatures," the voice of White announces, "Fear the ultimate fate. Behold the fate of flesh." The passage fades into the darkness.

The idea here is to simply make it to end. However, there is a *lot* of horrible between you and the other end. The simplest answer is to move as fast as you can for the tunnel's length, which is 50m long. At the end of each movement you will need to make a Simple (+10) Physical Prowess test or move at half speed for the next turn as you wretch. Of course, you might be able to come up with an idea for how to deal with the smell, reducing or negating the penalty.

In addition, you can search for the lever. A Standard (+0) Perception should spot it, but you may need to spend more time getting to and pulling it - and therefore more Physical Prowess tests. Any questions?

1d2 ⇒ 1

The group takes a look to the North. It is clear, even before the refurbishment, that this section had not seen any use. Other than patches to the roof it's clear no one has been here for any prolonged time, and even the patches look rushed.

It's not hard to notice why. There was a feeling of...wrongness. It was something you'd felt before, in the various haunted and possessed locations you'd been to. The sensation that the world's natural laws were being twisted into something terrible.

Most of the rooms were hollow, nothing but wall frames and support beams. At the far end there is a door and a wall. This one has been nailed shut. Significantly nailed shut. A dozen thick boards were nailed in place, the handle had been removed, and there were at least two dust-covered padlocks beneath the boards.

It was about a clear 'stay out' as could be managed without neon lights and a loud speaker.

"What-midstride? Are you kidding me? Why did you say my name like that?" the poor officer said, trying to work out what the hell was happening. "A qoute? No? No! Contact the PR guys." He stopped, turning around and clearly frustrated. "Damnit, my ass is going to be in the grinder if I-" He stopped, remembering the 'press' was there. "Look, you're interfering! Can you go bug someone else?"

"You must enter each chamber at least once, and you cannot harm other participants," the automaton replied. "Although I see no benefit to harming others, since it is your team alone that will be in there."

1d20 ⇒ 15

The figure jumped as Median hijacked them, her telepathy mostly picking up a series of impressive curse words as he nearly dropped the phone. "What the hell are you-oh hell, press?" He looks mildly panicked, hastily shoving the phone in one pocket so it's just about safe and pulls out a badge. "Hey, no, I'm a cop! None of that. If you want a statement, you call the PR guys. I'm not gonna talk about-hey, where that'd suspect go?"

He looks around, trying to see where Jennifer went.

The dwarf sighed as the party left, obviously unable to make a sale.

The Northern Wall of the city is still under construction, although a significant quantity of stone has already been assembled. A perfectly written sign points towards one side of the gate, where a tall automata stands by a hole. The heavy machine has a longsword belted at their hip and a shield on their back, and is covered by a white tabard.

"Greetings, guild aspirants. You have chosen to face, now, the test of Valour. Woe be unto you who bravely undertake this challenge. Those with heart conditions are suggested to seek medical counsel before entering."

The machine pauses, as if to see if anyone has a heart condition, and then adds, "Victory can be achieved simply by reaching the end. There are five rooms. Additional rewards can be found for being fast or by pulling three levels within the rooms. Both rewards can be claimed, but attempting to do so may jeopardise. If the fear becomes too great each chamber has a panel which will warp you back to this location. We will now accept questions."

Median doesn't spot anything within the shop, but as she approaches where Jennifer is searching, she does note someone casually recording the woman checking the crime scene on their phone.

-----

Jennifer notes the tags, but they're mostly numbered rather than annotated, no doubt referring to an evidence key the police have. Hunting around, she does find shards of what looks like dark glass...or, more likely, obsidian. Not an uncommon material for certain kinds of sacrificial tools. Judging by thinness, these were likely a result of sharpening during the crime.

Everything I learned about crime shows I learned from TV, so if I'm horribly wrong don't blame me.

Absolutely. Part of the reason for this little interaction was to give me time to hunt down additional players (which doesn't seem to be likely, at this point) and give you guys time to tweek.

The woman looked disappointed, but didn't seem to realize Zandora had caught her out. "Ah, come on, make things easier on yourself! Tell you what, 10 silver for one, 18 for two. Can't say fairer, can I?"