UE Issue #6: Infernal Convergence

[gurusql]

Newberry Library Rooftop - Eastern Side
Building next to Willoughby Tower
5:25 PM Local Time – Sunday, December 6th, 1987

Wind Dragon: DEX 20, DEF 20, END 46/46, STUN 38/38
Eclipse: DEX 20, DEF 21/25, END 46/46, STUN 29/29
Azir: DEX 18, DEF 27, END 56/56, STUN 56/56
Warlock: DEX 18, DEF 22/24, END 40/40, STUN 40/40

Just some outside commentary. Azir can see as well in the dark as the day, the others cannot. While the stairway is pretty dark (no windows and if the doors are shut not much light. But from the windows you can tell there is some light in the library proper (windows let in some moon or other light and a limited amount of the emergency lighting is working or flickering). In game terms, 300 ft is about 90 m which is 45 game hexes which I think it a bit farther than you would want to be apart. So I will try my best to compromise.

Azir heads down the stairs first with the rest of the group giving him a head start. Eclipse turns on his force field which give minimal light (sure better than nothing, but not enough to read by). Azir gets to the bottom of the stairs and easily opens the door, finding the top floor of the library. There is limited lighting on this floor, but Azir listens and does not hear any movement on this floor, but there is clearly some below. That could mean the 4th floor is empty, the only person or persons on the floor are hiding and quiet or far away from Azir's position. Either way he calls the others (Eclipse, Warlock and Wind Dragon) down the stairs as there is enough light for them to make out most of the area.

The team came down the left stairway near the center of the image. The stairs continue down on the right side. The very center dotted region is an open space that could be accessed by flight or jumping. The outer dotted region is filled with book stacks. Most of the other rooms (labeled K, L, M, N and P) are for various library private collections and/or viewing rooms.

Actions?

4th Floor Map

NL-Blueprint.png (1.17 MiB) Viewed 2379 times

Rolls

Azir PER [_3d6]=(3+3+2)=8

corrected type forgot the word "see"

[MrKinister]

Warlock

The stairs eventually led them to what looked like a regular library layout of rooms and floors. Books lined the walls in all directions, and Warlock had to take a hold of himself and fight the urge to dig into all the knowledge that was available at his fingertips here. Keeping an eye on Azir and Eclipse's intentions, he floated gently to the edge of the open space between floors to peer down onto the lower floors from his concealed vantage point. There clearly was someone still here, so he tried to remain inconspicuous.

Stealth: 13- [_3d6]=(2+5+5)=12

[Rex]

Azir

Whispering to the others, "Lets keep within talking distance just in case. I will take the first room and do a quick search for anybody hiding."

Sorry about that, I meant 30 feet, must have typed an extra 0 without realizing it.

[shaidar]

Eclipse

As the ambient light improves Eclipse deactivates his force-field.

Azir

Whispering to the others, "Lets keep within talking distance just in case. I will take the first room and do a quick search for anybody hiding."

Sorry about that, I meant 30 feet, must have typed an extra 0 without realizing it.

Eclipse nods "I'll check out the room to the right." he whispers, gesturing towards room L.

[gurusql]

Wind Dragon

"We should pair up, I will go with Eclipse to that room." pointing to room L

[gurusql]

Newberry Library Fourth Floor
Building next to Willoughby Tower
5:25 PM Local Time – Sunday, December 6th, 1987

Wind Dragon: DEX 20, DEF 20, END 46/46, STUN 38/38
Eclipse: DEX 20, DEF 21/25, END 46/46, STUN 29/29
Azir: DEX 18, DEF 27, END 56/56, STUN 56/56
Warlock: DEX 18, DEF 22/24, END 40/40, STUN 40/40

Warlock tries to remain quiet and stay near the shadows while looking over the edge. He does see a pair of people (perhaps a mother and child) holding hands trying to make there way around the center part of the 2nd level (two levels down). In addition, there multiple groups on the ground floor.

Azir heads into room K and sees a room with walls lined with French Paintings and it contains tables with large plexiglass stands. All the stands are currently empty, but there are a few pieces of trash in the can and one on the floor next to the can.

Eclipse and Wind Dragon head in room L. There is a lot of religious imagery on the walls and one of the corners has an almost satanic display. There are similar tables and stands to room K, one of them has a large open book on it. Next to the book is a notebook with multiple pens.

Actions?

[MrKinister]

Warlock

Warlock took a closer look at the people on the 2nd floor. Did they look in distress at all? Did they look like regular patrons just watching the exhibits and having a reasonable time?

He followed Eclipse and Wind Dragon, and whispered,

"Is there a particular reason we are hiding? Are we expecting a confrontation of any sort?"

[Rex]

Azir

Heads back into the hall.

Whispering to Warlock, "Just being careful. No one in there I saw."

[shaidar]

Eclipse

Eclipse whispers back to Warlock "My sister vanished and I'm pretty sure those hooded people that Azir's brother saw are up to no good. So let's be cautious until we know it's safe."

He heads over to take a closer look at the book.

[MrKinister]

Warlock

It was now becoming clear to Warlock that there was a significant element of urgency involved, and that stealth was likely the best approach. It would be of no benefit to alert whoever took Eclipse's sister of their presence. This meant that until they found their quarry, he would not be able to cast new spells. That would give him away.

He nodded quietly, and turned away from the central space. It looked like the way down was either over the railing, which was too obvious, or down the stairway. Seeing as the team was busy with the rooms on that side of the wing, he would focus on the opposite wing.

[Warlock will fly along the walkway to scout the rooms labeled N, O, and P.]

... so far so quiet...

Stealth: 13- [_3d6]=(2+5+1)=8

[gurusql]

Newberry Library Fourth Floor
Building next to Willoughby Tower
5:25 PM Local Time – Sunday, December 6th, 1987

Wind Dragon: DEX 20, DEF 20, END 46/46, STUN 38/38
Eclipse: DEX 20, DEF 21/25, END 46/46, STUN 29/29
Azir: DEX 18, DEF 27, END 56/56, STUN 56/56
Warlock: DEX 18, DEF 22/24, END 40/40, STUN 40/40

Azir and Warlock work on checking the other rooms and do no find anything of note.

Eclipse and Wind Dragon look at the open book which is titled "Book of Magical Charms". To the side of the book is a notebook with a lot of doodles

At the bottom is says abcde -> vwxyz

v = (a + 14) mod 26
w = (b + 1) mod 26
x = (c + 17) mod 26
y = (d − 14) mod 26
z = (e − 1) mod 26

Locus -> Xnlit
Soter -> Encss
Agios -> Ohz

Eclipse please make a PER Roll

Actions?


Image of Open Page

OpenPage.png (694.1 KiB) Viewed 2076 times

[gurusql]

Wind Dragon

"I don't know what any of that is", says Wind Dragon pointing to the book, "but that is a position‐dependent Caesar cipher", pointing to the notebook.

[shaidar]

Eclipse

Eclipse peers at the book "Some kind of secret message?" he whispers

Perception (13-): [_3d6]=(2+1+5)=8

[Rex]

Azir

"What do you have there?"

[MrKinister]

Warlock

Finding nothing of note in the other rooms, Warlock rejoined the rest of the team to discover them all huddled around a book. Next to it was a notebook with sigils and notes on the pages. Peering over the books, Warlock attempted to correlate them to anything within his understanding.

... hmmm...

Magical Devices, Hexes, and Spells 13-: [_3d6]=(6+3+1)=10
Magical Groups, Organizations, and Threats 13-: [_3d6]=(3+3+6)=12
Magical World 13-: [_3d6]=(2+2+6)=10

[gurusql]

Newberry Library Fourth Floor
Building next to Willoughby Tower
5:25 PM Local Time – Sunday, December 6th, 1987

Wind Dragon: DEX 20, DEF 20, END 46/46, STUN 38/38
Eclipse: DEX 20, DEF 21/25, END 46/46, STUN 29/29
Azir: DEX 18, DEF 27, END 56/56, STUN 56/56
Warlock: DEX 18, DEF 22/24, END 40/40, STUN 40/40

Eclipse squinted at the page, the looping script tugging at his memory. It was unmistakably familiar - oh my it is Julia's handwriting.

Warlock leaned in to examine the selected page with a wry curiosity. "Ah, a binding spell element," he mused. "Without an infusion of real magic, this incantation would be about as useful as a damp matchstick. Yet, some practitioners insist on a magical crutch—after all, anchoring a spell to a part of the very being is the name of the game." He raised an eyebrow at the curious inclusion. "And how delightfully ironic that such a potent snippet finds its home in a tome titled A Book of Magical Charms, when the rest of its pages are filled with old wives’ tales for curing minor ailments."

For those intrigued by this peculiar blend of lore and legerdemain, the entire book is available here on pg 90.

Meanwhile, Azir’s keen eyes caught sight of a discarded scrap on the floor. Bending down, he retrieved it only to discover it was nothing more than a coffee shop receipt from the other side of town—a stray clue in a trail that only grew more confounding by the minute. Please make a KS: New Chicago roll.

Wind Dragon, ever the skeptic with a side of dry wit, glanced at the cipher scribbled at the end. "Well," he deadpanned, "the end of that cipher looks like a bust as well. O H Z A R."

Actions?

[Rex]

Azir

She looks the receipt over carefully.

KS: New Chicago [_3d6]=(6+1+1)=8

[shaidar]

Eclipse

Eclipse looks at WInd Dragons "That's my sisters handwriting. You mean she got it wrong, or it just doesn't make sense?"

He looks at the page, trying to locate the words she is trying to translate. He tries to think about anything he might have picked up in programming class.

[MrKinister]

Warlock

"Still, it is a binding spell. Someone was trying to find a way to bind... something? someone?"

Warlock takes a closer look at the binding spell's details. It should make clear what sort of creature or entity it was trying to control, and for what purpose. And perhaps even more telling, at what price. The fact that it was hidden in middle of other seemingly worthless hedge magic was an indicator of the times, and served as misdirection from prying eyes, should the book fall into the wrong hands at the time.

"... let's see... what do we have here..."

[ Warlock will attempt to ascertain what the binding as aimed at, and what would have been involved or needed to make this ritual work. ]

KS: Magical Devices, Hexes, and Spells (3 Active Points) 13-: [_3d6]=(6+3+6)=15

[gurusql]

Wind Dragon

"It looks like that for some reason she was applying a specific cypher but did not know what to apply it to. So I mean, unless the name OHZAR means something to one of you that the one she did not finish decoding is another gibberish term like she determined that Xnlit and Encss were. The only addition word you could apply it to on that page was Fesus which results in Tfjgr."