Rolf's attention is focused on the lone cell inhabitant seemingly completely absorbed in his work, whatever it may be.

"Yes?" he says in reply to Rolf's query if he is indeed, the man he's been looking for.

Despite his fatigue, Rolf brightens considerably knowing he at last, at long last, has found Uncle Vunik.  "What do you have there?" he asks inquisitively as he looks at the book.  Five lines circle in different directions for what purpose he can only guess at.  "I don't know what that is." he says simply as the whirls and squiggles mean little to him.

Addressing Vunik in the most friendly manner he can muster, "Can you follow me to the next room over?  This one has been damaged I'm afraid."

"Perhaps you can explain your work to me while I rest."

OOC: Rolf missed his IQ check by 3.  I would like us all to repose in the empty cell for 40 minutes while I recover enough to regain my feet.

Gustav enters the last cell carefully, looking at the naked man who lays on the ground from a distance, not wanting to get surprised, or swindled like he had so nearly been by the pretty looking lady down in the cells below.

As he approaches, the man only huddles tighter into his ball, covering his face with his arm as his body shakes in a fit of tremors.  "Kill me."  The man whispers in a soft, empty voice.  "Please just kill me..."

His stomach churning from the sight and the words, Gustav looks away, noting for the first time something written on the walls of the cell...  Gustav approaches closer, and realizes it is just one thing, written over and over again all over the walls.  1-5-6, here written in a soft, pale powdery substance and there in a smear of thin blood.  Everywhere, the numbers seem to be fading away from age and deterioration.

Vunik glances at the bars of his cell as Rolf mentions the "damage", seeming to note for the first time the buckled iron bars and the completely detached hinges.

"Good Lord!"  The old man exclaims, looking back to Rolf in surprise.  "You could have just knocked you know!  There are two very nice men around who have a key if you had wanted to visit."  Vunik glances around his cell as if looking for the two men, though the effort does not last long... and Rolf is somewhat relieved when the older gentleman agrees to follow him into the second cell without looking around the corner into the covey where the two guards lay sliced open and bleeding all over the stone floor...

"Here."  Vunik points at the paper, in a somewhat annoyed voice when everyone is settled into the second cell and Rolf has collapsed against the wall in near-exhaustion.  "It's a gate portal, anyone can see that.  These four enchanted rubies create the inter-dimensional vortices here."  Vunik points towards the four swirls towards the bottom, "And the keystone here sets the whole thing in balance."  Vunik points towards the top of the diagram, at the ruby at the very top.

Rolf glances at Vunik, who seems to be absorbed back into the diagram as he explains it, his annoyance warping into a chipper, positivity that seems to be at odds with every feeling Rolf has about the situation.

"That part was particularly tricky" Vunik continues.  "Gates are particularly unstable, and only more so when the two places they are connecting are so diametrically opposite.  But we must get Dr. Heraladus's two friends back to the underworld and this is the only way I can think of!  In any case, it took quite a bit of planning to get the right runes for the job: Thurisaz, Othila, Jera... you get the picture.  It's close... the balance is there thanks to the keystone and my diligence in the design... but there is no harmony yet.  It's so close, but there is something wrong..."

Rolf watches Vunik's face as the old man glances away from the parchment...  It is subtle...  His face still wears a determined but contented expression...  But somewhere deep within, reflected only in the empty blackness of his pupils, Rolf senses something else...

"Something is very wrong."  Vunik finishes quietly, pausing for only a moment before he returns his eyes to the design.

OOC:  Feel free to continue the conversation as long as you want, or let me know how long you want to rest before doing something else.  I'll wait on you guys to give me the go ahead to fast forward anywhere.

Rolf winces visibly as Uncle Vunik mentions the two 'nice' men they had just moments before cut down.  He fears Vunik may peer around the corner and be surprised by a grisly scene, but he has a one track mind as they exit his damaged cell.  Moving to and settling into the second cell he is quickly reabsorbed into his work.

Rolf is focused on Vunik and is unaware what Gustav may be up to.  Still, no sound of battle comes from the third cell, so he leaves him to the tend to shivering man.

He listens to Vunik's description of the gate with interest.  Being a mage, Rolf is aware such things exist.  But he's never seen one nor did he think he ever would.  They require an insane amount of magical energy to create and would require tens, if not hundreds of mages all committed to it's creation to pull off.

Much of what Vunik is explaining means little to Rolf.  Enchanted rubies, a keystone, a Thurisaz, Othila, Jera rune...All these things Mr. Erikson has never heard of.

But he does have a few questions.  "What two places are you trying to bridge?  Obviously one end is here, but where is the other?  Is that where the underworld is?"

"Also, who or what are Dr. Heraladus's two friends?  And why must they go there?"

Before continuing with more questions he decides it might be a good idea to introduce himself.  "My name is Rolf by the way.  And I have some skill with magic so I may be able to help.  Do you know where the gate is?  If you do maybe we could bring you there and you could show it to me.  But I have to rest a bit first.  The hour is late and I'm very tired."

OOC:  I'd like to dwell here a bit.  I have a number of questions.

"Where does it go?"  Vunik repeats the question, turning his head towards Rolf again, his brow wrinkled in thought.  "Reykjavik?"  Vunik says the name with a harsh clearing of his throat.  "I think that's right.  My undercommon isn't so fresh.  It's one of the damned cities of Uppåkra."  Vunik thinks on it for a moment and then nods.

"Frankly, I'm not sure why they would want to go back, but I suppose home is where the heart is."

It is on Rolf's next question however, that Vunik really begins to think.  "Now it isn't appropriate in polite company to go asking intelligent species what they are.  Quite interesting however, with their many tentacles... and quite a way of communicating!  They can make themselves perfectly clear without even the use of a mouth!"

Vunik nods as Rolf introduces himself and does the same in return.  "Vunik Gasteyer.  Though it seems you already knew me.  As for the gate, everyone mentions upstairs when they go, though they don't let me look in.  It's quite difficult to try and coordinate this without even being able to look at it!"

When Rolf offers to take Vunik to see the gate however, the older man laughs and shakes his head.  "Oh no, I'm quite comfortable.  If you wish to see it, perhaps I can wait here and you can let me know if indeed they have been following the plan!"

"I don't know where those places are.  Are they underground?", Rolf asks but continues in regards to Reykjavik and the cities of Uppåkra before Vunik can answer, "I have heard tale of vast lands deep under the earth, but have never seen them myself."  He surmises he speaks of the Underdark which he has heard of.  But he's not entirely convinced it's real as he's only heard rumors and well worn tales, but nothing remotely concrete to it's existence.

As Vunik continues and speaks of the tentacled creatures, Rolf's face turns a pale shade of white.  He has heard stories of such beings, but again he was always unsure of their veracity.  Mind Flayers!  Rolf thinks in a panic.  How in the world have they gotten here?

"T-T-Tentacles?...Telepathy?" Rolf says as he struggles to say the words.  "Master Gasteyer, the only creature I know that fits that description are the dreaded Mind Flayer." he adds, his voice trailing off at the end.  His fear at even mentioning their name clearly evident.

"From the moment I've been on Witten's grounds, I have seen numerous fell creatures the likes I've never seen and who have no business being here.  Otherworldly is the best I can describe them.  I have even seen with my own eyes nearly a dozen of the unliving cooped up in a room not far from here."

"Your niece Alma sent me here to rescue you.  She fears for your safety.  And from what I've seen her fears are well founded.  I believe Dr. Heraladus and everyone else here has been lying to you about their intentions.  Something here is indeed wrong, and it's also very evil.  We need to get you home."

OOC:  We still need to resolve Gustav and the other man in the cell.  I would like to have a team meeting once he's ready to decide what to do next.

Gustav Speaks to the man... Who are you and why are you here?

Gustav speaks to the man huddled on the small mat, though no intelligible answer comes.  Instead, the man merely gibbers, tightening the hold of his arms around his face as he pulls his knees ever closer under his chin.

In the other cell, Rolf continues questioning Vunik, starting on the location of where the portal goes.  "Oh, underworld is just an expression I think..."  Vunik puts a hand under his chin.  "Land of darkness and all.  I'm not sure it shares a physical connection to this world, but it seems the Banestorm has drawn that world and this inexplicably together, meshing the threads of the two planes in places, allowing things like my gate to be set up to make a more structural bond.  Not that it wasn't an immense amount of work though.  My crowning achievement in fact."  Vunik smiles lightly, but is quickly drawn back to the drawing in front of him.

"Or it will be rather."

When Rolf response with horror to the 'friends,' Vunik looks up again, his face smiling wide.  "Yes, mind flayers!  I think that's right!  Quite odd looking things.  But there's no sense in making snap judgements, they've been perfectly hospitable."

As Rolf continues on into the horrors of the Asylum, it seems that Vunik mostly ignores him, drawn back into his diagram and tracing his finger along the various arcs, pausing it for a moment right at the peak of the structure.  He begins to pay attention again though as Rolf begins speaking of Alma.

"Ah, sweet girl!"  Vunik smiles.  "But she needn't worry.  I'm quite happy here.  And I must finish my work!  We're so close and I wouldn't want to disappoint!"

OOC:  Apologies, as ever, for the lag.  Rolf cannot seem to convey his sense of dread to Vunik, and Vunik's lighthearted demeanor chafes against nearly everything else Rolf has seen in the asylum.  As for Gustav, the man in the other cell doesn't seem to have any interest in a discussion and he just curls ever tighter in fetal position.  If there is anything else you want to attempt, feel free.

Rolf listens to Mr. Gasteyer and is aghast at the prospect of ever meeting a mind flayer...let alone fight one.  Which they surely would forced to do if one were to find them.  Let alone a pair.

The prospect is terrifying.  What could they possibly do against creatures that can control minds?  Which Rolf suspects they'd be able to do from the stories he's been told.

And he finds Uncle Vunik's nonplussed attitude towards them alarming.  He seems to think of them as friends.

He tilts his head slightly as Alma's uncle speaks about the gate.  "Pardon my ignorance, but what is Banestorm?  I understand a little about how gates work, but how is this Banestorm involved?  And I assume it makes creating the gate easier?  Though, even then I'm sure creating the gate is still very difficult."

Shifting topics he adds, "Speaking of Mind Flayers, are they here currently in Witten?  And if so, are they likely to be staying above on the fourth floor?"

Not waiting for Uncle Vunik to reply, Rolf says quickly to Teo, "Can you check on Gustav?  And maybe give the poor soul next door a blanket and pillow from around the corner so he can at least get a proper rest?

Gustav looks around the cell to see if anything seems important, He nods to Teo, puts the blanket on the man the pillow beside him, then lets himself out and relocks the door.

To Rolf he says I think he has lost his mind. motioning toward the other cell.

When Rolf asks about the Banestorm, Vunik's face lights up, and Rolf can almost see the paths of feverishly paced thoughts blurring behind his eyes.  "Ah, but the Banestorm is at the very heart of planar magic here!  You see, a great magical tragedy long ago ripped open the fabric of time and space on this world.  The immediate result was that whole villages and cities were transported in a blink from some other world entirely to here!  There is speculation that you and I would not be here but for the Banestorm, that men aren't natural to this world!  These impromptu portals continued on and off for hundreds of years, they continue even now, though the gaps between the planes have become smaller as the fabric of space has repaired itself slowly over millennia.  Undoubtedly, our friends came from one of these smaller storms more recently.  Even still the plane of this world chafes forcefully against many other worlds, making it possible to blink from one world to another with relative ease - though controlling those forces is desperately tricky, requiring immense magical power and skill."

Vunik sits back, awaiting Rolf's response, though the mage moves on to the topic of the mind flayers.  "Oh, yes, they are here somewhere.  Upstairs I imagine.  They don't often come through here."

Becoming somewhat concerned about the next cell and Gustav, Teo walks over towards the last cell, though Gustav is already walking his way back over.  Teo pauses for a moment, looking at the nude man huddled on his slab, shaking in fear or cold.  "Poor bastard."  Teo mutters, putting a blanket over the man, who mostly ignores him, before following Gustav back with the others.

OOC:  As a note, you would know from looking at the outside of the building Rolf that Witten is three stories, with a significantly smaller third story.  Right now you are on the second level.

Rolf is exhausted and desperately needs sleep.  His eyes droop forcefully from a lack of rest and over exertion.  His limbs feel burdened by lead and every movement requires deliberate focus.  Defying his body, he motions to the others to gather as a group outside of the cells so as to speak privately.

As he'd been talking to Alma's uncle, he'd been considering their situation and what to do next.  He has half a mind to take Vunik and immediately flee, but this idea gives him pause.

Getting right to the point he says bluntly, "We are in a bit of a pickle.  We've seen much, but have no physical proof of the great evil being done here.  Plus we've killed two of the guards.  If we go to the authorities the people that run this place will deny everything and paint us as thieves and murders.  And they'll likely get away with it."

"I have no desire to go upstairs, but I would like to search the rest of this floor for some definitive material object that will back up our claims.  We have the keys from the guards so maybe that will open the locked door to the east.  Maybe we can unlock it and find something."

"Or maybe we try to kill the red imp.  I could shoot it with my crossbow from a cracked doorway.  With luck it will die outright, but if it doesn't there's no telling what it can do."

"Worst case scenario we try to capture one of the unliving.  On the first floor was a nailed shut cell that housed something making noise.  I suspect an unliving host resides there."

"But I really don't want to have to try to corral such a creature and then try to ferry them through the streets of the city.  Killing it is an option, but that would look like a simple dead body and not provide the proof we need."

The mage looks the group over.  "What do you all think?" he says as he looks each person directly in the eye.  "I think we have to try to find something that proves what they're doing here.  We have Vunik and his gate map, but that can easily be explained as the ramblings of an insane person.  Whatever we ultimately do I must rest first so perhaps while I recover you all can think on it."

OOC:  I need to rest for 40 minutes then I want to continue searching this floor.  Feel free to fast forward while I do so if that helps.

It is a hellish place, but you must come in here to see that...  is there something we an do to bring outsiders in? a fire or explosion? Some of those incarcerated below might also be able to bear witness, if indeed they are not actually mad.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:51, Fri 16 Oct 2020.

Rolf thinks about Gustav's suggestion of a diversion.  It's not something he thought of and it has merit.  "I'd fear a fire would kill inmates, plus few outsiders would likely dare to enter a burning insane asylum." he says as he considers their options.

"A better bet might to release as many of the inmates on the first floor and let them escape.  One or more them might cause a ruckus that may bring the nights watch here."

"What if you leave me to rest with Vunik in the cell while you free them?  Them come back up when you're done?"

Couching his suggestion he adds, "Just be careful of the woman you wanted to release.  I still say she's dangerous.  And avoid the walled up cell as it almost certainly has at least one unliving host."

Gustav nods ... who comes with me ? Perhaps Teo and Ghaalib can come with me and Morgalyn can stay with you?

"I think Teo should stay with me and the rest of you go back to the first floor and free the prisoners." Rolf suggests.  Through several fights Ghaalib, Morgalyn and Gustav have all demonstrated superior fighting skills over those he or Teo possess.  And in the mages mind the best fighters should be prowling downstairs.

OOC:  The plan is for me and Teo to hunker down for 40 minutes in the middle cell with Vunik while Gustav, Ghaalib and Morgalyn free the prisoners on the first floor.  If there is anything Teo and I can use to block the cell bars from inside the cell we will.  Maybe a bed tilted on one side.  Also, Rolf will keep the cell keys with him just in case we need to leave.

I know this will possibly take me out of the action for a while, but I'm okay with that.

OK, as you wish... although perhaps we should all just leave... I think you have found your answers.

"If we leave now we will unlikely be able to get anyone to believe us about the gate.  Plus we'll charged with the deaths of the guards.  We have to push on to try to find something tangible of what is going on here."

Very well, Ghaalib. Morgalyn ready ?

After a brief discussion, the group decides that Gustav, Morgalyn, and Teo will descend back down to the first level, while Rolf and Ghaalib remain upstairs with Vunik.  Exhausted beyond normal measure, Rolf slumps against the stone wall, his eyelids fluttering and just barely holding back sleep.

Vunik turns again to his book, pouring over the diagram and murmuring to himself in a low voice.

Ghaalib, meanwhile, locks the door again after the other three leave, and grabs a seat at the table that watches over the door...

"This place is evil."  Ghaalib mutters, just loudly enough for Rolf to hear.

Gustav's adventure continues in Chapter 17a.

OOC:  As you expected, things may slow a little bit here, it sort of depends on what happens.  Feel free to keep up the role play and conversation if you wish, or ask more questions of Vunik, or do anything else you can think of.

Rolf nods to Gustav, Morgalyn and Teo as they part ways.  Briefly he wonders if they'll run into trouble, or even worse if he and Ghaalib are discovered by some unwholesome creature in their cage.  If one of those Mind Flayers finds them, certainly the bars will not protect them.

He looks the cell over and yawns.  It's late and Rolf is very tired.  He needs a place to rest.  Deciding to nestle in the north east corner next to Uncle Vunik, who still pores over his gate drawing, the mage pulls a thin blanket left in the cell to cover himself as he lay on the gritty floor.

It's not the best accommodation, but it'll do.

"Evil indeed.  We have to find something tangible to bring back with us for proof of it." Rolfs says sleepily to Ghaalib.  "Few, if any, will believe us on just our word."

He turns to Vunik, and looks his map over once more to try to see what problem it may have.  He notes the five circles and the alternating clockwise and counter clockwise motions, but notices a problem.

"Master Vunik, shouldn't you have six vortices?  They are all in sync as the five meet each other except for one place.  The Keystone is moving counter clockwise, but the left pull is also counter clockwise.  This means they are working against each other.  I would think you'd need a barrier between Keystone and Left pull, or perhaps a sixth vortice spinning clockwise between the two to prevent friction."

Not sure if solving the issue is wise, but he nonetheless is curious as to it's design and would like to know more.

"Six stones?"  Vunik asks, turning the diagram slightly to look at it from another angle.  "Perhaps..."  Though his tone seems skeptical.

"Six is not a very natural number, not in the Fibonacci... though I suppose it is a perfect number, so there is something that can be said for that."

"As for friction, I see what you are saying, though energy vortices behave quite differently you know.  You are thinking of a whirlwind perhaps, where the wind energy moves the fastest on the outside, whipping in all directions.  Energy vortices however are more like water funnels, where the energy on the outside is completely calm and it is the center that is caught in chaotic flow.  The water funnel is a good analogy for another reason too, for you see, the water funnel has a third dimension as it retreats down into the depths where the flow is faster.  That third dimension for this portal is planar space."

Vunik thinks on the matter for several moments, then finally shrugs his shoulders.  "I perhaps could have designed it with six, though I don't think it would have worked.  You see, the Keystone is critical."  He taps his finger at the cap of the arch, where the central ruby is set.  "The others provide the magic for the gate, but the keystone balances the others, keeps them from fighting each other.  If that were removed or damaged, the whole thing would likely collapse or worse!"

From across the room, Ghaalib grunts, clearly disconcerted by the conversation.  After a moment, he asks in his deep voice.  "If this gate is finished, what then?  The mindflayers go home?  Would it be just as possible for more of their kind to come back here to the asylum?"

Vunik thinks on the question for a moment, then shrugs unconcernedly.  "I suppose that's possible."

Rolf listens to Vunik sleepily.  He ponders his dilemma offhandedly as there is little else for him to do.

"If the keystone were removed or damaged, I assume the gate would fail.  But what might it do to the people in the area around it?" he asks pointedly.

If indeed he finds himself staring at the gate, he wants to be sure he would know how both to destroy it and not hurt himself.  If here were to hazard a guess, he presumes the keystone is the key.  But if he removes it, what would happen?  A collapse might be okay, but...what else might befall those standing to close?

"Also, what powers the whole thing?  Is it the keystone?  Perhaps there is insufficient energy to reach the whirlpool speeds you need?" he asks as he is genuinely curious.

Rolf thinks back to his teachings as a lad.  He recalls the Fibonacci sequence makes a perfect "golden ratio" that appears over and over in nature.  He was taught the sequence where the last number is added the previous like this: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13.

He can clearly see five whirlpools.  But he also sees nine squiggly lines, that he assumes are the runes, which are definitely not a Fibonacci number.

"Uncle Vunik, those different drawings that ring the gate, I assume those are the runes?" he asks, stifling a yawn.  "Why are there nine of them?  Shouldn't one be removed, or four more added to reach eight or thirteen?"

"I would think you still need two runes on each side of the keystone if I were to hazard a guess."

"No, no."  Vunik mutters with a hint of annoyance.  "The other four rubies provide the bulk of the real time power.  Of course, there is an immense amount of spell work that goes in as well, which must have been done by Heraladus or his friends, and I'm not sure where they got the energy for that.  It's been quite quick putting this thing together actually, normally it takes years for things like this to come together.  The haste is curious...  Perhaps it is their error after all as opposed to mine..."  Vunik trails off for a moment, still looking at his diagram.

"In any case, there is some power in the Keystone as well, but by in large, it is simply the balance.  It keeps the other stones working together instead of fighting one another."

When Rolf mentions the runes, Vunik takes a fresh look at the parchment, but quickly turns his head away, rubbing his eyes.

"Perhaps that is it.  It would be more natural after all.  I wonder which four I should add?  You can't just go and scribe these things on willie nilly you know.  Adding a hxachama would likely send the whole thing into chaos."

Vunik crawls onto the slab, putting the book aside for a moment as he lays down.  "Perhaps a rest would do me some good.  No sense in trying to solve these problems as tired as I am."

Rolf watches the older man lay his back down, his countenance peaceful for a moment... but in the next instant, his face grimaces in pain, his cheeks and jaw clenching like a vice as his eyes squint closed.  "Destroy it!"  Vunik shouts through gripped teeth, the words slurred by his pained expression.

In another instant, the moment is over.  Vunik's face relaxes as he lays back to rest on the slab, as if the incident at not happened at all.

Rolf listens to Vunik carefully explain the finer details of the gate, but is glad in a way that any of his suggestions are not the solution to his problem.  At least not immediately helpful.  For if he were to solve his Gate issues Rolf is certain he would have a huge problem with a fully open portal to some unholy place.

He is also glad to see the sleep deprived Vunik start to drift off to sleep.  And decides a cat nap might do him good.

"Ghaalib, keep an eye out while I catch a nap.  The main door to this place is knocked off it's hinge and there's no telling what may saunter by." he says to the warrior softly so as to not disturb Uncle Vunik from his rest.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:12, Mon 09 Nov 2020.

Ghaalib answers Rolf in the affirmative, still sitting in the outer room where they had earlier fought the two guards.  Rolf lays back and closes his eyes, welcoming the silence and the rest.

OOC:  Working on the realignment.  I'll post again here when timelines start to sort out.