Paraton starts ambling, looking carefully at the people around them and the space they find themselves in, standing up and down until they seem satisfied.

I am reasonably certain I haven't ever had to do with any nefarious organization, secret guild, dark entity, or country club named "the Brethren". So. I am Paraton. I seek. Who are you?
This message was last edited by the player at 14:07, Sun 25 Aug 2019.

Attilisk rolls his eyes.  "If I have to make introductions every five minutes, we're never gonna find this creature!  "I'm Attilisk.  Cube is the ... cube.  And Eleisai is the woman on the other side of Cube."  Attilisk frowns slightly.  "If you came from the same place as Window, you're 1,000 miles from where you started and we have no idea how to get you back.  Now, if you please, help us track down the small clone beastie so we can get rid of the giant angry one, or at least stay out of our way."

He picks up his notebook, dusts it off, and starts trying to find his place again.  Without looking up, he says  "I apologize if I sound cranky, but this day has been ... testing, to say the least."

I apologize too. You'll understand if I'm not all myself yet. Wyd, maybe you can tell me more of this place. When did you get here?

Paraton pauses, breathes deeply with a rasp that's surely nothing, surely it's no trouble.

But wait... What did you say about a beast you follow? Tell me about that. I think I can track that.

Paraton: M16/16, S14/14, I14/15
This message was last edited by the player at 20:54, Sun 25 Aug 2019.

Attilisk pulls the cobbled device from his pocket and unmuffles it, now that the bugs are all gone.  "Tracking isn't the problem.  But the creature can phase through normal matter, which makes following it difficult.  And we have no idea what other dangers might lurk in this complex, so we are trying to move cautiously.  The bizarre swarm of insects that consumed my friend and left Window was one such barrier."

OOC: Yes, I'm deliberately mis-pronouncing Wyddno's name, assuming Attilisk misheard it during the tumult of the disappearces/appearance.

Cube glides to the side, out of the doorway, but remains vigilant for any more threats or unexpected arrivals from within the room or further down the ramp.

Delfino says, "It may also have another Form of itself, so effectively there might be two."  It gestures at himself and Attilisk and their twin-like appearance as he talks.

Within the room near Cube and Eleisai, there is a curious humming sound.  The spiky ball has retracted much of its spikes, so now it is more of a nubby ball.  The room with the glowing orbs that was off to one side of the ball room seems to be the source of the humming.

"Two beast Brethren ..." begins Attilisk in a questioning tone before noting the noise coming from further up the ramp, from the doorway Cube just unblocked.

"What's that sound?"

Paraton ambles about the room and examining the ramp and the insects, mumbling something indiscernible until they suddenly raise their voice:

Wait! I got something here. The salientine umbrion here can tell me... Attila, wait! Where did it go? Did you see where the beast went? This thing can talk to me!

"I'm not entirely sure where it went.  And what can talk to you?"  He looked at the shrouded newcomer curiously.

"And it's Attilisk, by the way.  AT-til-lisk," he enunciated slowly.  "What should I call you?"

I am Paraton, I thought I did say, sorry. This thing, the salientine umbrion... The ramp and the insects, I can feel their music and... buzz questions, I guess. Give me what you did see, please. Try to remember the details. I might be able to ask this numenera where the beast went. I hope.

Delfino glances over at Attilisk and gives Paraton the best answer he can.  "Large, perhaps five meters long.  Wormlike.  Tentacles both on the body and around the head.  Toothy maw.  Tattoo or scar-like markings on the body.  Not scaly skin, more rugose.  Yellow ocher in color.  Did not make any identifiable speech.  Definitely capable of phase through solid matter.  Seemed to be quite angry."
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:10, Tue 03 Sept 2019.

"Right.  Paraton.  Sorry.  Missed it in the ... confusion."  He turns to his newly made twin.  "Thanks.  Excellent description."

While he waits for Paraton to ... do whatever it is he's doing, Attilisk consults his own device, trying to determine again the direction of the Brethren version of the creature.

The older woman did her best to monitor the interactions with the newcomers through Cube while keeping watch upon the spiky ball and humming sound.

With Cube moving aside and her room relatively stable, she steps out to join the others.

"Welcome, newcomers.  I am Eleisai.  'Peace be unto you.'"

"The spikes on the ball inside the room have largely retracted, and there is now a rather curious humming sound coming from the adjoining room with the glowing orbs."

"My vantage point has been somewhat limited.  What has been happening out here?"

While Attilisk fiddles with his device, Paraton's gloves waltz across the control panel, and the ramp changes. The robed figure coughs and umms until they get the attention of the twins.

Is this familiar to you?

A distinct trail of crusty black now undulates down the ramp.

"I do not recall it leaving such a trail before.  There isn't any on the upper level we entered on."  Attilisk holds his tracker near the dark material to see if there is a reaction.

And to you, tenfold, dame Eleisai Paraton replies to the old lady.

Turning back to Attilisk, they continue Perhaps not in this dimension?

Delfino nods slowly.  "It seems different minds think of different things."  He ponders that for a moment, then nods at Attilisk.  "Then we have a twofold way of following the thing.  Do we go after it now, or see if what Eleisai found will be of use to us in the hunt?"

"Those damn bugs delayed us enough that it doesn't matter if we rush at point.  I say let's see what that path has to offer before chasing downwards."  Attilisk muffles the beast tracker again and slips it into his bag, along with his notebook and writing stylus.  Hefting up his staff, he is again prepared to move.  "Any other thoughts?"

The path goes down the ramp, going over the barrier of oddment parts and continuing down.  It spirals down three more full circles until the ramp terminates in half-open door, the door itself round and half-irised open, crafted of a dull silver metal.  It's dark on the other side of the door, and there's a faint buzzing sound on the other side, along with some faint whimpering that sounds like either a human or possibly an animal in pain.

Attilisk pulls his remote control dragonfly from his bag.  Stepping back from the door a bit, he'll fly the oddity into the darkened room, back and forth through the door in longer passes, trying to get a sense if there is a reactive danger inside.

Inside the room the buzzing increases in volume, and the whimpering reaches a new pitch, as if something in there has definitely noticed you.  There's a slithering movement, and then in the slim light the door provides you can see several somethings further in the room as one shifts into the light.  Humanoid, maybe five feet tall, with ruddy ridged moist skin and a tentacle growing out of where a face would be, armed with a pale white sword and a rough synth shield.  There seem to be more of them beyond the reach of the light.  The floor seems to be bloody in patches, as if battle recently took place here.  As you watch, the tentacle-face reaches down and rolls its tentacle over the smears on the floor, seemingly absorbing them.

Within the room, the whimper becomes a shriek as you hear more movement in the dark!

Attilisk's eyes go wide as the dragonfly returns to his hand.  He retreats from the doorway a few steps before talking to his comrades.  "Abhumans," he whispers.  "And I think they have a captive.  Maybe several.  If we can bottle-neck them, I think I can eliminate many, but I don't want to hit their captive if I can help it."

He grips his staff in one hand and slides a cypher into a different pocket, ready for easy retrieval.  "Can anyone locate the thing whimpering in there?"

Paraton quickly grabs their bow and nocks an arrow, pointing it towards the tentacles, and walks into range.

I ... work better when I have a bit of time. But I can help clear the path.


Tension. Holding breath. Release. The arrow flies fast.

12:21, Today: Paraton rolled 12 using 1d20.  Shooting at the visible abhuman.

Attilisk risks a quick peak as Delfino moves on the opposite side.  Though it is dark in there, Attilisk does catch a brief glimpse of eyes fairly high up on the wall, as if something is sitting on a ledge or higher level, perhaps 12 feet off the floor.  The size and spacing of the eyes seems to indicate a human-like face is bearing them.  Delfino presses his hands together, a faint light starting to emanate from them.



Paraton's arrow flies true, striking the abhuman hard in the side.  Its tentacle flies up, and there is more movement in the dark.  You can see at least a half-dozen more of the creatures behind the first!  The wounded one makes no noise, but a terrible headache tries to clamp down upon Paraton's senses.

Attilisk pulls the cypher from his pocket, activates it, and tries to roll it into the other room, ideally right into the middle of the abhuman horde.