Apologies for my recent slowness. Had a spike of busyness that was a little unexpected. I should be back to more regular updates now.

Can all of us hear the chanting from below? As I read it, just Sully so far.

Sully, in character, your sharing that information might help add a sense of urgency for the other PCs. Just a thought!

^ He told us! vewy vewy qwietly.

I get the feeling Jake is building up to doing something amazingly dumb here in the name of Justice-as-Vengeance...he really wants to hurt some unruly tunnel people right now.

I think anyone who is in the current room would be aware of some low level vocalizations coming from below, though Jake and the Professor haven’t heard the chanting as clearly as Sully and Arthur.

In reply to Jake Morris (msg # 277):

Ah, I see. For some reason I interpreted that as whispering to himself.

In reply to The Keeper (msg # 278):

Thanks for that! That solves the problem either way for me at least. Until the Prof goes raving mad in a bit here.

Mentioning OOC here that Sully's plan is objectively 100% better than Jake's, but Jake won't voluntarily allow the sacrifice to go through and is in crusader mode besides.

He's hoping the mobster might join him, but is fully aware that he's the only one of his party that's willing to shoot people as a matter of course and would rather the "civilians" got out of there unless one's super keen...I don't think he's quite insane enough to go down on his own, and will give up if it sounds like Grey Hair is dead, but he doesn't want to engage the enemy anywhere a missed one can go lurch off after the hostages/ notice they're missing at once.

In reply to Jake Morris (msg # 280):

My interpretation is that the large room with the pit from which the chant is issuing is separated from the corridor where we found the captives. Keeper?

Also, I think we heard the death cry of the sacrifice.

That would put an entirely different spin on the description of the sound (bolding mine)...



...but if he's enjoying himself, hell yeah, leave him to it.

No. My apologies if I’ve brought on any confusion. The investigators are in a single chamber. The captives were being held by iron manacles on the wall of the room. On the eastern side of the same room, there is an opening in the floor with iron rungs which can be used to access an area below. It is from this opening that the chanting voices can be heard.

Thanks for clarifying.

Can I have a quick review of who has what firearms. Sully has a shotgun and a revolver.

Got a Colt and got the crowbar. Not a firearm, but it's cool.

Got a scorch bomb for alternate area attacks, maybe, and Gangster Buddo has the drain cleaner in case bullets don't work.

The Professor has a shotgun but he isn't very good with it.

Arthur has also got a shotgun and is not necessarily super great with it!

Okay, I just want to verify that I’m understanding the investigators’ intentions, since there has been a spot of friendly debate regarding how to proceed. Is the group planning to proceed below? If so, is the recently rescued gangster going to be accompanying them? For the record, Jake’s erstwhile spirit guide will be following, whether asked to do so or not.

As I understand it, Jake, Arthur and the Prof are going down (and Miss M. will be invited if she answers that she can't get hurt by witches), and Sully and Gangster Buddy are getting the captives out of the way and the photographs out with a nice armed escort.

I think Sully might have been plotting some weapons-swapping if needed, but I don't think there's anything wrong with filling an enclosed space with buckshot what we have.

Apologies for being a tad slow. I’ve had to do a bit of planning to accommodate the branching directions of the investigators. I should have threads covering the divergent destinations up tomorrow.

I'll have to offer my own apologies as well--the last few weeks have been a disaster, between half-week long bus trips and broken technology.

I'm very lucky to have just survived a layoff at work, but had to take on a brand new portfolio of responsibilities, so it's been a little slow on my end.

The real world is conspiring against us all, but we will push through (to the insanity that surely awaits our characters)!

I'll be at the Origins Game Fair next Wed-Sun and busy until then polishing up the four events my daughter and I will run. We've been doing this for about 25 years now.

While at the con, running and playing Call of Cthulhu events will leave very little time for Rpol.

I'll check in as I can until Wednesday.

Best of luck at Origins, Sully! Hope all your games go well!

Ahoy, Keeper - does this chanting sound like we've got "a few minutes" to stare at goats triangles?

I was getting the impression from up top that they were about to do the thing in seconds and we were already probably too late (but had to try), but maybe they sound mid-incantation or something, so thought I'd check.

Yes. You’re hearing chanting that is rising in intensity, but not the tortured shrieks of some poor soul about to meet their doom.

Apologies, Keeper and comrades.

Got back from Origins with dreadful con crud/sinus infection (not helped by air travel). Partway through course of antibiotics and feeling like maybe I won't fall asleep/pass out every five minutes.

Will try to get caught up today and post by tomorrow latest.

No worries, Sully! Just focus on feeling better. This will assuredly be here whenever you’re ready to jump back in.

I do feel the need to mention, due to the prohibitive costs entailed with interdimensional travel, there is the possibility that the gate is limited on poofs. As in, one poof per customer.