[Harrogate] An Investigative Report (1-2 days into the Jaunt)

[hatesportals]

All right everyone, listen up. I'm not going to repeat myself. We've got a deadline to meet, and if all the angry buzz on the Network is right, the consequences if we mess this up could be bad. Really bad. And the Network could shut down any time now if everyone's right about last time.

(( OLD HARROGATE RECAP START ))

Quick summary from the Network, for those of us who weren't here last time the Travelers went to Harrogate: there were reports of some sort of shadowy monster on the streets. [He links to the relevant psychic entry, so that everyone can review it.] Humanoid, blue eyes, completely veiled in shadow. Whatever it is, it's weak to light and it doesn't mind taking off your skin. If you see anything like that, throw light at it and run. You can listen to that entry for more information if you want. Then there was a report of a corpse walking around near what I guess is the current 'historic' inn of the town. From what I can see of the body, it looks like some kind of magic was used to manipulate it - though I can't examine the corpse to say for sure. That was what, a century ago? Probably just dust by now. Either way, it's just like a human body, so if you see something dead walking around, do what you'd do to attack a normal person. Slice it, shoot it, whatever. Just don't let it get close.

After that, the Network went down about two and a half weeks into the Jaunt. I'm offering it for viewing now for the experienced, but unless you have mental training or you've dealt with these kinds of powers before, do not look. I'm warning you. [The feel of fingernails delicately brushing against one's mind inside the skull still lingers on that particular post to the Network. But after years of separation, and filtering through Geralt's mind, it holds much less of its initial shock.] Courtesy of some guy called the King in Yellow. From what little got shared on the Network about this monster, he's a powerful, elder being. But I'll get to him in a sec. To recap, shadowy monster sighting, at least one corpse walking around, Network goes down.

After that there's a bunch of silence. Go figure. We seem to have gotten out of it okay, but this King in Yellow - he's apparently very good at making people go fucking insane. Really enjoys the wet, dark, and creepy aesthetic. Apparently he thinks people's brains are delicacies, metaphorically and literally. If you see anything like a figure in old yellow robes, do not approach it and do not look it in the face.

Oh, and he used the lake and a play at the theater to put a foot into this world and infect Liminal Space afterwards, so I'd advise you not to go anywhere near the big hole outside of town if you know what's good for you. Used to be a big sulfur lake. Wouldn't go to the site of the theater either. Apparently it burned down right about the time the lake drained dry. Funny coincidence, that. [The sarcasm here is almost palpable.]

I've challenged something like him before and barely survived it, and I have at least ninety years on most of you in the monster hunting business. I mean it when I say I'll kill any one of you the second it looks like you've taken up with the King in Yellow or anything else like him. You'd better hope that thing gets to you before I do.

Speaking of that thing... he seems to have left a mark in Liminal Space. From the few warnings I've heard about it over the Network, it's dangerous even to look at it, some sort of powerful mind hex interwoven into the symbol, maybe. But it's got three hooked arms and it almost always appears where a water drain should be. If you see anything like that - anything - you yell on the Network and tell us where it is. False alarms we can deal with, unreported dangers we can't. Don't touch it, because it appears to be a direct portal into the King in Yellow's world. And only nasty things have come out of it, from the descriptions. As a bonus, it's shown up more than once.

Almost done with the recap. Apparently the High Priestess banished the Yellow Sign permanently almost two years back. As long as we don't engage anything terrible here, I doubt the King in Yellow will have a chance to worm his way back in. So we're safe there, I guess. Not sure how I feel about the damn Tarot helping us out when they've been so silent before, but... better than nothing.

(( END RECAP ))

Now onto the current Jaunt. Anyone at the funeral saw the ghosts around. It's not unexpected for ghosts like that to be lingering in a graveyard. But I've talked to some of the locals and from what I can figure, with the eight to ten we've already spotted as well as the confirmed reports of different ghost sightings, I can count at least a dozen ghosts, maybe as many as eighteen, more if the unconfirmed reports are true. That's a lot of powerful necromancy going on. I'm not saying it's related to the business with the King in Yellow, but I'm not saying it's not related either.

I'm going to start laying the spirits to rest. It's what I did for a living back home. I can only engage them one at a time, two at a time depending on the ghosts' circumstances of death. I need time to learn about their deaths, their unfinished business, what I can do to make it right so that they'll have no reason to stay. In the meantime I'm going to ask about the recently deceased, see if I can speak to her shade, maybe to her, uh, widow. That's also going to take some time. But so far it's the biggest lead I have to the underlying ghost problem. If anyone wants to help me out, I'd be willing, but I don't want to look too conspicuous when we meet up, so a large group's not going to cut it. Already I've gotten comments about how accurate my Gunderland mercenary cosplay is. Don't need any more attention drawn to me while I investigate. I've got a spare set of normal clothes, but my witcher gear... well, it'll keep me alive against mad ghosts longer than regular clothes will. Try to change into something normal when I'm interviewing people for information, wear my armor when I'm out actively searching. Suggest everyone else does the same.

Any questions?

Comments

[eldritchwheelies]

Sir. Would you like me to teach you some sigils and spells particularly effective against the King's pantheon? I haven't got anything like your broad experience, but I have studied defenses against the Ancient Ones in particular.

[hatesportals]

Sure. Care to share with the class?

[eldritchwheelies]

I'd do the lecture over the network if I had the parapsychic talents of a moldy orange, but I'm staying at the inn that is miraculously still standing and am more than willing to teach you there.

Consider that "you" to be inclusive.

(Later, she adds):

...so there's apparently a Youtube channel that covers this stuff and they want to interview me. I'm letting you all know when and where because I am not a moron, but if it goes well and you have a computer or cell phone, that episode with Guest Star Madoka Mawaru will be a good way to learn this too.

[hatesportals]

What the hell is a YouTube?

[eldritchwheelies]

A method for rapidly sharing information over computers. You run into movies yet?

[hatesportals]

You mean holograms, like the things on the Spark?

[GOOD LUCK MADOKA]

[eldritchwheelies]

I am pretty sure that movies eventually got recorded as holograms, yes.

[Nailed it]

[hatesportals]

So they're... proto-holograms?

[What would that even look like??]

[eldritchwheelies]

Projected onto a flat screen, yeah.

[she's trying bless her heart]

[helborn]

If that shadow thing is around... I think I know who it is. Just... don't go near him. I don't want him to hurt anyone.

[He knows Phillip will feel awful about it later.]

Meanwhile, I can help out. Is your gear enchanted somehow? I'd... prefer not to beat the ghosts down if at all possible.

... Also if someone gets possessed by a ghost for some reason, yell for me. I can do something about that.

[hatesportals]

If it looks like he's going to hurt anyone, I'm going to go near him. End of story. [It's not maliciously said. It is stated as simple fact.] But I'll try and contain him first before anything else.

If the ghosts don't give me much choice, I'm going to have to beat them down before they hurt someone else. But I promise I'll try diplomacy first. I'd rather not get into a fight if I don't have to, believe me. I'd rather send them on peacefully.

... as someone who has been possessed by a ghost before? You'll be the first person I call.

[helborn]

... Yeah, no, I... understand that. I just told him I wouldn't hurt him. I kind of... never mind.

[Now's not the time to get emotional.]

But as for the ghosts, yeah. Diplomacy first. I'm not saying I'd never hit a ghost, but there's other solutions sometimes.

... And yeah. It'll hurt, but I should be able to essentially punch the ghost out of your body.

[hatesportals]

... you know him. He's a Infiltrator, isn't he?

[Shit. That just made things complicated.]

Look, I... I'll try to make sure he doesn't die. But I can't let him hurt anyone. Professional code and all. Know anyone who might be able to exorcise shadow monsters from people?

Would have come in handy when I got possessed. I'm used to pain. Kind of a given for my job.

[helborn]

I don't know if is this time. I haven't seen or heard from him. But it looks like the ghosts have a different Network than us... so he could be on that side, he could be infiltrated, or he could not be here at all.

And I know. I'm not sure who can deal with shadow monsters... I'm not all that good with darkness yet. But I'm not willing to let people get hurt, either.

... Yeah, same, kind of.

[hatesportals]

Of course. Even more places for people to disappear. Because keeping us all together would be too convenient.

Can you teach other people to handle ghosts, or is it something only you can do?

[helborn]

I don't think so. It's got to do with my heritage. If there's other people around who can already see ghosts I can give them ghost handling tips, but I can't help them see them in the first place.

[hatesportals]

Fair enough. If you do hear about anyone else who handles ghosts, let me know, would you? Kind of liking the idea of getting a team of experts together.

[helborn]

Will do. It's kind of nice to have backup on this sort of thing, yeah.

[hatesportals]

Apparently there's this little girl, Pearl. Says she channels the dead, which I guess is sorta like possession? Don't really know the specifics, yet.

[helborn]

Yeah. I'd... prefer not to get her too involved... she's young. But I know that me saying that isn't going to stop her or probably you from doing it anyway.

[fridgeninja]

The corpse was Toby-san, the Familiar Face.

So, if anyone sees him again, alive or dead, it's probably a good idea to let everyone know.

[hatesportals]

Tobi? Familiar... Face? What's he look like?

[fridgeninja]

He's a middle-aged European or Middle-Eastern man with black hair, whiskers, and sad eyes.

[hatesportals]

Doesn't sound very familiar to me. Haven't seen him.

[fridgeninja]

If you do, let someone know.

[hatesportals]

Sure will. Because in this world, he's supposed to be dead, right? If he shows up there's bound to be trouble.

[fridgeninja]

I think there's bound to be trouble anyway.

[hatesportals]

Wouldn't be a proper Jaunt if things didn't fuck up at the last minute, now would it?

[fridgeninja]

I don't think it's likely to take that long.

CW: ANXIETY/PANIC

[willyousee]

Blessed Elua, why-- [High-pitched and panicked more than angry, Alcuin's voice cuts off. It takes a long moment to be able to bring himself to speak again, and if the fear is lessened, its only just.]

Human. Yes, human. Human changed by Him. Changed to be His servant. Eyes of a fish, eyes of a fish... Grip stronger than steel. Hand to break the fingers to pry him from the doorframe. The masks... Don't look at the masks! Don't let them touch you! Do you understand? They are His! Mind and soul! They kill without remorse and use His powers! He took the mind of a young girl and wiped her clean. Erased her as if she had never been. Pulls you apart.... uses you against yourself and destroys everything - everything, do you understand?!

[hatesportals]

Hey, woah, slow down, kid.

[Christ, did the King in Yellow strike already? Does he have to come over there?]

So the shadow creature... it was human once? And the King in Yellow's 'servant' changed him. Guess it was one of his more emphatic cultists, to do something like that to a person.

Then you're saying... that the dead guy, Tobi something, got stuck on the doorframe? Then something about masks, and a girl? Who's this girl?

[willyousee]

No, not the shadow, the corpses. The corpses were human, they died terribly, their bodies drained and broken... Don't say the King's name! He may hear you! He has before! Toby, Toby... Toby was the dead man at the inn. Walked from the lake, dead and staring, gripped the door frame and knocked. Great, booming, terrible things. But then he just... stopped. They opened the door and he did not move, did not speak, did not breathe... Dead.

[He moans, low and wretched.]

Sera... Seraphita... She was a Traveler, a beacon, hopeful and sweet and kind and perfect... Everyone loved her. Gone now... But she was here then, infiltrating. Daughter of the mayor, cast as the Stranger in the play. He took her over. He destroyed her, utterly, and took her body for her own. She was to be His portal for entrance into this place.

[hatesportals]

Sure they were. Once they start moving on their own, though, they're monsters. And I can deal with monsters.

[But Geralt keeps listening. A sorcerer, maybe? Here's hoping the King in Yellow wasn't anything like Master Mirror. That was bad enough, honestly. Could use a lot less of that in the future.]

Was a Traveler? She get sent home? And you say this... this play, was all a ritual to have her possessed by the Thing in Yellow?

[willyousee]

Do any of us go home? Really? Or are we all simply trapped in our own minds? "Out of ambit." What matters is that she is no longer here. Thank all the gods she does not have to bear this a second time.

The play... I was not a player, nor one of the cultists who worshiped Him. But from what I have learned... The play was not a ritual to possess her. It was a ritual to bring Him forth through her, I think. Using her body as a door, he would step through her from the other side and walk here in the mortal realm in his own form. He had already possessed her... perhaps from the first time she wore the Stranger's mask. He could act through her using her form when she wore it. Speak... with her voice.

[His sentences are starting to make more sense, but his fear is blending into a deep depression and guilt.]

[hatesportals]

Out of... ambit?

[Yeah no he's got nothing.]

So definitely keep regular folk away from the theater. Probably a good idea to keep most Travelers away from it, too. Not something most could handle. Maybe a few Travelers from my day, but...

[But most of the capable fighters he knew were gone.]

Doesn't matter. Either way, folk need to stay away from there. Stay away from where the lake used to be, too. Anyone finds a mask needs to have it taken from them immediately. Burn it, maybe, or shatter it to dust. You don't mind meeting up in the real world, do you? Don't trust the Network to stay up for very long.

[willyousee]

Speak to Riddick. He survived best of all of us, I think. But leave his companion be.

The masks... were fabric and wire, I think. Perhaps leather. Not porcelain or metalwork. Feather and silk. Scale and hide. They might... Burn...

[Very soft, almost inaudible, a rumor more than anything, there are words:] The King is come. Douse the heat, revere the perfected. The King is come.

Yes... yes I will... Mm. Where are you?