End Game

[yockenthwaite]

OOC,We haven't figured out what to do next, and I think we're all pretty stuck. Yes we may have had the clues, but we've not worked out what to do from it. Maybe we need a pointer, like are any of our ideas on the right track? Maybe Idea rolls would be appropriate? At the moment we're flailing around.

[ImpInTraining]

Hint,These sightings weren't always so prominent. Someone had done something to bring them more to light... someone who was not quite satisfied with the status quo. It's up to you to figure out who that was,and what was done that changed things. Then... ideally, you'd want to restore things to the way they were by undoing what was done - or redoing what was undone. That's all I can say. I think some of you might be lost simply because you're assuming this place was always a place where strange sightings had happened. It may have been true at one time, but not so in the current time frame... until very recently. And that's when Martin made the call to gather you folks up to investigate.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Thanks, I had had no idea about that. I thought that we screwed up somehow and did something wrong but couldn't figure out what it was. I was lost because I wasn't sure that our ideas would make the ritual work any better or if they would make it worse. I'm still lost, as I'm not sure who is behind increasing the sightings. I know that the stones were defaced, which is one thing that was changed. I think I did mention once trying to carve the Elder Sign into them, as that's the symbol that I had seen in my vision and it would be good for warding off all the weird things from entering Glendale. It seems likely that that was what was on them before. The stones are on George Tennyson's property, and he might have been the one responsible.

[yockenthwaite]

OOC,Yes you suggested recarving the sign on the stones, though the Leprechaun wasn't so keen. The only thing I'm wondering about with George is he really didn't want us to see the stone ring, at all. Which was somewhat odd. Why keep it to himself? Otherwise I'm baffled. I may be being really dense, but I've not been picking up much from the clues!

[ImpInTraining]

Magically Confusing,Do you always let leprechauns sway your actions? What else do you know about George? Nicholas could tell you, but he's not quite himself.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Well, Ralph Wiggum always listens when a leprechaun tells him to start fires, and he turned out okay. ;) I know that [b]George[/b] is obsessed with his gardens.

[ImpInTraining]

ooc,How long has he been working on that garden? Why do you think he likes gardening so much?

[yockenthwaite]

OOC,I haven't a clue about the gardening - I don't think we picked up enough re that before. As for Nicholas being able to help, if he was still coherent, I assume it's to do with the photographs. At the moment the only thing is Samantha's hunch about the stones, and wondering why George was so slow to take us to see them, very reluctant. But beyond that I've nothing more to persuade the others with. If that's even the right lines to be going on. As for leprechauns, I'm happy personally to ignore their advice! But I still think we're flailing in the dark.

[ImpInTraining]

ooc,Yeah you're going to have to make a best guess based on the information provided. There are no answer sheets provided. Somewhere along the line, perhaps at the bar the first time, a rumor regarding George came out. During the course of your investigation, you should have been able to determine that he had moved to that house recently... like within the last year. That's all I was trying to point out with the length of time gardening reference.

[yockenthwaite]

OOC,Checking back in the old threads we did get a clue from Molly near the start about George retiring here last year. So we do have that to be going on, if we in-character can recall it :lol:

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Good catch! No wonder I missed that. I was reviewing the part where we spoke to [b]George[/b] and visited the ring of stones the first time, but not the rest of the adventure. Is the implication that he could not possibly have grown the gardens in such a short amount of time? I'm still at a loss as to what to do with this information. The only thing I can think of doing is carving the Elder Signs (back) into the stones.

[Thorn]

(Let's do that, then. I'm utterly confused, it's been too long for me to remember, and I'm not sure where to look or what to do with the information I have. Which is next to nothing.)

[ImpInTraining]

ooc,I'll be happy to answer any questions you have left over when the story is done. But right now, I need you all to make a determination. I go on vacation tomorrow morning and won't be back on for over a week. I'd like to try to sum up the ending scene today some time and let you all react to it while I'm gone.

[yockenthwaite]

OOC,I think we have to consider that George is up to no good, and he's responsible for the problems. In which case my character's hunch about the ring - based on the only useful thing I could figure out from the vision ha! - becomes relevant. Plus Samantha observing how reluctant he was to show us the ring. So how about we repeat the ritual, but in the circle, in the dark, don't worry about a table this time, and maybe inscribe the symbols again on the stones, ignoring what the leprechaun said? Or not re the symbols :) What do you folks think?

[Thorn]

I vote yes

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,I agree, and I definitely think we should carve the symbol into the stones first. I'm pretty sure that [b]George[/b] defacing them was the source of the strange events and one reason why the ritual didn't work.

[yockenthwaite]

OOC,Great, thanks. Right Imp, assume that's what we're all doing, as specified in last few posts. Just go for it :P

[ImpInTraining]

The group returns back towards the stone circle, only slightly distracted by the sounds of George Tennison laughing gleefully in his garden. Those who sneak a peak see him frolicking with a dozen or so fairies, all thoroughly enjoying his garden. Passing him without being noticed is very easy to do.

Once at the stones, Laurence (Samantha's body) carves the Elder Sign on the first of the stones and shows the others. Working in concert, you get the symbol etched in all of the stones when a leprechaun shows up again sitting on one of the stones. "Eh, what ya doin' laddy? Don' ye know that yer 'eadin' fer trouble?" Nicholas, confused and frightened by the horrid red-haired monster, rushes and tries to tackle it - but the leprechaun vanishes with an almost audible pop.

With all the stones ready, everyone gets into position and goes through the ritual once more... hoping it works this time.

"The All-and-One close the Gate
The Gate will be closed
The All-and-One hear our call
Time and space be healed

Hear us the All-and-One
Close the Gate lest creation be destroyed
Sottott the Keeper of the Gate
The Gate will be closed"

At the end of the ritual, a flash of blue fire emanates from the center and rushes outwards, bowling everyone over, toppling the stones, and breaks the circle. As the flame shoots outward, it grows in intensity. For one instant following that, everyone feels a sudden sensation of vertigo as they jump back to their own bodies. It seems as if everything was all right, but George Tennison screams out from his garden, "NOOOOO!"

Nicholas' state of mind is shattered from shock. He curls up into the fetal position and sobs quietly. He will never be the same again, but at least he is responding to his own name.

Picking yourselves up, the group rushes off to the garden's edge, only to see that every plant, every flower is burnt to cinders. Cranborne house is a blazing inferno. The entire building is encased in fierce, raging flame. It is unlikely there will be much left when the fire burns itself out. The fairies are nowhere to be seen.

Avoiding confrontation with George, you pick their way around the property and make your way back to the village where you find it in shambles. It looks as if a minor earthquake has hit. As you approach down the country lane you see the sides of the houses facing you have collapsed. There is a small amount of rubble on the ground... but not enough to account for the missing walls. Insides of the houses are burning. There is a solitary fire engine trying to control the blazes.

As you enter into the village, you can see that many of the buildings have structural damage, though not as severe as the first ones that you saw. There is a second fire engine putting out other fires.

Two ambulances are parked up. A casualty on a stretcher is being loaded into one of them. Some of the villagers are walking about in a daze.

When you ask a villager what has happened, she responds, "There was a brief rumbling followed by a sickening electricity smell [ozone], then the buildings sort of, well… um… er… got damaged. Do not what else I can tell you. I can't make head nor tale of it!" You find out that many of the townsfolk are missing, but so are all the ghosts, goblins, and other fantastic visions that they had been experiencing.