[IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

A decade ago, a band of occult investigators battled against the summoning of an ancient and monstrous evil. They failed. Now you must piece together the puzzle and finish what they could not. The stakes are high, and so is the price to pay. Can you do it?

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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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You head back to Mrs. Burnish's and she grumblingly ("Well, guess he'd be too busy wasting his time on those dusty books of him to take you in person, eh?") takes you to a small room in an under ground floor where Ayers's stuff is stored, in half a dozen big cardboards boxes with his name written on, scattered among dozen more boxes with other names on them. She leaves the door open and says: "Good work. Please warn me when you leave, I need to close it again", before leaving.

The boxes are full of books and notes and folders - quite simply, kilograms and kilograms of paper. A quick survey of the books reveal no occult or strange stuff, or at least, nothing that one wouldn't be able to find on any university library. Apart from that, there are lesson notes, personal notes, letters, half-finished scientific papers, and other stuff. You realize you once again have long hours of searching and sifting ahead of you, and with a long sigh of resignation, you get down to it. Christopher looks in depth into the books and the academic material, while Holly looks at his letters and Clarence searches through his personal notes and notebooks.

It takes you more or less three hours to complete your work.
Holly discovers that, unsurprisingly, Ayers had epistolary exchanges with many History professors inside and outside the country. Most of them looks absolutely ordinary, but two letters manage to catch your attention, firstly because of their content, but also because they seem to be part of a much longer correspondence, and the other letters appear to be missing. They were sent from a Professor Bartolo Acuna. Yet more informations on the matter seems to emerge from some notes discovered by Clarence on a worn-out blue notebook.
Clarence also discovers the paperwork related to the trip to Ethiopia. The man seemed truly headed for Ethiopia, or otherwise he spent incredible effort and time to fake a significant amount of paperwork. According to what you find, Ayers left Los Angeles in late June 1924, that is, some weeks before the dramatic incident at the farm.
Christopher's analysis of Ayers's deranged work shows a man truly believing in the existence in this universe of all the pagan Gods and entities he speaks about. His work seems to be mainly focused on the old God known as Gol-Goroth, but it later seems to expand to include a second entity identified as The Liar, or The Liar from Beyond.

Letters to Acuna,[i]March 1922[/i] Dear George, I am very interested in those similarities you mentioned between the African and South American cults that are the focus of our individual researches. Indeed, it is hard to understand how they could have come in contact, if not by believing the two continents to have been, in a remote past, united – and then, how old were these cults at the time of their destruction? Millennias old, or more likely, even more than that. The mind cannot really grasp such a concept without bordering on madness. I have found the veneration performed through orgiastic rites to be, in fact, a pillar of the ancient cult in Ethiopia, and there is a clear similarity with the rites you mentioned from the South American cult. Still, the Revelations make no mention of this entity you named, Gol-Goroth. Rather, an entity called simply The Liar is identified as the God being adored. I suspect those two might be the same, as the similiarities are too striking to simply dismiss, especially for what regards the continuous mention of Mouths and their bodily fluids. It would be of great interest analyzing the differences and investigate their origins. I will presently read the Revelations in more detail, strong with this new knowledge you have provided me with. Yours Sincerely, Bartolo Acuna [i]January 1924[/i] Dear George, your last letter brought great news, indeed. To think you could so quickly find a person of means, and interest, for funding my venture, after my many failures. Thank you, thank you so much. Of course I would be happy to have you accompany me, along with any of your students who might be interested and brave enough to face the wilderness of Africa. I have started preliminary contacts with local authorities, and I think we shall be able to obtain the necessary authorizations in no time. You should start arranging for the voyage to Massaua, where we will meet. From there, we will head inland to Dallol. I will send you confirmation shortly. Until then, I will continue my work on the Revelations, as there are still a few chapters that – I feel – might reveal even more surprises. We will have time to discuss the matter when we meet in person, hopefully soon. Yours sincerely, Bartolo Acuna
Ayers Notes,Should contact Bartolo Acuna (U. of Madrid) regarding his work [i]Ancient Sex Cults in Ethiopia and Eritrea[/i]. Similarities are too obvious to miss. Should bring about useful informations on Gol-Goroth's nature. Acuna mentioned having re-translated segments of [i]The Revelations of Glaaki[/i] to find a description of this ancient cult in Dallol, Ethopia. Should try to ask E. and acquire that particular tome, if possible. Will send letter to ask for more informations, and possibly ask for collaboration. Possibility of a joint expedition with Acuna to Dallol. Funding needed. Ask E. as soon as possible.
Christopher,[ooc]Additional information available with a 1-point Library Use plus 1-point Occult spend.[/ooc]
Holly and Clarence,[ooc]Additional information available with a 1-point Library Use or Evidence Collection spend.[/ooc]
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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OOC,I'll spend a point of Library Use.
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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Holly,Tucked away on the bottom of one of the boxes, easy to miss, you find an old promotional poster for an early twenties movie featuring [b]Olivia Clarendon[/b]. The movie is called [i]The Woman in Black[/i] and is from the period before Olivia achieved true fame. The poster is signed by Olivia herself, saying [i]"Thanks for all your help"[/i].
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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"Hey, look at this!" says Holly, pulling out the poster and showing it to the others. "This is Olivia Clarendon, before she was famous. The Woman in Black was one of her old silent films. There's her signature, and she's thanking Dr. Ayers for 'all the help.' I wonder how he helped her. Now we know something to ask her if we ever get the chance to talk to her. And these letters are interesting. I wonder who the E. was he was planning to ask for funding. The only person with that initial who involved in this that I can think of is Edgar Job, who used to be a student here, but he didn't strike me as rich or influential."
OOC,When was [i]The Woman in Black[/i] released? That information must be in [b]Olivia Clarendon[/b]'s filmography.
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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"What was that hispanic sounding name again that started with an E ... Echevaria, it could be him I guess." Clarence adds. "Yes Ramon Echevaria, now he certainly had enough financial clout behind him."
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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"Oh, of course!" says Holly. "Yes, that's got to be it! How could I forget?"
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

Post by Cearlan »

Image
Clarence laughs, the first real laugh he's had for a long while now.

"Well this case is certainly a lot more complicated than the usual cheating wives or husbands I'm used to dealing with, so letting something slip your mind for a moment is nothing to be ashamed of Holly, no ma'am." Clarences face suddenly takes a serious mein. "In fact it shows me something that I think we are all in danger of forgetting - just how human we are, able to make mistakes and carry on because we are all working together as a team." Clarence's face takes on an even sadder look as he turns away from the group.

With his back to Holly and Chris he says, "You know, I am not used to working as part of a team, always working alone, me against the world. Well this little jaunt has shown me how much stronger we all are for being part of a team, and I'm not sure I want ..." He leaves the sentence hanging in the air as he stares down the corridor.
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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"Thank you, Clarence,"says Holly, relaxing. "Go on, finish your thought. I think you're saying something important."
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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Clarence's shoulders slump a little and he says in a low voice;

"All this wasted time, chasing after some pipe dream ..." Then he paints on a smile and turns back to Holly and Chris ,,, "Nah, I was just thinking out loud Holly. Right where to next?"
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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"While we're at UCLA," says Holly, "we should see what we can find out about Edgar Job and his time here, and if there's any connection between him and Dr. Ayers."
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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"Yes. That was the Mathematics department if I remember right?" Clarence's eyes regain a little of their focus as he get's back on the case once more. He turns back to Holly and Chris.

"Any idea where the Maths department lies? Perhaps we could impose on Mrs. Burnish as we have to tell her when we are done here anyway."
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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"Good idea," says Holly. "Let's go."
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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OOC:   Just waiting on carnage_lee as there is a spend he can do, then I'll move on.  
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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Christopher Fontana

Christopher places a reassuring hand on Clarence's shoulder "Don't worry... we'll see this through." he briefly locks his gaze with the other man.

"Gosh, I'd forgotten that Job was a student here... stands to reason that they must have had some interaction. It's not too big a stretch of the imagination to think that Ayers with his occult interests was the person that introduced Job to Echevaria." Christopher rubs his chin, obviously thinking about something; he picks up some of the paper "hmm... yes this does 'ring bells'..."

OOC:   ooc, sorry to hold you all up - I'll take the Occult spend (I guess for the 'Gol-Goroth' connection?)  
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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Christopher,You find an unpublished (and most likely, unpublishable) paper by Ayers. It seems he was writing it in the weeks just before his departure for Ethiopia. It shows some radical ideas on [b]Gol-Goroth[/b], that supposedly was the God venerated by Echavarria and the cult. Some passages from the paper say: "Indeed, this entity commonly known and venerated as Gol-Goroth is nothing more than a jester, a buffoon laughed at and scorned by even the weakest among supernatural entities. Such is its insignificance, than one would doubt it to be nothing more than a puppet moved by the Sprawling Chaos itself, or perhaps just one of its creations. There is trace in history of cults dedicated to this entity, but all have been short lived, as the Lie of their true nature would soon be uncovered. Take as example the fall of the Chihuaqanda cult in..." "...as such, it is not surprising that the Liar from Beyond might find particularly funny (if such a word can indeed be applied to an immortal and alien entity) to steal the cults of the weakling known as Gol-Goroth. In fact, this was probably what happened in at least three instances during the development of ancient African cultures..." "In the end, all the works centered on discussing ancient pagan sex cults should now be re-interpreted through this new surprising breakthrough. There is a necessity to dig deeper and understand, in each case, who was the true divine figure worshipped by these secret cabals, for us experts and professors have been so far in a Lie just as blatant as those lost souls that truly believed and adored the entity known as Gol-Goroth".
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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You inform Mrs. Burnish that your search is complete, then follows her instruction to reach the Math building, just one of many similar buildings that were built - or are being built - inside the campus. The atmosphere is quieter here, and you see less students wandering around, or studying under the spring sun.
OOC:   How do you want to proceed?  
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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"We should go see the head of the department really, to see what he remembers of Edgar. Either that or he will be able to send us in the right direction of someone who was here back when Job was." Clarence offers.
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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"That sounds good to me," says Holly. "Let's go."
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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The head of the Mathematics department is an old professor called Arnold Miller, snow-white hair and a penetrating gaze, with a slow way of talking that gives you the impression every sentence has lasted minutes. He listens to you with interest, his curiosity piqued by your strange request. Still, without prying too much, he gives you access to the department archives.

Edgar Job was an undergraduate from 1918 to 1922, even before the Department moved to this building in the new campus. There are not many informations on him regarding this period, except a few documents reporting his grades - which were mediocre.
On 1923, he was admitted to a graduate program of mathematical study. His advisor was a professor called Stuart Tichener, who appears to still be teaching at the UCLA. Job's traces in the university's records disappear the following year.
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Re: [IC - LA] The UCLA (Clarence, Holly, and Chris.)

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"We need to go talk to Professor Tichener next," Holly says to her friends.
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