Play@YSDC

Brooks's address takes you back from Coyoacán to the city's downtown, not far from the post office that was your first stop right after arriving in the city. You get there in the late morning, with streets bustling with activity and people running around - walking or in their cars - in every direction. The building you're looking for is a relatively big 8-storey brick building, it looks new and clean without looking elegant.

A quick inspection of the area shows a fire escape on the back, with a pull-down ladder that could be reached jumping high-enough. Unfortunately, the staircase passes right in front of several windows, so walking up unnoticed would certainly require an effort of subtlety. The front door, on the other hand, is large and made in glass and wood, and casting a quick glance inside, you can see a large hall with a concierge sitting behind a desk, a small mexican man dressed in an elaborated white uniform.

Holly looks around for any sign of someone watching the house or taking note of their arrival.

OOC,Sense Trouble roll: [dice]0[/dice]

Christoper Fontana

Christopher looks around taking in the scene around them.
"Well, I wonder if Brooks is at home? I mean, if and this is supposition of course, Victor was grabbed by the goons employed by Brooks then word may have reached him and he could have departed for a 'remote location' to see Victor. Of course it's equally likely that Victor lost his nerve and 'ran for it' when the shooting started." Christopher says to the others as he considers the options for moving forward. He points to the front door of the apartment building, where the concierge can be seen at his post. "We're probably not going to be able to get past that man without some form of plan...." he trails off, obviously in thought.

OOC:   So, we need to get into Brooks' apartment. Going via the concierge seems like the least 'risky' option. I guess he's not really going to let us in... I feel some 'bribery' coming on.

"Maybe we can try to figure out which floor he lives on from the apartment number and take a look at the windows from here," suggests Holly, "see if there are lights on or not."

Christopher Fontana

"Why, yes... that's eminently sensible." Christoper says with some chagrin and Holly's suggestion.

"You have the match-book, don't you Jonathan." he asks.

OOC:   I assume the match-book does have the apartment number as well as the street address?

A quick check of the matchbook reveals that Brooks is (or was) staying in apartment 29. That is probably on one of the highest floors.

Architecture,Buildings like this one, in the city center, tend to have a penthouse at the top more often than not. You'd bet your money that's what you're looking for.

Christopher Fontana

Christoper takes another look at the address that is scribbled onto the match-book cover. "Well judging from what we have heard of Brooks' character and the apartment number I think he has the penthouse apartment on the top floor. So we will need to speak to the concierge."

Smiling he opens the car door, "There's no point in just waiting, Brooks is either in or not, lets find out." looking for a clear opening in the traffic he crosses the road and opens the door to the apartment building.

"Ahh, Señor, can you help me please.. I am to met with Señor Brooks but I am late... is he still at home?" Christopher asks trying to sound worried that he might have missed his appointment.

OOC:   Not wanting to step on toes but we need to do something.

Holly remains outside and watches for now, reasoning that it's best if the concierge doesn't see the rest of them if it's not necessary. She glances up at the top floor's windows.

Huang Yan tries to start an awkward conversation with Holly, "So...I guess I'm slightly excited that things are going dandy without someone pulling a gun trigger at the moment, how about you?"

The concierge answers with a flat voice: "I don't think Mr. Brooks is in... but I can try to ring him if you wish."

Assess Honest,It's just a hunch, but you think the concierge dislikes Brooks.

Christopher Fontana

Chriatoper nods, "Well .. if you wouldn't mind, it would be very helpful of you ... and, umm, if Mr Brooks complains about you disturbing him I'll make sure to let him know it was my fault." Christopher stresses the word 'mister' trying to play on up to the concierge's potential dislike of Brooks, trying to foster a rapport.

Jonathan Cornwall
"A little bribery goes a long way" the Professor whispers to Christopher as he walks up to join him at the concierge desk.

"I try not to get too excited," says Holly. "It could happen again at any time. We have to be on our guard." She sighs. "Before all this started, I'd never imagined that I would ever shoot anyone. I'm a doctor, I'm supposed to heal people, not hurt them. But it was him or me, I realize that. He was about to shoot me, and he would have if I hadn't shot him first."

“Of course. I guess I understand as well. Never been too keen on violence, yet look at what I’ve been doing with my life. It’s your decision after all, just...remember that whatever happens, you are not at fault for defending yourself. Don’t let the guilt get to you.” Huang Yan said, continuing the conversation.

The concierge nods stiffly and heads to the intercom, trying to contact Brooks's apartment. After about a minute of waiting he says with a poorly concealed hint of satisfaction: "He's not in... or perhaps too busy to answer. Do you want to leave a message?".

Huang Yan walked out of the car after a while to after seeing the concierge being uncooperative, and decided to talk to Christopher for a minute, "So, uh, what's happening there, amigo? The nice man over there doesn't seem to be very cooperative, need some help?"

Holly waits behind the wheel of her car, keeping the engine running in case they have to make a fast getaway.

Christopher Fontana

Christopher returns to the concierge, "As I was saying, it's very important that my colleague" he indicates Yan "meet with Mr Brooks ... we have been engaged to locate a missing item, somehting of a very ... shall we say delicate nature left by our client at one of Brooks parties.." Christopher stresses Brooks' name trying to convey a note of disataste. "It is entirel likely that Brooks is out, perhaps there's some way we could ask you to take us up in the elevator to find out?" Christopher slides over a folded note over the counter.

“As you would know, high-profile deals are being made at the moment and, if I were you, I would cooperate. In fact, we could even made it worth your while if you do what we ask.”. Huang yan followed up, revealing a fat wallet and a fancy pen. He winked at the man.

The concierge licks his lips and seems to think for a second, before taking the money. "If Mr. Brooks needs to receive this... item... urgently, then it would be bad to make him wait, yes?" He then lets you into the lift and up to the last floor. He unlocks the door to the apartment and says: "Just don't break anything, all right?", and then he leaves, returning to the ground floor.

You grin with satisfaction, before walking into the lion's den. You are now in a large living room, with little furniture: just a couple of sofas, a cabinet radio and a a high-end record player cabinet. The impression is not of someone who prefers a spartan lifestyle, but rather someone who just failed to decorate his house properly. On your left, you see a closed door, while right in front of you a small hallway seems to lead to a kitchen.

Evidence Collection or Forensics,There are orange stains on the living room carpet. It seems to be Nectar, but it looks like it was spritzed into the air. To what purpose, you can't imagine.

Huang Yan covered his mouth with a handkerchief and wrinkled his nose. "I don't think there's any more residue side effects there, but better safe than sorry."

Professor Cornwall looks quickly around the room for anything notable.
"Tell me again what we're looking for here?" as the Professor pulls his handgun out of his jacket pocket and moves to the door...

Ian Morin

Outside, Ian is waiting by the car with Holly. As the time passes, he start to become concerned with their safety. He lights a cigarette and looks around, looking for any possible threat. "This is taking too long, Holly. They probably have this place guarded, if not always, at least from time to time. Even more if Brooks and our friend Trammel aren't in the best of terms." He looks around again before continuing. "I'm telling you, after this episode at Victor's... I need a gun."

"That's a good idea, Ian," says Holly. "I got mine after Savannah, and I'm sure glad I did. If I hadn't had it back there..." She shivers. "Let's keep an eye out for anyone else watching the place - and be ready in case Brooks comes home suddenly."

Christopher Fontana

Christopher nods his thanks to the concierge and look around the spartan room which was somehow at odds with the fact that this is the penthouse.

"We're looking for anything that might tell us where Brooks is, or what his plans are and if there's anything linking him with the 'folks' back in Los Angeles; we know there's more than one group active in this 'cult'. " Christopher replies to Cornwall.

Christopher sets his briefcase on a convenient tabletop and takes out come cotton gloves which he hands out to his companions, "Wear these, don't touch anything directly... there's Nectar around here and we don't want to get dosed up. There's bags and jars in here too, if you find anything use those to keep things separated and safe."

Pulling his gloves on Christopher starts to check the sofas, planning on searching the living room first. "Brooks isn't here but let's not take too long."

“Indeed. LETS NOT STICK AROUND!” Huang Yan said, yelling slightly.

Any effort to move with subtlety probably made useless by Huang Yan's loud voice, Jonathan sighs as he opens the door, discovering that it leads to a large bedroom, with an adjacent bathroom. A quick exploration of these rooms doesn't reveal much of interest: fragments of paper, dirty with Nectar, and weeks-old used condoms. You find a small bottle half-filled with an unidentified clear liquid in the medicine cabinet. Apart from this, nothing else catches your interest.

Pharmacy,The liquid is a strong sleeping aid. A single does should put an adult to sleep within 30 minutes for about 10 hours. An overdose of the medicine could easily kill.

Professor Cornwall grabs the bottle from the medicine cabinet and pockets it.

OOC:   anything written on those scraps of paper?

Since nothing else in the room catches his attention, Prof Cornwall heads back to the main room with the others.
Jonathan whispers:
"I didn't find much, a bottle in the medicine cabinet and some nectar."

Christopher Fontana

Christopher nods to Cornwall "Better keep that bottle safe and let Dr. Chastain take a look at it, she will be able to identify what it is." Christopher indicates the hallway "Lets continue the search."

OOC:   Previously indicated that this led to the kitchen - so will continue to search there.

You walk along the hallway and into the kitchen. The place is in order, but it looks like it hasn't been used for some time. There's mold growing on some bread left on the table. A quick search here doesn't reveal anything of interest, so you move your attention to another door, leading to a rooftop patio. You walk outside under the sun, and are met by a horrible smell, and it doesn't take long to recognize its source. This is a large space - you judge it's about a quarter of the whole surface of the penthouse. Almost the entire space of the patio is dedicated to a collection of coops and pens for birds, made of simple unfinished wood and chicken wire. Each coop contains a latched door that has been left open - and as a matter of fact, there's no trace of any bird in sight. The floor of the patio is dirty and shit-stained, causing the horrible smell that pervades all the area. On the other end, you can see the iron fittings of the emergency fire escape.

Biology on the bread in the kitchen,The mold is 12 to 14 days old.

Forensics or Biology on the coops,The birds kept here were roughly crow-sized.

1-point Biology spend,You pick up a few feathers around the patio area. Some feathers belong to a species of grackle, probably the greattailed grackle common to the area, often mistaken for a kind of crow, and typically regarded as a noisy pest bird. The males are iridescent black-feathered birds, up to 17 inches, with tails almost as long as their bodies. Females are brown and a bit smaller. Other feathers belong to something about half that size, probably the red-footed blackbird, a breed of sonorous blackbird, known for its pleasing song, which would be at the Southern edge of its habitat in Mexico City. Neither of these species are typically kept as pets. Both are omnivorous seed and insect eaters that occasionally eat carrion. By the looks of their habitats, some 50 or so birds may have been kept here, and perhaps not happily — they’ve been pecking and scratching at their cages. Worse than that, it appears that the birds have been fed fresh carrion. You find uneaten fingernails and finger bones stripped of their flesh, lying amid the bird shit and broken seed shells at the bottom of the cages. At least twelve fingers turn up, harvested from three or more different people — two men and one woman — all within the last month.

Occult,You recognize symbols carved into the coops’ wooden portions, underneath the stains and random markings. It’s possible that someone was (or thought they were) casting spells upon the birds contained within.

1-point Chemistry or Pharmacy spend,A strange, but now somewhat familiar lingering scent catches your attention. After a quick search, you discover your hunch was right. There are traces of Nectar in the bird feed, which consists of tightly packed seeds and canvas sacks of dead, dried bugs.

Architecture or Craft,There's something strange here. After a few seconds, you recognize the building is missing space. the outer wall of the penthouse suggests a room may be hidden across the hall from the kitchen, adjacent to the outer wall by the patio. Now that you've realized that, you notice what must be a bricked door on the wall. Once spotted, it’s easy to see that the fittings between bricks there are not tight enough. Additional inspection allows you to notice metal in three spots around the bricked-up portal — probably hinges and a latch.

Christopher Fontana

Christopher surveys the scene in the kitchen with some distaste. The disarray of the apartment plus the mould on the bread seems to indicate that Brooks has been absent for a couple of days at least and maybe longer. Christopher's gut feeling was that Brooks had vacated the apartment in some hurry and probably didn't plan on returning for a while, if at all.

"I think we should ask the others to come and help, I don't think Brooks is going to return soon, more help will let us make sense of the clues we've found. I'll be back i a few minutes ..." Christopher rides the elevator back to the lobby and has a quick word with the concierge, slipping the man a $5 bill before exiting the building and walking over to Ian and Holly. Quickly summarising what they found in the apartment and that he feels Brooks won't be coming back he invites them to come and help investigate.

OOC:   Christopher takes this action before going out onto the balcony - there's clues there that Holly in particular can explore - ok?

"Yeah, I'll come take a look," says Holly, getting out of the car. "Do we want to risk lowering the fire escape for me to climb up that way, or should we just let the concierge see and remember me? I know it looks like Brooks isn't coming back any time soon, but there's no telling who else he'll inform, especially if the price is right. We already know he's susceptible to bribery."

Christopher Fontana

Christopher laughs, "There won't be any need to go climbing, not today. We shall ride the elevator in style!"

Christopher offers Holly his arm and they make their way into the foyer, to ride the elevator up to the apartment.

Ian Morin

"Elevator it is, then." He says, tossing the half-smoked cigarette and following Christopher and Holly.

Holly links arms with Christopher and proceeds with him to the elevator.

Christopher Fontana

After a short trip back up to Brooks' penthouse apartment Christopher ushers Ian and Holly into the lounge. "This place is quite the mess, there seems to be traces of Nectar all over the place. Best if we all wear these." He hands out two more pairs of gloves, making a mental note to acquire some more and to have these burned once they've finished in the apartment. "Professor Cornwall found a vial of liquid in the bathroom, not nectar, something else. We don't know what it is, perhaps it's medicinal, would you care to take a look Dr. Chastain?

Pharmacy on the liquid,The liquid is a strong sleeping aid. A single does should put an adult to sleep within 30 minutes for about 10 hours. An overdose of the medicine could easily kill.

OOC:   I've reposted it here

Professor Cornwall
"Dr. Chastain, you can keep the vial. It may come in handy."
Turning to the rest of the group Jonathan says, "We need to further investigate the rooftop patio. There's a lot of strange clues out there."

"Thanks," says Holly, taking the vial and examining it. "This is far more mundane than Nectar. It's a sleep drug, pretty strong. One dose should put an adult of normal size and build out within half an hour for about 10 hours. An overdose could make someone sleep forever. Let's see what else we can find." She looks in the kitchen next. "The mold on this bread is two weeks old, or nearly so. Looks like Brooks has been gone for some time. " She then peers at the coops. "The birds that were kept in here were about the size of crows." Looking out on the patio, she notices the feathers and picks up a few. "They weren't crows, though. Grackle. Greattailed grackle, unless I miss my guess. They're native to this area, and they resemble crows. They're seen mostly as noisy pests. There were also smaller birds here, red-footed blackbirds. They're good singers. This is about as far south as they get. Nobody keeps either as pets, though. Both kinds of birds eat seeds and insects as well as fresh carrion. They weren't treated well. There were about fifty of them. Looks like they've been trying to escape from their cages, and someone's been feeding them fresh meat too. I see uneaten fingernails and finger bones with the flesh eaten." She gulps as she searches the cages. "There are at least twelve fingers from three or more different people - two men and one woman. None of them is more than a month old." She sniffs and looks around, finding some canvas sacks. "They've been feeding the birds Nectar too! It's mixed into the seeds and bugs."

OOC,Spending 1 point of Biology and 1 point of Pharmacy.

Christopher Fontana

Christopher looks on as Holly investigates the detritus on the floor of the bird-cages, marvelling at her ability to do so. The bird-cages are disgusting, Brooks obviously didn't clean then out very often. The fact that Holly has found the remains of human fingers makes things worse, he feels a little queasy.

Standing back, Christopher notices something unusual about the cages themselves, the wood making up the doors and sides has faint markings scratched in them and some of them appear to be familiar. Peering closer it does seem as though someone has carved, or rather, scratched symbols into the wood. The dirt and filth caked onto the rough timbers obscures a lot of the detail.

"So you see here?" he asks, pointing to a particular group of markings that are only partially obscured. "These look like some kind of symbols, I think ..." opening his pen-knife he scrapes away some of the bird mess that's covering the symbols. "Well I can't be sure.. but these look 'ritualistic', definitely some similarity to the medieval alchemical symbols but altered a little more 'Enochian' but not quite the same." Poking at a few more spots with his knife blade he uncovers a few more symbols, "Quite odd, doesn't make a lot of sense."

Christopher can't discern a pattern or meaning to the symbols, they're a mish-mash of different systems and he only recognises a handful of them, their placing doesn't offer up any clues either. They obviously have some significance but it's beyond him. Perhaps the feeding of human flesh, in the form of fingers, and the markings were somehow linked or significant? Only Brooks would know.

Christopher steps back from the cages again and looks around the patio, which if it wasn't so disgustingly dirty, would be a lovely place to spend the evening. Something tugs at his consciousness, something about the patio.. then he realises. "Oh! Now that is interesting... the kitchen and corridor they're not as wide as this .. are they?" he waves his arms at the back wall of the apartment. "And there was only one bedroom ... odd for a 'penthouse', wouldn't you say?" He starts to examine the back wall.. oblivious to the looks his friends are giving.

After a few moments he digs out his pen-knife and pokes the blade at a few spots on the wall "Yes... I am right, look here ..." he jabs at the wall "Those are hinges! We have here a real life 'secret door." he exclaims gleefully. "And if these are hinges then.... yes this is the catch." there's a soft 'click' as Christopher's knife finds the right spot. "Give me a hand opening this..."

OOC:   Using his Architecture and Occult skills

Ian Morin

Ian shook his head in disgust. "Poor animals...".

He feels confused while Fontana starts rambling about architecture. He's not sure why this is so important while they're all surrounded by human fingers and ritualistic symbology until... A secret door! "Good catch, Christopher! Let me help you." He places himself beside Fontana and helps him get the secret hatch open.

"Poor animals and poor people," says Holly with a shudder. "I don't expect the ones those fingers came from are still alive, and if they are, they aren't in such great shape." Her eyebrows go up when Christopher opens the secret door. "Nice find! I never would have known it was there." She positions herself to look inside once it's opened.

Cam grunts as Ian and Christopher open the secret door, drawing his gun as he gets ready for the worst. "I go in first", he whispers with his best "no-nonsense" tone. As soon as the door opens, he moves quickly to enter, but stops abruptly on the threshold, frozen. You hear him mumbling "What the... hell...", all the while trying to peek inside and understand what could surprise him so much. After a second he finally steps on the side, allowing you to enter.

You can feel something in the air. Perhaps it's just that the place has been closed for weeks, perhaps it's just that... but you feel something else. Something more. There's a sensation here, hard to express in words, that same sensation one feels when entering a cathedral or some similar building of faith. Like feeling the presence of the divine, except here... it's distorted, and broken, and revolting. It lasts for a few seconds, as you take in the details of the place. And then you can feel your excitement growing as you understand you've reached a turning point in your investigation.

This place is a shrine to something, that much is certain. On the wall opposite to the door, in front of you, there's the altar. It's a simple one, surprisingly, made of polished marble set on a wooden sideboard. Set on the altar, perhaps as an offering or perhaps for some kind of blessing, there are a few objects: a copy of one recording, a sheet of paper, a single-does vial of Nectar and a few half-melted candles (unlit). Above the altar, on the plaster wall, there is a large orange stain. More writings... or paintings, some times it's hard to tell, are scattered around on the other walls.

Apart from the altar, the rest of the room is furbished with an expensive wooden desk, rolling chair, and bookcase. The bookcase is mostly empty, containing just about a dozen books.

Ian,You must check for Stability or try to grab the Nectar and dose yourself. Remember that you can spend points to improve the roll, and that while this makes Ian more susceptible to madness during this chapter, in the end resisting taking the drug is the only way to completely overcome his addiction.

Art or Art History,You judge that the big smear above the altar is supposed to be a large fanged maw.

Anthropology or Occult,Above the altar, around a large orange smear that you can't quite identify, there's a large number of symbols of heads and mouths from various Mesoamerican cultures - jaguar mouths, bird mouths, serpent mouths.

Anthropology or Archaeology,The symbols on the walls around the room are five words, in Mayan writing, repeated over and over.

Holly stares at the bizarre sight in front of her, taking hold of Ian's arm to keep him from getting anywhere near the Nectar. "That stain above the altar," she says, "it's supposed to be a huge fanged mouth! And those symbols, they're Mayan in origin. There are five of them, repeated over and over. We need to take a picture of them, or I could transcribe them in my notebook. Then we can get them translated later. This may be connected to that dig site."

Professor Jonathan Cornwall
"Perhaps I could be of service here. I have some experience in Mayan symbology..."

Ian Morin

As the door opens and Ian looks around the obscene chamber, his eyes get fixed in the Nectar vial at the altar. He instantly feels his mouth watering and the shivers down his spine. As Holly grabs his arm the shame is almost unbearable, surpassed only by the need to grab the vial.

Stability test,2 points spent . . [b]1d6 +2 = 8[/b] http://orokos.com/roll/657423

Christopher Fontana

Christopher hesitates on the threshold on the hidden room, he realises why Cam hesitated, as the disturbing 'aura' of the room had disturbed him too. Looking around Christopher is taken aback by the items inside, this looked like it may have been Brooks' sanctum - the altar, the desk and bookcase; these were ll the items and potential evidence that was missing from the apartment itself.

Christopher scanned the walls trying to see if there was another hidden door, one that would lead into the hallway or the lounge area. Christopher moves to the desk, carefully he starts to search...

Professor Jonathan Cornwall
"The five ancient Mayan symbols are roughly translated as mountain, mouth, transformation, light, and song."
"I'm at a loss to explain what this all means though..."
The Professor writes this down in a small notepad from his coat pocket, and then quickly moves to the bookcase to look for clues.

Seeing that Ian is restraining himself, Holly releases his arm and goes over to the desk and begins to look through it.

Jonathan walks towards the bookcase and starts skimming through the books. About half a dozen are classic and cutting-edge books in the Mayan and pre-Columbian studies. Jonathan recognizes books from respected authors - most of them are books he has read, too. The books have been rigorously read and handles, without much care, and there are highlighted passages. These passages seem to focus on pre-Columbian religion and "fringe and forbidden Gods" in the Mayan pantheon, especially one called Golxumal (ghol-zhoo-mohl) also known as "The Fisher from Outside". According to one passage, the Fisher from Outside was worshiped at an ancient site in the heart of Yucatan - a site intended for other purposes but captured and repurposed by the Cult of Golxumal. It was called Chichén Xoxul (chee-chen zhoo-zoll). There is one photograph tucked away inside one of these books. On its back, there's written: Dominguez and his crew.
Then there are three books about Mexican folk songs and music and six blank books, still unused. Finally, there is one old-looking book, looking more about occult than about actual history, called The Womb of the Black Stone. It is handwritten onto pages of limp vellum, and it looks very precious. Brooks must have spent a considerable sum to get his hands over this.

Photo,[img]https://s8.postimg.cc/rpfq4djvp/Crew.png[/img]

Meanwhile, Holly and Christopher carefully examine the desk and all its drawers. There's a treasure of letters here, although mostly are written in some kind of code and not immediately understandable. All of the encoded letters appear to have been sent from Trammel. But there's also an unfinished letter, an answer from Brooks to Trammel. You also find a letter coming from a certain S.S. and another one, the most recent of all, from a certain Sancho Dominguez.

Unfinished Letter to Trammel Part One,[img]https://s8.postimg.cc/mgkp61yr9/Letter_Trammel_1.png[/img]

Unfinished Letter to Trammel Part Two,[img]https://s8.postimg.cc/4drmeuq1x/Letter_Trammel_2.png[/img]

Letter from S.S.,[img]https://s8.postimg.cc/ph1jmupkl/Letter_s.png[/img]

Letter from Sancho Dominguez,[img]https://i.postimg.cc/TPsdvZc6/letter-merid.jpg[/img]

Holly shows the others the letters she found. "Do you think you might be able to break the code?" she asks Jonathan. "That may get us some more answers. It looks like this dig site in the Yucatan will be our destination once we are finished in Mexico City, but that will take some preparation. We should also look up Sancho Dominguez, who made the arrangements for Brooks's expedition there. If we can find him, we may be able to convince him to share what he knows with us, maybe even take us out there - if we can trust him."

"Woah, there's some crazy things here." Huang Yan said, as he observed the room.

Professor Jonathan Cornwall
The Professor grabs the book featuring Golxumal, the picture of Dominquez' crew, and the occult book, "Womb of the Black Stone."
"Holly, I have a little skill in cryptography. Please, gather up all the letters and I can take a closer look after we leave this cursed place."

Cameron.

"Maybe track down this Francisco de la Vega as well," Cam passes all the letters back to Holly, "If Dominguez had to cross his lands, then that's a lead to locating where Dominguez. Plus, it doesn't sound like they like each other much. Maybe this Chichén Xoxul site is even on de la Vega's land, it not then it's probably close."

Cam points to another of the letters, "This other one from S.S.? Figure that's almost certainly Savitree Sirikhan, the oriental woman? You told me that Edgar Job thought she would have been the one to take over from Echavarria if anyone."

He shrugs, "Well, reading this, she don't think much of Trammel, and looks like she's got her own expedition and her own group. So that's Dominguez here in Mexico, Ayers maybe still in Ethiopia and now Savitree somewhere else. Where the Hell's Ko Kruk Island anyway? Sure as Hell ain't in Tennessee."

Raising an eyebrow Cam continues, "This place right here makes it look like Brooks might have left town a couple of weeks ago, maybe when he got the telegram from Dominguez or maybe 'cus he got scared. We should probably take a look at his girl's place next – see if anyone's home.

"I figured that Brooks must have had Felipe killed at the hotel, and maybe he still did, but the other thing you mentioned Job sayin' was that Savitree had a thing for knives. Cutting herself and others?"

Cam grimaces, "Whoever killed Felipe definitely had a thing for knives, they cut up his face for the fun of it. Real sick stuff."

OOC,[ooc]Sorry for the big post. I've been reading lots for a couple of days to join in, and then this apartment has more clues than everywhere else I've read about. Anyway Cam's been really quiet for ages - he needed to talk! ;) [quote="Overlord87"]I just noticed one letter was cut by the forum, unless it's just me. I can't resize it until the next weekend unfortunately, but I'll fix it as soon as I can.[/quote] The whole image can be opened or downloaded, by right clicking, so it's no big deal. EDIT: Also, it's not actually cut off on my laptop, just on my phone.[/ooc]

"Thanks. Yeah, that makes sense," says Holly, collecting the letters. "We can check out Leticia's place afterwards, and we also want to go see her and the band tonight. Have we gotten everything there is to get here? If so, we should make tracks. I don't think Brooks will come back, but that doesn't mean our presence here will go unnoticed. The concierge does have access to a telephone."

You pick up what you've found and head for the exit. Ian seems visibly shaken, but also sort of relieved. Turning his back on the vial of nectar was not easy, but he is proud of himself for the first time in a long time. As you leave the creepy room behind, the sun welcomes you back into a world of normality. Or so you'd think, at least.

It's Jonathan that notices it first. Perched above you atop the dirty coops is a single grackle, shiny and black, tilting its head this way and that. It opens its mouth to let out an eerie caw and reveals, at the base of its beak, a glistening and grisly mouth ringed with tiny, hooked teeth. Its caw is wet and brief, like a crow gagging on pus. You all freeze, horrified, looking at the creature.

Then you hear the caw answered by the flock descending upon you...

Terrified, Holly scrambles to get back in the apartment before the birds can reach her. "Quick, back inside!" she screams. "They're hopped up on Nectar!"

OOC,Stability roll: [dice]0[/dice]

Cameron

"What th...," Cam is already bringing up his pistol to shoot at the lone bird when he sees the flock decending. He lowers his gun and tries to pull his jacket over his head as runs after Holly, desperate to get under cover.

OOC,Stability Roll - Spending 2 points: [dice]0[/dice] [ooc]Could you clarify, I wasn't sure, but I think we're on the balcony immediately outside Brookes' secret temple, rather than out on the street?[/ooc]

"DEAR GOD WHATISTHISHORRIBLEMONSTROSITY!!!" Huang Yan screamed, in what seemed to be the halfway point between genuine weeping and utter fear.

Stability Loss,[dice]0[/dice]

Cameron:

"Get inside, now!" shouts Cam, he tries to stay by the door back into the kitchen long enough for everyone to get in from the patio, before slamming it shut.

Christopher Fontana

Christoper's thoughts and musings on the evidence that they'd found in Brooks' secret room is brought to a halt as he almost walks into the back of someone. He looks around, confused and his eyes lock on the large bird that lets out a wet gurgling caw almost a parody of a regular crows call. It's then that he notices that the birds beak is wrong, no not the beak something inside... it has a mouth... teeth.. his vision seems to telescope in on this weird an unnatural feature.

Suddenly everyone is moving and Christopher is pushed back into the room, he makes out the dark flapping shape as a flock of Grackles swoops down, all flapping wings, evil beady eyes and wickedly shard curving beaks, snapping ... that horrible flat gurgling 'cawing' sound growing louder and louder.

OOC:   Stability Roll: 2pt spend - [dice]0[/dice]

Professor Jonathan Cornwall
Stability Test

OOC:   [dice]0[/dice]

The Professor rubs his eyes to clear the strange vision from his mind, but then he notices the flock descending and yells "Back inside! Everyone back inside!"

Madness descends upon you as you start to scramble away. Huang Yan is the first to recover from the shock, and rushes for cover, getting back inside the apartment. The others are caught in the open as they start to run. You can see them more clearly now, and each of them has this sort of horrible mouth under their beak, filled with rigged teeth, spouting out some disgusting, greenish bile. They are all around you in a matter of seconds, cawing and screeching... and maybe... you can hear sounds that resemble words, not from a known language, yet they seem to be words, something closer to human language than any natural bird should ever be able to produce. You flail around your arms, trying to keep them at a distance as they tear your clothes and scratch your flesh. One of the monstrous birds charges straight at Jonathan, and when it's close enough, some sort of horrible tongue springs out from the mouth, piercing his shoulder. The wound immediately starts to burn as it comes in contact with the vile-looking greenish fluid. Then Jonathan rushes past is as he runs back inside.

The group splits, as Christopher, Jonathan and Ian fall back inside the shrine room, while the others make for the safety of the kitchen. You close the doors behind you and pray that the flock will decide to leave as quickly as it has arrived. Barring Jonathan, who is bleeding from the wound on his shoulder, the rest of you managed to survive the assault with just some harmless scratches and a ruined set of clothes.

Cameron:

Cam slumps to the floor as he slams the door shut, sitting with his back to the glass so that he doesn't need to look at the birds any longer.

He wonders whether it's even worth trying to continue against things so far beyond his understanding, god created all creatures great and small, but how could Nectar pervert god's creations so? Those mouths! What the hell?

After a minute or two he gets shakily to his feet and puts his Astra back into its holster, someone had to do something and the others still needed Cam's talents, even if he wanted to run.

"If the birds don't go, we need to find another way through to get the others out, I don't fancy going back out there with those things. How solid do you think that wall is?" He points to the nearest wall that divides the apartment from the hidden shrine.

It's clear to everyone that Cam, normally so brave, will be of little use trying to get past the flock.

Holly leans against the wall, gasping for breath, and slides down next to him. "I don't want to go back out there either," she says, squeezing his hand. "I don't know if we can break through the wall or not." She experimentally taps on it to gauge its thickness and see if the others hear her and tap back. "I think we need them to come to us. That shrine is a dead end, but once they get here, we can all go back downstairs and out the front door."

OOC,Architecture might help determine whether or not it's possible to get through the wall, but only [b]Christopher[/b] has it, and he isn't with us. Can I use Psychoanalysis at this time to try to get [b]Cam[/b] some Stability back?

"Dearie me, this is worse than I thought it would be, to be honest." Huang Yan said, looking somewhat pasty as he recalled the vivid image of the birds.

Ian Morin

"Oh God... Oh God... Oh God..." Ian mutters while recovering his breath. "I'm not crazy... Oh my God. Am I? I mean... I didn't take the Nectar! That was real, right? You heard that... they were TALKING!"

After a few more breaths Ian starts to calm down a little, realizing their situation is not good. "Christopher, Jonathan... Are you OK, fellas? Jesus... Looks like we're trapped here. There's no way I'm going out of here through that door. I'll dig these walls with my fingernails if I have to."

"I have an idea," says Holly, digging into her medical kit. "I've got plenty of sedatives here. I can dose the feed with them and toss it out for the birds. Then we just have to wait for them to fall asleep."

OOC,Using Pharmacy to make this happen.

Christopher Fontana

Christopher struggles to get the image of the weirdly altered birds from his mind... was it possible... did they have teeth.. mouths. How could that happen, it's not natural, he shivers. His mind keeps replaying the sudden attack, each time the unnatural mouths uttering their wet bubbling calls. His mind whirls, realising that some thing, some power had warped these birds, mutated them into foul caricatures of their normal forms. Brooks must have given these ... things ... a taste for blood too, as evidenced by the finger bones in the abandoned coop.

With a shudder he manages to get his breathing under control and tries not to panic further as he realises that he's trapped! Not alone, some relief washed over him as he hears Ian babbling. Ian's words about the walls help Christopher to focus.

"... one of these walls must have been plastered over, Christopher closes his eyes for a second trying to picture the floor-plan of the pent house apartment, trying to decide where the original door would have been*. "Here.. I hope.." Christopher starts tapping at the wall above the altar* careful to avoid the orange stain. "This is should be where the original doorway would have been.."

OOC:   *Christopher has points in Architecture - so it seems a fair use of the skill to be able to extrapolate where the original door would have been. **Assuming that the original door wouldn't lead into the kitchen. I'm hoping the doorway wasn'r bricked in but merely covered over - we can move the altar and break through the plaster - perhaps using the altar?

Holly and the others in the apartment can hear Christopher tapping on the walls. It should be possible to communicate, if you raise your voice high enough.

OOC:   You can locate the original door and, with some work, break it open. Does Holly still want to proceed with her plan of sedating the birds?

"Well...it's not that bad, I mean, sure, it rooks rike something you find inside a circus with what deformed lumps that one would describe as bodies. But if you're too worried about it...eh try not to think about it, m'kay?" Huang Yan said, blinking repetitively and wiped up the sweat that had fallen off of his eyebrows.

Ian Morin

Yes... Yes! That's a great idea, Christopher! Right here, you say? Ian grabs one of the candlesticks on the altar and starts pounding at the wall where Christopher said the door should be.

Cameron:

"Thanks Holly, I should be okay as long as I don't need to go out there."

After walking to the part of the wall where the sound of knocking is loudest Cam bangs back with the side of his fist. He taps out H-E-L-L-O in Morse, assuming that somebody inside will understand.

"Do you think it'll be enough to knock them all out? I was thinking of getting a sledgehammer, I'm sure I can convince the guy downstairs not to get in the way."

OOC:   I'm assuming that Huang Yan is talking to himself? Apologies if he's talking to Cam, but I didn't think it looked like a reply to anyone in the kitchen.

"Any time," says Holly, looking around. "Surely there's something we could use on our end to help them break through the wall. I'd rather not let the concierge see you bringing a sledgehammer back if we can help it. You can't exactly hide it in your pocket. If we can't break open the wall, we can try drugging the birds then. That's not without risk, as we'd have to open the door to the balcony briefly."

OOC,I'll hold off on my plan for now. Let's try getting through the wall first.

Cameron:

"You're probably right, maybe there's a toolbox with a regular hammer."

Cam searches through the cupboards of the kitchen first, if he doesn't find a toolbox, he goes for anything strong and heavy enough to use to smash the wall.

You push away the altar and start pounding on the wall. It requires some time and no small amount of effort, with the rudimentary tools you have available, but eventually you succeed. You greet each other with a smile, still shaken from the encounter with the birds, but happy that at least one problem is out of the way.

"Let's get out of here," says Holly, a sentiment with which she is sure everyone agrees.

Christopher Fontana

"Yes! Let's leave this dreadful place... have we got everything though? I've no desire to come back here."

Christopher makes another pass of the 'secret room' to make sure that no potential clues is left behind. After a few moments he stands in the lounge, "I think that's everything." he announces, ready to depart.

Ian Morin

"Yes, please." says Ian, standing beside the door already.

Cameron:

"Yeah, let's get outta here."

Cam can't get away from the freakish birds quickly enough. He leads the way out to the cars, just in case. Although he knows his handgun is useless against a flock of demon birds.

You leave the doors behind, and with them the terrifying sound of the birds wings flapping and their horrifying caw, mixed with what you can still swear sounds just like words...

Down the elevator, the concierge seems to realize you're unnaturally pale, and shaken, and after a meaningful stare from Cam, possibly quite dangerous as well. He just stays silent as you walk out into the sun, looking up above your heads nervously - but the sky is clear and there are no birds in sight. You're back into the normal world now, where things like those birds have no place. And for now, that's good enough.

OOC:   Continues here: https://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/pbp/vi ... 352&t=6488