Play@YSDC

You gather the necessary equipment and finally head to the catacombs. Before getting there, you leave Andre to the care of his family, as he doesn't seem fit to venture into another dangerous expedition. Jean-Luc remains with him, with a gun, in case someone with bad intentions comes looking for him.

It's now mid-afternoon, and soon the night will fall, but it won't really make a difference down there, and you're eager to put this whole mess behind you. With you is Madeleine Morvan, without her usual smile and a preoccupied expression on her face, and a young gendarme called Francis Bateau. You light up a couple of torches before entering, then head down into the darkness.



And you enter into a land of the dead. Wherever you turn, there are bones, and skulls watching you with empty eyes. The light of your torches plays with the bones, painting fleeting smiles on the faces of people dead centuries ago. Even if every turn seems the same as the last, Madeleine confidently guides you on, deeper and deeper, into corridors and halls unknown to the living, without even stopping to think.

Jacques carries an electric torch and his pistol, and he has brought along plenty of extra bullets and a spare battery for the torch. He also has his truncheon, which is attached to his belt. He has a full canteen of water on his belt, and a backpack containing a first aid kit, a long sturdy rope, climbing spikes, and rations, in case they end up in the catacombs for a long time. If one is available, he brings along a map of the catacombs, as well as some chalk to mark their trail. He wants them to be able to find their way back out, just in case. He has a compass too, to aid with navigation.

Francois carries an electric torch, his pistol, and his shotgun as well as extra cartridges for both. He wears his greatcoat with a spare battery tucked carefully into one of the pockets, a cold chisel to permanently mark their path is wrapped in a cloth and placed in another, he also has some candles and matches a canteen of water and a hip flask with some decent brandy in it.

You keep moving ahead, deeper inside. The place is weird, and unsettling, but after Verchanne, a few skulls and bones won't be enough to impress you. Finally, Madeleine slows down, as you approach what seems to be a large underground room.

Jacques has a bad feeling.

OOC,Sense Trouble roll (3 points spent): [dice]0[/dice]

Francois is to involved in his surroundings and loses sight of the bigger picture

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

A vast network of tunnels seems to converge to the room where you're headed. There are more side tunnels departing from the main ones, linking them like a web. "We've arrived", Madeleine says with a cold voice, entering the room.

Jacques,You see shadows moving around in the other tunnels, fast shadows, humanoid in shape. They disappear before you can focus on them.

Where did you hide it mutters Francois not happy in the dark with no visible sky.

OOC:   Francois isn't claustrophobic, but I can imagine a man so in love with the outdoors as he is isn't going to be overly happy deep below the ground

"I saw man-shaped shadows moving in those tunnels," whispers Jacques. "More ghouls, perhaps? They moved away, but they're still around."

Perhaps like wolves they gauge our strength waiting for an opportune moment to thin the herd says Francois

You walk inside a large room, full of bones like all the rest. A tombstone on the wall to your right, with a golden crucifix on it, reports that this room contains the bones of the victims of a large fire in the 3rd arrondissement, about two centuries ago. There isn't much difference with the rest, at least that you can see. But perhaps knowing that the memory was going to live through the centuries offered some measure of comfort to the people who buried these bones. In front of you, one wall has caved in, or perhaps was demolished, revealing a much larger cavern beyond that. It appears to be natural, not human-made.

"Don't shoot", Madeleine says with a note of urgency in her voice. "Whatever happens, don't shoot. If you shoot, none of us will live to see the light of the day again. Now follow me", and she walks quickly through the room and into the cavern.

"That won't be a problem," says Jacques, following her. "I've no wish to start a fight with them." If it does come to a fight, he's perfectly capable with a sword, though that would still likely prove to be extremely dangerous.

Francois steps over the rubble, his shotgun in both hands but muzzle pointing down, he has no desire to start a fight in this place

The room opens up into a vast cavern, so vast you can't see where it ends with the feeble lights you carry. There shouldn't really be anything like this under Paris, or at least, the government, the military, someone should know. Yet you're here, and you feel like you're the first people here in centuries.
This strange sensation vanishes once you see the house. A very normal house, with wooden walls, a door, and windows. Even a stone chimney. The most normal house you can think of, but here, it's just another weirdness. Something completely out of place inside a space that should not exist.
As if everything is completely normal, Madeleine is walking towards the house. You're no more than 30 meters away from it.

Jacques follows Madeleine, staying alert to their surroundings. She could have hidden it somewhere that didn't stick out like a sore thumb, he thinks. Anyone who stumbled upon it would know it was unusual.

Francois follows the other two, the cavern he thinks must be one of the large quarries that he has been told are scattered around the catacombs. But the house?

You are walking towards the house when you notice the shadows moving around you. Lots of shadows. Alarmed, you swing your flashlights in a wide arc, revealing a shocking and horrible sight: ghouls. There are ghouls everywhere. Dozens of them, possibly more than one hundred. They have surrounded you, cutting your way back. But surprisingly, they don't look ready to attack, although they could surely slaughter you in a matter of moments, should they choose to. Instead they're standing still, an army of pale bodies acting almost like an honor guard welcoming an important guest. "Easy now, don't lose your head", Madeleine whispers as she keeps walking.

Jacques tries to remain calm, and he follows Madeleine. He doesn't even reach for a weapon, knowing that it wouldn't do any good.

OOC,Stability roll (no points spent) for seeing the ghouls: [dice]0[/dice]

Francois places the butt of the shotgun snugly into his shoulder but keeps the muzzle pointed firmly at the floor.

Stability,[dice]0[/dice]

Jacques starts sweating, his hands shaking slightly. This is not the first time he has found himself surrounded by enemies, but these creatures, these monsters, are enough to shake him. More than that, it's the thought of dieing here, failing his country, that almost pushes him over the edge. But his training takes over where his mind might fail - for now at least. Meanwhile, the gendarme escorting them seems frozen in shock, and Francois has to push him ahead with decision, or risk leaving him behind.

And finally you are standing in front of the house. Silently, the front door opens, moving on perfectly oiled hinges. One more ghoul emerges from it, but this one is different. He looks much older, somehow. While all of them look like a dead body, this one looks like an old dead body. Decomposed. Wrinkled, like old parchment. But it's the depth of the eyes that really gets to you - these eyes have seen through centuries, and witnessed horrors than even you, even now, can only imagine. More strangely, he wears clothes. A black robe, like that of a judge. It's a little too large for him, and it falls around his body in a funny way - if anything can be really funny in a situation like this.

He looks at you and flashes a smile, something so repulsive that almost makes you puke on the spot. "Madeleine, dear, welcome back. I... We... we were expecting you. We did not like your betrayal. But now you have come to make amends, yes? One way or the other. One way or the other", he says, with more than a hint of menace in his voice.

Jacques says nothing, afraid he might say the wrong thing and offend this...person, but he observes carefully.

François is really at a loss as to what to do next, events simply so far outside his frame of reference

"It's good to see you too, Nicolas", Madeleine answers the creature. "You will not have my head. Not today, for I have come to retrieve the book, and you shall let me pass - me and my friends, unharmed". She speaks with a commanding tone, apparently not afraid despite the situation and the overwhelming odds.

The ghoul called Nicolas starts laughing: "Oh, look at you child. Look at you. Always the funny one. I will have your head if I so choose. And once you are reunited with our old friend Sebastien, I will get back the book, and put it to good use. I need only to lift a finger...", he lets his voice trail off menacingly.

"No, you won't". She moves fast, in the split-second you need to react, grabbing the gun from the hands of Francis, as the poor gendarme seems in shock and unable to act. She points the gun to her head, removing the safety as she resumes speaking: "I too need to only move a finger, Nicolas, and your precious book will be lost forever. Shall we see who is faster?"

You see a kaleidoscope of very human emotions pass on the face of the ghoul: anger at first, then fear, then doubt. He finally seems to reach a decision and says: "Very well. You've played me. I shall grant you passage, and you shall bring back the book into the world. That shall be enough. But you still have to pay for the passage - the usual fee. That is the rule".

Madeleine grimaces, then nods. "Go on", she whispers. And then the ghouls are on you, rushing from every direction. You get ready for the feeling of claws slashing your flesh and tearing you open, but the ghouls just ignore you. Instead, they grab Francis and lift him up, dragging him back towards the darkness. He finally breaks free of his stupor, and starts screaming. It's over in less than five seconds. The ghouls disappear into the darkness with their prey, the screams fading away and then disappearing abruptly. Nicolas heads back into the house, closing the door behind him. And you're left alone in the cave.

History or Occult,Hearing the name Nicolas makes you remember of Nicolas Flamel (1330 - 1418), a famed alchemist who is said to have cheated death.

"That...was a high price to pay," says Jacques, lowering his head and doffing his hat.

"Sacre bleu" mutters François thinking that Madeleine has a great deal to answer for and that at some time she must.

There is silence now. Madeleine turns towards you, seeing the horror on your faces. "Don't be hypocrites. We are here because you wanted the book, and because you did not want to kill me. I warned you there would be a price to pay", she says with a harsh voice.

"I did not realize that someone else would be paying the price, or what it would be," says Jacques, returning his hat to his head. "In any case, it is too late now. Let us find the book."

She keeps staring at you for a couple more seconds, then nods: "This way".

And after her you walk, past the big cavern and into more tunnels, natural this time. In the darkness, broken only by your flashlights, you lose all sense of time and distance. Sometimes you seem to be going further deep down, sometimes up towards the surface. You find no other living creature, nor anything else of interest. Just rock, and darkness. Fatigue is creeping up on you as the tunnel abruptly ends and you can finally feel fresh air on your face. It's dark outside, so you imagine you must not have been walking for more than a few hours. Still, there's something strange about the sky, as there are no stars you can see. It's not that there are clouds, the sky seems clean, it's just... black. Completely black. No moon, no stars. There seems to be a faint light that allows you to see, but you can't discern any source this light might come from. As you lower your gaze to look around, you can see a vast plain of black sand, here and there broken by stone edges of what appears to be obsidian. As far as the horizon, it's just black sand and rocks. The view looks utterly alien to you, and you know of no such place within walking distance from Paris.

Jacques looks around in wonder. "What is this place?" he asks.

François looks around they have travelled some distance. perhaps this is some vast cavern, he has seen the sea glow through small creatures in the water perhaps it is the same here and this he decides would explain the light.

Madeleine answers to Jacques as she keeps walking: "We thought the book was too dangerous to hide it in our world. The cultists of Mordiggian would be searching for it, and the ghouls, and God knows who else. Also, it would have been dangerous just by falling into the hands of some regular person, with no knowledge of the occult. We could not take the risk. We already knew about the existence of other dimensions thanks to the tea, the Sapna. As you know, it is not just a common tea. It also helps people unlocking the true potential of their dreams. Anyway, by visiting this world, we discovered that there were other ways to enter it, not only as a physical projection, but along with one own's phisical body. One such way is through the catacombs of Paris".

Stability,You can either roll Stability now, or deny what you're hearing. This will allow you to not lose any points, but if later faced with undeniable proof that you are in a different world, you'll risk a more severe loss. Your choice :twisted: Remember to roleplay accordingly.

"Well, why not?" says Jacques, taking it in stride. "I thought not so long ago that it would one day be possible to go to the moon, so this does not seem quite so farfetched, especially after all I've seen already. We clearly are not in Paris any more."

OOC,Stability roll (no points spent) for realizing that they are in another world: [dice]0[/dice]

If I am honest I am not sure what to believe anymore says Francois but frankly, it is not important to me at the moment mutters Francois shrugging off yet another revelation.

Stability straight roll: [dice]0[/dice]