Statement 4: Return to Stonewaters

[jp1885]

Remember to deduct Magic points for each spell, so 1 for Izzy’s Werelight and 3 for Leo’s Werelight and Shield (a first order and a second order spell).

[Trivun]

OOC:   No problem, I've been tracking it in a downloaded character sheet PDF from the Chaosium website anyway offline, but I've now updated my character sheet on the forum to also track it with original/current scores.

[jp1885]

You race for the stairs, only to be stopped by a furiously barking Ernie, scampering manically down towards you. While it might be easy to leap over the small terrier, it is not so easy to avoid the tide of brightly-coloured books flooding down the stairwell in his wake!

Confounding things further, all the books in the basement suddenly take flight and fling off in all directions, as if each bookshelf had been rigged with explosives. Adding to the chaos, the piled volumes, so neatly-stacked, rise up and are hurled in your direction!

You are trapped within the literary maelstrom...

OOC:   Everyone please roll DEX or Athletics to dodge the books. Success and you avoid a clobbering. Fail and you're hit - please roll Luck. Leo, if you wish to maintain your Shield, take a penalty die for the DEX/Athletics test, but there's less chance of taking damage if you're hit.

[Mr. Handy]

Jordan relied more on his toughness than his agility when playing rugby, but he was still able to masterfully dodge the books.

DEX roll (40% stat) to avoid the books:
d%

[Snapper]

1d%d60%

OOC:   Fail.

1d%L55%

OOC:   Extreme success.

"Aylesbury!! Here Ernie!" Skipper tries to shield the little dog with his body, stumbling wrong-footed as he does.

"Sweeney Hogwarts! Think this is yours."

[Trivun]

DEX roll: 60%

1d100


"Aylesbury what???" Izzy calls out, as she turns back the way she came and takes whatever cover she can between a couple of bookshelves to the right. Sci-fi and fantasy - ironically her favourite genre. Now that she knows the books are coming though, it's much easier for her to duck and weave away from the incoming literature. She thanks her lucky stars that she was in her school's hockey team, since if she could dodge wildly swung sticks then she can happily dodge thrown books.

Still, she's at a loss now for how to proceed. Angering the entity was never part of the plan...

[Philulhu]

DEX (75%) 1d100

Being pretty nimble, Des managed to avoid being caught by any of the flying books.

[SaintMeerkat]

DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 461 times

OOC:   The intent had been to put the shield between the books and the staircase to shield everyone's exit, but it sounds like that is moot if they are coming from both directions. I will continue to maintain it.

"Well, horse sh...feathers..." Leo shouted as he saw the double cloud of books and attempted to dive, still maintaining the shield the best he could.

DEX (40/20): 1d100

Magic Points Expended:
Werelight: 1
Shield: 2 + 1 to sustain

Current MP: 13/17

[jp1885]

Barking furiously, Ernie nimbly dives under the till desk. Following suit, Jordan, Izzy and Des similarly avoid being hit.

However, Skipper and Leo are not so fortunate, with both being bashed by a flying book. A heavy Taschen art book slams into Leo's Magical shield, causing it to flicker out of existence, but thankfully not before absorbing the impact.

Skipper, lacking such supernatural protection, suffers the indignity of a paperback copy of The Tiger Who Came to Tea smacking against his forehead. It is somewhat painful, but nothing a big tough detective can’t handle.

You suffer 1 Damage, becoming Hurt (please make a note of that).

No biggie this time, but you can't spend extra Magic Points on this spell, as it's a 2nd order spell that you haven't mastered (you can only boost spells you've mastered and must have mastered 2 1st order spells before you can master a 2nd order one). I'm still getting my head around the rules myself, so we're learning together!
On the plus side, you get that Magic Point back

Just as suddenly as it began, the storm subsides. Books plop to the floor and an eerie quiet returns to the basement. As you emerge from your hiding places, and survey the mess, you can't help but wonder just what the hell is going on...

OOC:   What do you think has happened? If you're not sure, by all means make an INT roll (Jordan, you get a bonus die).

[Philulhu]

Des glared at Izzy. It had been ok until she’d tried to engage it in conversation. ”You always have dis effect on people?” she asked with a frown.

Izzy triggered it, as far as Des is concerned.

[Snapper]

"Owww!!" Skipper winds up crouching. He looks over at Izzy. "Aylesbury duck."

Then he thinks to check on the dog. "Oi, Ernie, you kosher, Mate?"

1d%40%

OOC:   Fail.

"Does anyone have a single pot of glue what is going on? Perhaps something just can't stand people being here at night?"

[SaintMeerkat]

Spoiler:

The two points for Shield are for the two points that it takes to cast a second order spell. The +1 is the one MP required to sustain the shield spell into the second round. It

[Mr. Handy]

"Not me," says Jordan, mentally translating the Cockney. "I'm lucky I know what a pot of glue is."

INT roll (70% stat) about what happened:
d%
Bonus die:
1d10*10
If nobody else succeeds, can I spend 4 points of Luck to make that a success?

[jp1885]

Yes you can spend Luck

[Trivun]

Looking across at Des, Izzy replies, slightly embarrassed, slightly defiant, "First time anything like this has happened. Although that might be why I'm single at the moment..." She considers her date set for the Monday afternoon and hopes that she doesn't put Alice off, although based on their text conversation and what Sarah has told her, it sounds like Alice is just as neurotic as Izzy...

She still doesn't quite get the Aylesbury Duck reference, but declines to ask further. Instead, she continues to race through theories in her brain, trying to reconcile the events with the information gathered so far and the research at the Folly.

INT Check: 80%

1d100

[jp1885]

Spoiler:

The two points for Shield are for the two points that it takes to cast a second order spell. The +1 is the one MP required to sustain the shield spell into the second round. It

Fair enough. The way it’s laid out in the rules doesn’t make it obvious whether you can only spend that extra point if you’ve boosted it or not. Thinking about it, your take makes more sense!

While Ernie emerges from his hiding place and tentatively sniffs at a fallen book, you wrack your brains for an explanation.

Clearly these weird events were triggered by the moving of the children’s section upstairs, but what kind of ghost, poltergeist or other entity would take exception to that?

Perhaps it’s time to call DI Nightingale for advice?

To you, it almost seems as if the entity has thrown a tantrum…
Suddenly it hits you - this isn’t a poltergeist, but a genius loci! Perhaps all those emotions generated during the building’s cockfighting days has coalesced into some sort of genius loci of books and reading.
Anchored in the basement, is it missing Saturday Story Time and lashing out as a result?

[Trivun]

Still taking cover behind the sci-fi and fantasy bookshelves, Izzy just happens to notice a particular novel that shares shelf space both here and at her own home (well, floor space, considering the mess of her flat) - more a horror than anything, she sees House of Leaves nestled prominently among the higher shelves, and it reminds her of the self-aware and ever changing nature of the titular house. Suddenly, the realisation hits her, the similarity to this entity.

She clicks her fingers and cries out to the others, "Of course! Genius Loci. This was never a ghost at all, it's the spirit of the place, like the shop itself has somehow become sentient and alive, manifesting as an intelligent incorporeal being."

That said, perhaps 'incorporeal' is a bit much to describe something that has enough physical form to throw books around. She glances at the others and notes the blank stares on at least some faces. "Genius loci? You know, like Tom Bombadil? Or the Overlook Hotel? Mama Thames?" She looks at Leo, hoping he at least will recognise the last one.

"Anyway, this is just like my baby cousin who throws his rattle and screams when he doesn't get a biscuit. If I had to guess, I'd say it's upset that the children's books were moved and it can't listen to story time any more..." (Although that begs the question, Izzy thinks, on why the entity can't simply listen to the stories in their new location upstairs, unless it's somehow tethered to the basement?)

[SaintMeerkat]

Spoiler:

Previously said:   Fair enough. The way it’s laid out in the rules doesn’t make it obvious whether you can only spend that extra point if you’ve boosted it or not. Thinking about it, your take makes more sense!

On page 185, under the Shield (Basic) spell it says: "On each following round, 1 additional magic point can be spent to sustain the spell, adding another 10 points to the total damage the shield can withstand."

[SaintMeerkat]

DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 363 times

After Leo has had a few moments to gather his thoughts, he turned to Izzy. He unconsciously stroked his chin a little as he considered Izzy's suggestion. "Yes, that certainly seems to fit the situation. Believe it or not, I have actually met a Genius Loci, but she just had twins, and I would not dare interrupt her first few days of parental bliss to ask her any questions."

"I guess we could ask Nightingale and see if he has any suggestions about the care and feeding of a newborn G.L."

[Philulhu]

Des looked at Izzy with a sceptical frown. ”Wot? It’s like a baby ghost an’ it’s throwing its toys aroun’ ‘cos no-one’s reading it a bedtime story?! For fuq’s sake…” She rolled her eyes.