Play@YSDC

Saturday 5th November, 1881

Malbray Asylum, Hackney Wick


The past few days have seen the companions preparing for the coming confrontation with the ‘dog-thing’ of Joan Bayldon’s nightmares, as well as caring for the inmates of the asylum. Joan herself has been undergoing treatment by Dr. Blessing, and is beginning to regain her memories.

The Crux Ansata has been constructed after much effort, leaving Isolde exhausted but ready. Likewise, Alexander and Dr. Vandorff have produced six batches of the Baneful Dust of Hermes Trismegistus.

Around mid-morning on the 5th, Joan begins to shake.

“I can feel it coming” she says. “It won’t wait any longer, and I can’t delay it anymore. We need to get ready.”

As the dining room is the largest, Rolf clears the furniture away to provide enough space for everyone to move freely. A fire is lit and supplies of food and drink provided. Greta wishes to be present but Rolf forbids her, telling her that someone needs to be able to look after the inmates should things go wrong. A sullen Dr. Vandorff is wheeled in. Joan sits patiently, staring at the fire and occasionally shivering, while Blessing watches her anxiously.

Isolde,Isolde loses 5 MP in constructing the Crux, but she will regain these when she wields it. She still needs to roll 1d6 SAN loss for its construction though. Just subtract the result from your total – we’ll say that the loss is spread out over the course of the last couple of days to avoid any temporary insanity. Isolde needs to chant an incantation written in Mysteries. It will take 3 rounds to complete. It is basically a match between your Magic Points and the creature’s. The others will be able to expend one MP each to help. If successful, it will drive the creature away, and it will not bother you again for a number of days. The banishment is not permanent though.

OOC,There are 6 batches of the Dust, each requiring a successful Throw for full effect. A failed Throw will still have an effect, though much reduced. All the NPC’s have standard 25% score for Throw. Be warned, there’s no way of knowing for sure if the Dust will be effective until you try it. Making it is an imprecise science! Once you have decided on your actions, we can begin.

Alexander stands ready with a batch of the Dust, waiting for the monster to appear so he can douse it.

OOC,I think each batch contains 8 uses of the Dust. I'm the only one of us who actually has a Throw skill above base. I think I successfully used it in a previous adventure.

Isolde bids everyone stand in a loose semi circle with herself at the apex. For once there are no theatrics. Isolde is pale- faced and grim. She is feeling tired from the effort of creating the Crux and hopes she has the strength to fend the creature off.

“I will start the incantation when the creature arrives. Whatever happens you must keep your thoughts focused on me for as long as possible; your strength will aid me whilst I cast the spell; only together will we have the power to defeat the creature.
“I fear this will be the greatest challenge the seekers have ever faced; be stalwart, brave companions!”

As soon as everyone is ready, Isolde holds the Crux out in front of her.

Sanity loss,0

Vic had tried to prepare herself as best she can. Without thought for modesty, she had stripped to her breeches and a man’s shirt that she had found in one of the linen cupboards. She’d even rolled the up the sleeves so her bare arms were showing.

She weighed the dust in her hand, hoping that when it came to it, she would be up for the challenge and wouldn’t let herself, or her fellow Seekers, down.

HoneyDog wrote:

OOC,Here, you only get 2 doses per batch. You have 6 batches, so that hopefully should be enough.

OOC,I hope so too, but the dice roller is notorious. We could easily miss every single time. Yes, a miss still does a little damage, but we'll need at least one actual hit.

Harry stands nervously in the semi circle, one hand resting on the revolver in his pocket, the other holding some of the dust. He focuses his attention on Isolde. 'Ready.'

Crozier:

The Captain lights a cigar and clenched it between his teeth.

"Come here, dog. Let's be having you."

He gets ready to throw dust.

The afternoon draws on, and the shadows lengthen. The room begins to chill as the light goes out of the day. The companions lose some of their readiness as time goes on, and begin to pace.

The occupants grow restless, but Joan in particular becomes ever more agitated. As darkness falls, she suddenly gets to her feet.

“Oh god!” she moans, pointing to a corner of the room by the door.

Smoke is beginning to issue forth, accompanied by a faint bluish light. Something which looks like an appendage, a paw perhaps, is somehow coming out of the corner where the walls meet. It is accompanied by a long, black whip-like – could it be a tongue? Something like jaws, eschewing a blue ichor. There are no eyes, yet all the occupants in the room know that it is seeing them. It fixates upon Joan, but also seems to recognize Vandorff. Jaws flex, and the whip-like tongue flicks.

Shrouded in the smoke, the thing begins to move into the room.

Joan shrieks in terror, falling to the floor. She screams and screams, covering her eyes. She is terrified beyond words.

Blessing too gasps in horror and fear, but seeing his love succumb to mortal terror, he quickly shields her with his body.

Vandorff sits rigid. His mouth drops open and his jaw is slack. His hands grip the wheels of his chair. A soft keening noise issues from his throat.

Rolf crosses himself with his free hand, and starts to pray in his native language. But he stands tall, unmoving in the face of the beast.

Melody also staggers in shock, but she doesn’t flee. She raises a hand to her mouth to stifle a scream, trying to make sense of what she sees.

OOC,You'll need to roll SAN. If you pass, 1d3 loss, but if you fail, it's 1d20.

SAN roll,SAN (64%) - 0 SAN loss - 1

”My God!” whispered Vic, her insides churning with fear. She wanted to run, to be anywhere other than here with that... that thing, but more than anything, she wanted to prove that she was the match for anyone, so she stood her ground, fists clenched until her nails dug into the palms and she could feel blood start to trickle from her hands...

Sanity,440 1

To see the dog-thing actually materialise and thus prove the truth written in Mysteries is almost too much for Isolde. She staggers with the shock and realisation and puts her hand out onto Crozier’s arm to steady herself. She also knows the desperate danger they are all in and she whispers the incantation and then speaks louder and with more conviction.

Harry Sanity 51%,0

San loss,1

Harry watches with a mixture of horror and fascination as the beast starts to materialise. The alienness of it, the way it seems unbound by natural geometry, it strains at his sanity but also, in a way, there is something comforting in the strangeness, almost like it isn't real. A practical man, Harry is more disturbed by tangible, solid things, like automata, ugh, horrible things he thinks to himself, his mind wandering, slipping, and unable to fully grasp the unreality of what he sees.

Alexander is shocked but not stunned by the monster before him. Prepared for it, he moves to throw some of the Dust on it.

OOC,Sanity roll (current level 87) for seeing the creature: 0 Sanity loss: 1 Do I roll Throw now, or does it go first?

Crozier:

SAN 60%,0

SAN Loss,1

Uttering sailor oaths that would peel the paint from the walls, the Captain moves to partially shield Isolde with his body while getting ready to throw dust.

OOC,Well done, everyone. The rolls went well this time.

As the creature advances into the room, the smoke follows it, making it hard to realise it’s features. As the companions recoil in shock and terror, the thing’s tongue lashes out and strikes Vandorff, who still sits rigidly in his chair. The tongue caresses his face, probing his orifices, seeming to draw from him. Vandorff begins to shudder, then shake violently.

OOC,Order of attack with the Dust: Crozier Blessing Vic Alexander Rolf Harry

Crozier:

Throw 25%,0 [ooc]Success![/ooc]

The Captain roars a curse at the dog-thing, including suggestions that its parents were not lawfully wed, its mother was a lady (bitch?) of negotiable virtue, the creature itself resembles the used underwear of said lady of negotiable virtue, and that somewhere in its heritage lies a rat ancestor.

As he does so, he hurls the dust at it.

OOC,[url=https://orokos.com/roll/879196]Dust damage[/url]: [u]2d6[/u] [b]9[/b]

The dust hits the creature. It lets out a roar of what must be pain – its body twitches and it begins to writhe, limbs flailing. The black tongue flicks around in spasms. It backs away as it smokes and burns from the corrosive dust, its features bubbling and roiling. It is a horrible sight to behold.

OOC,All roll SAN! If you fail, 1d3 loss.

OOC,SAN roll (61%) - 0

Vic recoiled at the sight in front of her but knew she had to act. Steadying her nerve, she threw the dust at the writhing mass in front of her, hoping that her aim was true!

OOC,Throw (25%) - 1 Edit: Shite...

Alexander knows he should be pleased that the Dust is effective against the monster, but he's a little disturbed by seeing it in action.

OOC,Sanity roll (current level 84) for seeing the Dust work: 0 Sanity loss: 1

San,4101

Seeing the creature patchily dissolve was the most revolting sight that Isolde has ever seen. She feels sick but struggles on with the incantation. At least the dust is having an effect.

Harry Sanity 50%,0, San loss if fails 1

Harry shudders at the sight of the melting, boiling animal.

HoneyDog wrote:

OOC,Just roll SAN please.

OOC,SAN roll was in the first OOC.

Crozier:

SAN 57%,0

"Bad dog!"

The creature begins to retreat, still whining. Backing into the corner, the smoke seems to curl into itself, and the visible features of the beast begin to fade. Shortly, the light and smoke are gone, as if they never existed.

The companions watch in stunned silence. Blessing is kneeling next to the still form of Joan, who seems almost catatonic. Vandorff still sits in his chair, silent. Slowly, Rolf approaches him and waves his hand slowly in front of Vandorff’s face. There is no reaction – the man appears to be insensible.

“Help me, Rolf” Blessing calls out. “I want to get her to her room.”

He picks up Joan in his arms, and Rolf moves to open the door. They exit, leaving the companions alone for now.

OOC,Looks like you did it! Easier than expected, as everyone managed to avoid insanity. What now?

Harry blinks, hard, struggling to process what he has just seen. 'It wasn't just me that saw that dog, was it?'

After he has gathered his senses he says, 'It might be time to talk to the police. We need to get our stories straight. Particularly if we're to save Miss Bayldon.'

”No,” said Vic shortly, still staring at the corner of the room from which it had appeared. “No, you weren’t the only one.” Vic was sure she’d never forget what she’d seen.

She blinked and looked at Alexander. “You said the dust would drive it off - will it come back again?” she asked. “Presumably it had Vandorff as a sacrifice so does that mean it’s just gone for now?”

Isolde falls back to the nearest chair and collapses. “It’s all true!” She whispers, dismayed beyond belief.

"From what we read, once the Dust drives off the beastie, it is unlikely to return," says Alexander. "I dinna think Vandorff is dead, he has merely retreated into himself and been injured. In short, he is even more suited to be a patient here than he was before."

”That’s a relief,” said Vic, quickly followed by, “I mean about the creature, not Vandorff.” She couldn’t forgive him for what he’d done to Billy but equally she had been horrified by the effects of the creature’s attack.

She looked around at her companions. ”I think it might be time for a nice cup of tea, don’t you?” she said, trying to force a lighter note into her voice.

"Aye, that would hit the spot!" agrees Alexander.

Presently Blessing returns. His face is drawn and pale.

“I’ve given Joan something to calm her” he begins. “The shock of seeing that thing has really shattered her mind. I’m afraid I may not be able to help her this time. Her mind was already weak, and it sent her over the edge.”

He looks at the floor for a moment, then crosses over to where Vandorff still sits. Blessing peers at him closely.

“He looks to have gone into a catatonic state. I’ll need to examine him further, but I expect that the good doctor is likely to be a patient here now.”

He straightens up.

“What will you all do now?” he asks.

"That's what we need to discuss," says Alexander. "I agree that Dr. Vandorff should be a patient here, and it seems Miss Bayldon must be as well."

“Yes” agrees Blessing. “I can report that the strain was too much for him. Perhaps I can take over here. I’ll make sure that the patients are treated humanely, and abuses like these we’ve witnessed are never able to happen again. I’ll be able to maintain treatment for Joan. Hopefully she might recover, given time.”

Crozier:

The Captain lights a celebratory cigar with slightly shaky hands. Pulling himself together, he pulls out his hip flask of single malt and offers a careful cap-full in turn to each of Isolde and Vic. Having done so, he takes a swig from the flask himself then offers it around to the other men.

"Well, I must eat humble pie. The dog-thing was real enough. Or something like real I guess..."

"Now we are back to a discussion from some days ago. Namely, do we hand Miss Bayldon in? Will she ever recover her wits, I wonder? If not, and she will never be a danger to society, perhaps we leave her here and the mystery is officially unsolved?"

"Perhaps Dr Blessing would let us speak with her, to see if her - ah - mother is still around?"

Blessing shakes his head.

"No, Captain. I've sedated her, she is in no condition to speak. I will be able to provide a better diagnosis later, but I'm not optimistic right now. As for handing her in, what exactly would you hope to accomplish? You know that she is also a victim in all of this."

"Aye, and we gave our word," says Alexander. "If there's anywhere she can get help, it's here."

'Whether we hand Miss Bayldon in is one question, but we have someone's who's been shot, we have two men who tried to kill us locked in the cells, another has maybe lost his senses, and there's that wretch upstairs. This is bigger than the Seekers can just brush under the carpet!' says Harry.

“Greta will recover. The man who shot her is in a catatonic state, and might remain that way. I’m not sure there’s any point in treating him. I think it’s an appropriate end for him, seeing what misery he caused.”

Blessing pauses.

“As for Rutherford and Niewicki, it’s just our word against theirs. They could easily claim that you assaulted them. We’ve been holding them prisoner for days – I’m sure that can’t be legal. It’s probably better just to let them go – they won’t go to the police, they’re basically criminals themselves.”

Crozier:

Crozier looks about at the Seekers. "I bow to the wisdom of the Seekers of course but for my part I vote no police, we leave Miss Bayldon and the mad doctor here, let the other two ruffians go."

"The murders will be officially unsolved but that would not be the first time."

"It grieves me to let those two ruffians off Scott free but you can't have everything I suppose."

Vic pondered for a moment. “We known Miss Bayldon was the victim of Vandorff’s experiment but in court I think it would be difficult to prove. Given the creature has been driven away and both she and Vandorff are remaining here for the foreseeable future, I’m not sure what we will achieve by handing her over to the police. Women have a hard enough time getting justice as it is, nevermind handing her to the Police and telling them an invisible dog did the killing. If we try to explain what happened, we’ll be consigned here too!”

“With no more murders, then interest in the case will fade away. We will have solved it, but we won’t be able to take any of the credit.”

Blessing nods.

"I will dispose of that vile Liao drug. But what will you do with the book?" he asks.

Vic looked to Isolde and Alexander. ”We should really get rid of it,” she said. “We wouldn’t want anyone else to suffer the way Miss Bayldon or poor Billy have.”

“Unfortunately I fear we haven’t seen the last of the creature.” Says Isolde from the corner of the room. Her voice is somewhat stronger after the fortification of Crozier’s strong drink. “It came but went without a sacrifice. And we don’t have Joan to warn us next time. I will go over my notes again but I think we have to permanently banish it with the Crux Ansata.
“I will need the book to cross reference.” She ends pointedly.

Vic looked crestfallen. ”How long until it might return?” she asked.

Harry shrugs, 'If that's the decision of the group. I was going to suggest we frame Vandorff and his two lackeys. I suppose Dr Blessing will take over the asylum. But if this thing might return, shouldn't we keep the information on the only weapons we've got?'

Blessing clears his throat.

“As I understand it, Joan, or rather Annie, believed that the sacrifices would placate the creature, or throw it off the scent, as such. The creature doesn’t require them as a goal. It was Joan it wanted. The sacrifices were just a stalling tactic, as the creature would always find her sooner or later. Well, it found her and came off the worse. I don’t think there’s any need for more sacrifices.”

"Aye, I agree," says Alexander. "The beastie is intelligent enough from what I've read not to come back for more. It will find easier prey that cannae fight back - as we would have been had we not had access to those books. That is why we must keep them rather than destroy them. I also must agree with Captain Crozier. It seems the only option."

The companions depart Malbray Asylum, taking the two volumes with them.

The next days are quiet, allowing the investigators to rest. As no new murders are committed, the press gradually loses interest in the identity of ‘Jill the Ripper’, and eventually the story disappears, becoming another East End legend. Despite not apprehending the killer, the police are also grateful as the mood in the area begins to calm, and things return to a semblance of normality. The East End Citizen’s Committee disbands, but due to their apparent lack of success, the companions receive no reward from that body.

Dr. Blessing does in fact become the new director of Malbray. The official verdict on Dr. Vandorff is that overwork and ill-health resulted in too much mental strain, and he succumbed to the same madness that afflicts his charges. Blessing institutes a far more humane policy, seeing that patients receive proper care, and hiring more experienced staff, although Rolf and Greta continue in their roles. Blessing is pleased to report that Greta has changed through her experience, showing much more empathy and respect to her charges.

Sadly though, Joan Bayldon does not recover from her psychic trauma. She remains at the asylum, receiving close attention from Blessing, who continues to hope that one day she will return to normality. Maybe, somehow, he will find a way…

End

The defeat of the creature has reassured Alexander that even though strange and powerful things exist, science can be used to defeat them.

Crozier:

The Captain was hoping for nothing more than a chance to know of the "other world" and, from this perspective, the mission was a success, albeit a very dangerous success. He has no desire for fame or public accolades. Furthermore, a murderer was stopped.

And he spent time in the company of interesting companions, so he's doubly happy.

By way of celebration, and true to form, the Captain will treat his fellow Seekers to high tea at Simpson's-in-the-Strand in a few days' time, once they are all rested.

A believer in spiritualism, Harry had been hoping for evidence of ghosts and communicating with spirits from 'beyond the veil'. After his experiences he is feeling a lot less willing to pull back that veil after all, it seems there's much more waiting there than he was expecting.

Having had the chance to mix with some of his social betters he's also shocked and more than a little scandalised at how casually they are able to ignore the mores and expectations that bind the rest of society.

Vic’s experiences with the Seekers of Enlightenment have left her chastened. She has seen things that she never thought she would, when she idly joined the Seekers on their adventures.

With Dr Blessing’s permission, she will take a role helping out at the Asylum, while spending her free time campaigning for a more humane treatment of those afflicted with mental illness.

Isolde comes away from the asylum pale and subdued. Even during the party at Simpson’s she is not herself, being distracted with her own thoughts.
Now having an inkling of what horrors lie out beyond the boundaries of everyday, Isolde sees the insignificance of her theatrics with the paranormal. She places the Crux Ansata and the dust recipe away in a box in Moon St.
The books are placed in the Seeker’s library under lock and key and there they lie, tempting, waiting for ‘just one more look’.