illinois ♔ and the message coming from my eyes

[spellfile]

WHO || Andrew, Zero, Han, Rocket, Klaus
WHAT || The Knights investigate some strange events  around a farmhouse in Illinois
WHERE || Metropolis Kansas
WHEN || April 20th, 2015
HOW || Actionspam

The route to the Moore residence is a secluded, gavel-topped county road that meanders through fields and farmland.  The roiling stormclouds and lack of city lights make the countryside seem unusually dark and forbidding.  A battered mailbox on the right side of the road indicates the Moore farm, and a pothole-filled drive leads up to the farmhouse.  On the right side of the long driveway, nestled among the snow, lies what appears to be a small family graveyard.

Beside the dilapidated house, stands a large German Shepard tethered on a leash, barking furiously as they pull up.  An older man stands on the porch looking highly displeased.  The man says something to the dog, but the barking continues unabated.

"You can just turn right around and head back the way you came," he yells from the porch.

Comments

[asuma]

[Can Klaus make one to grab this bitch by the scruff of his neck? Because he got a 19 if so. Otherwise ... well, he tried, Rocket.]

[spellfile]

[ a 19 does not actually hit the DC so klaus grabs at air as the raccoon goes sliding down, and is dumped unceremoniously into a 30 feet deep pit that opens up at the base of the stairs. he's dealt 5 points of falling damage since he all but lands on his head with that crit fail.

the stair-slide is about 150 feet long, so the others are left looking down into this pit from far overhead. ] Are they like cats? Aren't they supposed to land on their feet?

[beatupgrass]

[One of those great "thank god you're a cyborg with just a little bit of damage reduction" moments, though it still hurts like hell and bangs him up enough to be unpleasant. He shakes it off and looks around to see if there's anything of note in the pit... like something to use to climb out of or whatever (spot 22)]

[asuma]

I suppose we'll find out.

[One way or another, depending on Rocket's state of being once they get down to the bottom. Note the lack of any actual concern despite his half-assed attempt to keep Rocket from plummeting to his possible death.

Klaus steps closer and peers down into the darkness, using that darkvision of his to see if he can spot anything that will actually allow them to climb down or something instead of sliding to their doom (spot nat 20, sorry he couldn't roll that for the save...)]

[spellfile]

[ rocket can't find anything that would help him climb up, which is unfortunate... but luckily, looking around, klaus notices a small hidden switch on the wall up by where they are. ] Hey! If you're alive, speak up.

[asuma]

[Meanwhile Klaus will just ... mosey on over and flip that switch. He makes sure to brace for fucking impact first ok, but he's half expecting to watch the rest of his team plummet to certain death. Look it was an experiment prove him wrong.]

[spellfile]

[ the switch resets the stairs, and the bottom of the pit starts to rise up slowly, bringing rocket back up to the room. zero makes his way down there, looking rocket over for bruises, but decides he looks fine, and moves to the only door at the end of the stairwell. a plaque there just reads "O.S.C.A.R." ] Cute. [ he tries the door and finds it locked, but a 42 disable device makes quick work of that. ] Everybody ready to meet Oscar the Grouch?

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket groans and rubs his back, but he's good. He's fine. Just rattled.] I didn't like Oscar when he was a freakin' dog. I ain't gonna like 'em now.

[asuma]

Might want to get that gun of yours ready. [Klaus is already over it. Are we surprised.]

[badexample]

[Andrew just makes a sound that is basically a whine but he's not actively arguing against the plan. He's just not looking forward to more zombies.]

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket whips out BOTH of his Excaliburs, okay. The machine gun is just not that useful in most situations. It's just really cool.]

[parsecs]

[Yeah Han's blaster has never stopped being ready. This is... great....]

[spellfile]

[ the chamber beyond is lit with dim red bulbs. lining the walls are floor-to-ceiling metal racks, each filled with row after row of neatly aligned, ancient-looking books, tomes, and scrolls. set into the far wall is a window that reveals a high-tech mainframe computer in the next room. the lights in that chamber are flickering just as those in the stairwell did. a conveyor belt leads from this chamber into the one with the mainframe.

four robots stand in the middle of this room facing each other, their manipulator arms moving in complex gestures. they don't look over or stop waving their human-shaped arms at all when the group enters. ] Well, that's... new.

[badexample]

[Well, Andrew is more interested in that computer than anything else. The robots are also pretty strange. He's not really sure what sort of weird gestures they're making. Or what the deal is with those books. But really he's focused on the important stuff here.]

Thinking I need to get a look at that computer.

[beatupgrass]

Thinking you're right, big guy. [Rocket eyes the robots, trying to see if he can get any kind of read on what they're used for/doing (knowledge technology 30). Look he's a cyborg. He's just trying to reach out to his less organic kin.]

[spellfile]

[ rocket would notice that their hands seem to have been altered to BE more human than the ones they saw outside. which fits with what zero says as he stares at them weirdly for a long moment. ] Are they casting a spell? [ he looks up at the others, baffled. ]

Those are somatics.

[asuma]

[Klaus doesn't really have any interest in machines that aren't actively trying to murder him. Or his team, I guess... He's not too interested in computers in general for that matter.

Ancient looking tomes/books/scrolls, on the other hand? Yes please. He will break off from the group to check out the nearest rack (spot/search/idk: nat 20 so does it matter?). Later, nerds.]

[spellfile]

[ they appear to be hundreds and hundreds of arcane texts: some that he would recognize as bogus, but others genuine. they range through a remarkable number of topics and spells, with no seeming pattern between them. ] The hell's going on down here?

[beatupgrass]

I dunno, but I don't think we oughta let 'em finish whatever magic they're tryin' to make, do you?

[badexample]

[Andrew will just start to edge towards the computers on the other side of the room, because he assumes that maybe the answers will be there. Not sure if there's any obstacles between him and his destination. Computer use 39 if he can get there to try to sort out what the fuck this whole thing is all about.]

[parsecs]

[Han eyes zero.] Can you stop 'em using that trick you used outside? Or should we do it the old fashioned way? [Aka shooting them.]

[spellfile]

I'm outta that spell, but I've got a few other options... [ andrew steps into the mainframe room, where a large, sleek-looking computer dominates the chamber. a keyboard, monitor, and other input/output devices are collected to one side of the unit, and text scrolls rapidly across the monitor. by the other wall stands a complex device that resembles a photocopier. atop its glass surface lies an ancient tome, face down, illuminated by a greenish light. the device is making strange, haunting noises that vaguely resemble some kind of human language. the lights in this chamber are flickering in the same bizarre manner as those of the rest of the complex.

as andrew enters, a flat, mechanical voices says: Time until ritual completion - 45 minutes. New target acquired. Within proximity of O.S.C.A.R. unit. as he peers at the monitor, he'd see a disturbing as fuck sight - the screen pulses with odd glyphs, demonic faces, and words written in a strange language. a clock at the bottom of the screen gives the countdown of 45 minutes. ]

[parsecs]

Ahh, kark it. [AND HE TAKES OFF RUNNING TO TRY AND HELP ANDREW.]

[spellfile]

[ robot-3 stops off its hand movements when the voice seeks, following han into the room and stopping right behind him. .__. hi ]

[asuma]

[I guess Klaus will stop his perusing when shit starts to go down. He's not going to take off running after Andrew though, because Han seemed pretty capable and Zero was still waiting in the fucking wings or whatever. So he will hang back to make sure that Zero doesn't get eaten, and rocket doesn't get stepped on idk. There were too many squishy people on this mission for his liking. He's keeping an eye on the other three robots in the meantime. We should probably stop being so split up across this map tho.]