[Friday, October 31st. 9:40 PM] [When last we left our heroes, they were rushing from the scene of a dumping site for bodies apparently used by the Organist and his two(?) associates, one of which is most likely the Cannibal Composer, Anterior Devourak.] [Redcoat, entirely by coincedence, just happens to have been invited to a party featuring Badgerforce, who you all believe to be the third member of the group. After a few moments trying to locate the former Masonic temple referred to on the flyer, the group managed to piece together that the main public library in Brooklyn still had intact elements of Masonic origins in its sub-levels.] [As you pop out of the subways onto the streets about eight blocks from the library, you find yourself in a fairly busy area of Brooklyn, filled with people heading to Halloween parties.] [Hopefully not the same one you're going to, because that one's gonna get a bit awkward inna bit.] [Time appears to be of the essence, but you probably want to figure out how you're going to approach. Or maybe not.] [Session Start] * Abby isn't floating, because at least that way she'll blend in. "So where do we find the wasted kids goin' to this thing to follow?" No fuckin' clue. Red, any ideas? * TheRedcoat frowns and rubs her chin. Well, if it's the place we think it is, we may be able to get to it through the sewers...should we wish to go through that again. * Abby deadpans, "That never ends badly." * Jacqueline hisses, "Not in /this/ costume." * TheRedcoat spreads her hands, shrugs, and digs out another cigarette. ... You think that's the best idea? * Abby smiles very slightly to herself. "You could always ditch it." She glances to Red. "Well, it ain't like the library proper'll be open." Yes, but I could...uh...well, that isn't necessarily a problem. There are also entrances from the building proper. We would need good knowledge of the indoor layout, though. Well, if Sis ain't giving them to us, that's not happening. * Christian 's rubbing his knuckles. "Well we're party crashers anyway. It don't really matter none where we crash the party from, does it? S'long as we get there and aren't surrounded and ready to get thrashed on." Smell in the sewer's *gotta* be better than what we ran into earlier anyhow. * Horus shakes her head. "Don't remind me," she mutters. Let's move, then. Just hope we don't run into anythin' down there. Well, can we ask her? This library is a public building, yes? * Christian shrugs. "Couldn't hurt." Why bother? I'm more worried about what's not on the map. Well yeah, obviously. * Jacqueline fetches her goggles, carefully slips them on - feathered headdress, and all - and smiles faintly to herself as she murmurs, "Public building--it shan't take long at all to find what we need." * Abby gestures around. "I'm just wonderin' how anyone's gonna GET to the damn concert. Someone's got to have a useful flyer around here." My contacts are...not answering at the moment. Perhaps the music is just too loud. Probably not. If ya know 'bout it, ya know how to get in. If ya don't know about it, ya ain't *s'posed* to get in. * TheRedcoat sounds just like someone trying to convince themselves that something terrible hasn't happened. Less ya wanna rough up a party goer an' get 'em talkin', there's no guarentees. Oh, that's an idea. * Christian eyes Redcoat. * TheRedcoat blinks. "What?" * Horus just walks, thinking. [You walk towards the building! When you are a couple of blocks away, it comes into view: a large, ornately architectured building, with lots of intricate stonework and columns and such. Only a couple of lights are on, on the upper floors, and the doors seem to be shut. Nobody seems to be gathered around, though, aside from a couple of people sitting on the steps.] We *ain't* roughing up a party goer to get 'em talking. We don't even know if the person we catch is actually *going* or not. * TheRedcoat rolls her eyes. "We could always just *ask*." * Christian just stares. [A minute or so later, you're right by the building, and if there's a party, there doesn't seem to be a line. Or posters. Or any evidence, really. The library looks closed, aside from the aforementioned lights on the upper floors.] * TheRedcoat tilts her head incuriously. "I suppose it's time to take a quick look around while Jackie finds us some more detailed information." Sounds like a plan. Works. * Abby kicks up off the ground towards the lighted floors with a slight smile on her face. * Christian just nods. He seems to be peering up at the windows. * Horus flares up, spreads her wings, and takes off in a different direction as she keeps her eyes and ears peeled. * TheRedcoat shoots up, somewhat reminiscent of some kind of hero who wears a skintight costume in primary colors. [Abby floats up to one of the lighted windows! A librarian-looking woman is in there, sorting through some old-looking tomes.] * TheRedcoat drops down into the deepest-looking alley section possible. * Christian shrugs and gives in, walking towards the canoodlers, hands in his pockets. He waves one of the hands. "Yo." They dressed in any halloween gear? [They are. The guy looks up. "'sup?"] * Christian looks 'em over, just to see what kind of gear they're in. "Weird place to be hangin' on a Halloween night, ain't it?" * Abby mms, then raps on the window with her staff and says, "Excuse me." [They're dressed as old-school male Starbuck and new female Starbuck from Battlestar. "Just waitin' for a few friends. There's a party at a club a few blocks down."] * Christian hasn't watched that so doesn't know the difference. "Huh. Ain't heard of it. Who's playin'?" [The librarian woman starts and just about falls out of her chair before collecting herself. "Jesus! Wha-?" She sees Abby floating outside the window, and just stares.] [The girl shrugs. "Some local indy rock band. My roommate's boyfriend is in it, and we're getting in free. They're supposed to be pretty good. I guess."] * Abby waves slightly with her staff, giving her a slight grin. "Sorry for disturbing your concentration, miss...?" * Christian snickers. "Sound like you're bein' dragged along." [The girl shrugs. "Hey, you know the kind of cover clubs charge on Holloween? And the place is supposed to be pretty nice."] [The librarian's mouth flops open and closed a few times before she gathers herself. "Wintham. Emily." She peers out the window. "You're flying."] * Jacqueline toggles her communicator on as she leans against the library's north face. "There are two sub-basements listed and no earthly way that more could have been dug when this place was built," she softly says. "We'll want something parallel to the second--perhaps physically attached, if we are fortunate. Is there anyone that /one/ of you can convince to open the doors down here?" Well yeah. Free's gotta be nice, comparitively. * Christian stuffs his hands back in his pockets. "I'm guessing tickets are sold out already, huh?" * Abby holds her hand out to the side. "Guilty, yes. Emily. I'm Mizuki, and there might be a problem in your sub basements." She pauses, then adds, "And I'm not actually joking." [The guy nods. "We know they're gonna jack up the prices for drinks, so if we can save on cover... nah, probably still some tickets available. Not like anyone famous is performing."] [The woman looks confused at that. "Our... subbasements? But all that's down there is old books. And dust. And some mice."] * TheRedcoat pauses. "You know, I am not totally convinced this is even the right place." * Abby smiles slightly and holds up a finger off her staff. "And being built upon old Masonic structures." She pauses, then adds, "I know it's a pain, but if you let me come in and open the doors, I'd owe ya one." * Abby smiles more widely. "And if you can think of anywhere that's weird down there, even better," Huh. What's the band's name anyway? [The woman blinks, and chuckles. "Aside from the collection of sixteenth-century Polish erotica? Not really." She pauses for a moment. "You're one of the heroes that saved the people in that building, right?"] * Horus flies down to land next to Jacqueline. "I got nothin'," she says into the comms. And I think we shouldn't put too much effort into it until we are sure, just in case. * Abby laughs lightly, and then it trails off. "The Sherwood? Yes." [The girl chuckles. "'Spleenomeglia'. They're all doctors, I think."] * TheRedcoat sighs. * TheRedcoat looks around for a handy manhole cover. Well I guess bodyparts are good for a halloween debut, but man, you ain't gonna take off with a name like that. [The librarian nods. "Okay, so you're one of the good guys. I'll be right down to open the service entrance to the right of the main doors."] [The couple shrugs, and then the guy gets a text, and they say their goodbyes and start grumbling as they leave that their friends are already at the club and didn't tell them.] * Abby smiles big and replies, "Thank you so much, Emily. See you there." And then she drops straight down, turning as she does to fly more properly to rejoin the group. "Hey. I found a librarian who'll let us in and might know the place." [Meanwhile, the librarian heads downstairs! EXCITING STAIR-DESCENDING ACTION!] Cool. Where? * Abby gestures with her staff over at the service entrance that she's landing by. * TheRedcoat sighs in relief. [A couple of minutes pass, and the aforementioned door opens, revealing the also aforementioned librarian, who waves for you to come in.] * Abby floats in first, gesturing back at the group. "Rampart, Emily... Wintham. Emily, us." [The woman boggles for a moment, then regains herself. "You said you needed to get down to the subbasements?"] * Horus walks in, wearing her full golden glory. "Sup, Emily." The wings wink away. "Yeah, that's the plan. We've gotta at least check it out." * Jacqueline gently scoffs as she enters the library. "Of course--you are in terrible danger." That too. [She blanches. "Umm... I have a keycard that'll get us down there. Follow me." And she leads you through the halls! Rather pretty in here. Nice tiles and stonework.] * Christian heads in with the group and nods to Emily, giving her a bit of a grin. "Yeah." * Abby floats after her. "Don't worry about it too much... just keep your wits about you and you'll probably be fine. Once we find the way down you can get back to sorting... what were you sorting?" [The woman, who appears to be in her mid-30s or so, leads you through the main hall into a back office. "We store a lot of valuable books and documents on the lower levels, particularly in the subbasements, so this is the only way in." She grins wanly. "Elizabethian-era anti-royalist pictographs and cartoons."] [There's a service elevator in this room. Emily swipes her keycard, and the doors open up. "This'll take us down to the second subbasement. That's where you want to go, right?"] * Horus glances at Red. * Abby scratches the side of her head and murmurs, "Well, if it pays the bills..." and answers her question with, "Probably." Precisely. Thanks. Hey, if Redcoat needs to get in, make sure you give her access, arright? * Abby floats into the elevator, in the back corner. [Emily nods. "I'll go wait by the door. Tell her to knock three times so I know it's her."] [Emily then heads off, leaving you all in the elevator. Which heads down, as elevators are wont to do sometimes.] * Abby chuckles and murmurs, "And here I was gonna ask her to show me those books." * TheRedcoat starts webslinging around, looking for anything near the area that looks like it might have people coming in and isn't obviously a club of some sort. * Horus hits the comm card: "Hey, Red. We're on an elevator to the subbasement. Lady named Emily's gonna wait by the service entrance; she can let you in and get you here if you knock three times." * TheRedcoat comms back and grunts an acknowledgment. [The elevator door opens into the second subbasement! It's less dusty than you'd expect, thanks to good ventilation systems. And it's fairly big. Lotsa bookshelves and crates and such.] * Abby takes a deep breath and smiles. "Ah, good memories." * Horus reaches forward, filling the area with a pale light before walking in. * Abby floats after Horus. "Smells like books. Anyone hear anything?" * Horus shakes her head. "Nada." * Jacqueline gestures broadly around once the elevator has opened up. "North, south--those are our directions, unless you'd like to risk electruction or worse." [The room is also reasonably well-lit.] * Christian walks in as well. "Nothin' here." Electrocution from what? * TheRedcoat comms. "Will be out of comm range shortly." Text the work phone if there are any new developments. * Jacqueline , with an amused exhalation murmurs, "The power lines, obviously," as she strolls generally north. * TheRedcoat swings off over the skyscrapers! [The walls are brick and mortar on all four sides, with shelves all along.] * Horus follows Jackie, looking around. "Find anythin', Red?" she comms. * TheRedcoat is now known as Svetlana * Horus points out the wacky brickwork. "Hey... what's with that?" * Jacqueline taps her index finger right over a few odd scratches in one of the bricks; a couple flecks of dust are shaken loose by the contact. "A clue." She switches to the communicator. "North it is--do hurry." * Abby sighs. "Jinkies. Is it openable or what?" * Horus pulls out the phone and texts Redcoat. "Found something. Hurry pls." * Christian sighs. "Don't look at me. The only way I know to open it sure as hell will let them know we're coming." [You all clear out the boxes in front of that section of wall. It's... a brick wall. Now that you all look at it, it's definitely older brickwork than the rest, though it's subtle. ANd you all see the Masonic symbol Jacky pointed out.] * Svetlana is now known as TheRedcoat Fan-fuckin'-tastic. * Abby peers at it a moment, then mutters, "I don't see anything that'll actually open it up." * Horus tries finding a door. "Yeah... 's almost like they bricked over it or somethin'." * Christian sighs and cracks his knuckles. "Then I guess we go with the alternative method of door opening. Any objections?" * Jacqueline looks sidelong towards Abby. "Well, I am sure that you can do /something/ with that, can't you? Turn the bricks /into/ something, or something." A little brick man. I don't really /care/. Not from me. Almost out of fuckin' time. * Horus gets out of their way and looks towards the elevator for Red. Right. Stand the hell back then. * Abby winces a little, then murmurs, "I probably could make a brick man." Well, then. Before the Mauve Avenger makes us--see if there's a /door/ beneath it all. Look, I don't fuckin' care, but make a decision or I'll make it for us. * Abby sighs slightly and touches her staff to the wall, muttering, "Gimme a moment, pleading with buildings takes some thought." She closes her eyes and murmurs, after a moment, * Abby smiles to herself a moment, then frowns. She replies, in english, "Yeah... that's the problem we're here for. We think someone might be trying to revisit the past." And not in an educational manner. [After a few moments, the mortar between the bricks crack, and the bricks crumble and fall away to dust, revealing a thick wooden door inlaid with various Masonic symbols.] * Horus lets out a breath. "There we fuckin' go." [It's locked, for the record.] * Abby nods and puts her staff and palm against the brick. "Thanks." She then looks around. "... well?" Right. I think it's time we crashed this party right. * Christian cracks his knuckles and steps forward to the door. * Horus glances back for Redcoat, again. * Abby makes sure she's out of the way and chuckles to herself. "A city full of warm dreams. It's so strangely right." * Christian waits to make sure Abby's out of the way and then draws back his arm, letting his forearm whistle towards the door with kinetic force. * TheRedcoat comes out of the elevator and strides in the direction it looks like people have been recently. She don't look happy. * TheRedcoat comms in. "Incoming." I am, that is. [The door's built solid. The hinges, somewhat less so. Christian's punch sends it flying and flipping down a long, dark hallway.] * Christian grins and then stops off to the side, gesturing inwardly towards the now open !door. "Ladies first?" * Jacqueline rolls her eyes, even as she walks across the door. [The hallway is longish and twisty, adorned with all sorts of Masonic symbols, artifacts, and engravings along the walls.] * Horus lets out a long breath, then comms to Redcoat, "Go north," before heading north herself, into the hallway. * Abby follows in, and murmurs, "Wow. Now this is like home." * Christian heads in as well, taking a glance at the surroundings. * TheRedcoat goes north and catches up. [After several turns, you see the hallway open up into a large room.] * TheRedcoat catches her breath while she's at it. She looks perturbed and angry. * Abby mms at the walls, then glances at Red, squinting a little. "Problems?" [The room is dark, but once Horus is inside it's lit well enough that it isn't an issue. On the far wall are eight equally sized, equally spaced depressions, about the size of a normal painting in frame.] * TheRedcoat shrugs it off angrily. "Waste of time. Though there's cause for concern. We may want to hurry." [As you all enter, a panel in the hallway behind you opens up, and a stack of eight paintings slide out.] [There's also gold-leafed writing in Latin above the eight depressions.] * Christian sighs. "Great. A fuckin' puzzle room. Who the hell actually *does* these kinds of things?" He pauses. "Other than that fuckin' scientist. Pothead or whatever." * TheRedcoat sighs as well. "Perhaps he built this as well." This can't be right. I wonder how they got the line where they were going? Certainly not through here. * Abby glances back towards the paintings. "'Only Those That Carve The Stone Most Holy May Pass'? Great. What are these paintings?" No fuckin' clue... oh great, riddles? We ain't got time for riddles! [In order, the eight paintings show: An actor auditioning, dancing and singing poorly, with the director, wearing Masonic garb, gives a thumbs up; more Masonic looking guys smashing a bunch of old European scientific instruments, including weights and measures...] [Another Masonic dude poking a fish in the eyes. A group of said Masonic guys handing a disguise to what looks like an alien.] [A group in front of a huge map, with a section of the ocean torn out. A horseless carraige crashing into a building, as a hooded figure holds tools in his hand.] [A large, golden statue of a man on a pedestal, with one hand outstretched behind him, taking money from another hand wearing a Masonic ring. And finally, an ornately dressed Masonic figure placing the crown on a king.] * TheRedcoat ignores the paintings and looks around the room for another exit. * Abby squints at a couple of them, then says, "... There's no way these make sense." The 'Stone Most Holy' probably refers to the whole King Solomon's Temple mythology, but all of these pictures have masons in them. * Christian rubs his head. "I dunno. Ya think the building would remember where they were placed last time?" So what's that mean? * Abby sighs and exhales upwards. "The temple's spirit is... very old, and probably as close to dead as spirits get." * Abby looks over the pictures, biting her lip a moment before murmuring, "Stone Most Holy... might also figure into their, uh... Carvers of the Stone. Kinda the guardian class in some traditions." Can you hurry up the musings to something? Please? We are so fuckin' out of time... * TheRedcoat looks as though she is tempted to do something really stupid, then sighs and glances over the paintings with Abby. * Abby taps the carriage picture. "This is about as close to guarding... in an underhanded way." She looks up at Horus. "Horus, I'm trying. Hell, half of me just says you should try and cut some stone." I mean, Stonecutters, right? Welll, those are trapdoors in front of all the little holes. * Horus flares a pale and flickering sword made out of light in one hand. "I'm up for that." So, we may not want to be standing near the holes, or each other, when whichever painting is placed. Oh, there are other traps around the room as well in case we guess wrong. Of *course* there are other fuckin' traps around the room in case we guess wrong. So no short cuts, then? * Horus sighs and sits down, looking at the paintings. She tosses the sword up and it disappears. "Fuckin' great." Or we just smash all the traps around the room first and then try whatever the hell. That was my thought. Yes, /hopefully/, none of them will explode. They are fairly well-hidden, however. I cannot be sure I have tracked all of them. My powers are muted down here. Dunno how much I can shield us from. Be kinda stupid to put a trap that explodes above your home base, wouldn't it? Maybe we could just blow the pics into position from a distance or something? This puzzle is very stupid. I hate puzzles. * Abby checks the backs of the paintings. "It's not making much sense." * TheRedcoat pulls out a cigarette and lights up, right there in the stone chamber indoors in New York under a library. Yeah, and what the hell does it mean "Carvers of Stone" anyhow? I mean none of 'em are carving anything, are they? These paintings come in series. Probably they have to be put into the stupid holes in the correct stupid order. Which is very stupid. [There is nothing notable on the backs of the paintings] * Christian looks over the pictures, thinking. Then deadpans. "You...wait, it can't be that simple. That's fucking stupid." That is what I said. * Horus looks at Christian, all cranky and tired and now inhaling second hand smoke. "What." I think I got it. Spit it the fuck out, then. Crown, smashing measures, map, alien, carriage, actors, fish, statue. Try it. Eugh, let's just do it and get it over with. * TheRedcoat picks up the crown one, being none too careful with the cigarette. * TheRedcoat sets it where Christian says and turns back to the others. * Horus shrugs and goes to pick up the smashing one, putting it down after Red finishes hers. "Why this order, anyway?" [Redcoat puts the crown picture into the first depression. It clicks into place, and nothing horrible happens.] * Christian sighs and looks down. "It's a fuckin' song from the Simpsons." * Horus fits the smashing instruments painting into the second depression. "What?" * TheRedcoat continues onward. The what? * Christian shakes his head. * Horus does as well. Between her and Redcoat, they got this! Aw yeah. I thought these were Masons, not Simpsons. [After a few moments, you get all the pictures into place. A bell dings, and a half-foot thick section of the wall on the left slides back to reveal...] [Session End!]