FINAL INVESTIGATION

[strangerpeople]

FINAL INVESTIGATION


[Fifteen X-Passes. Six weeks. Freedom at last.



But it's not the end. Of course it's not. There are questions to answer, and souls to save. And now that the group is outside, they can see where they are.

They are inside a massive cavern, illuminated in an eerie green light, standing on a stone path. On one side is the ship-or rather, a massive, ship-shaped tangle of bloody branches, the trunk-like roots snaking out and into the river its buoyed on, as well as into the ceiling of stalactites. Said river is wine dark, but it's clearly not water. No-it is blood.

And on the other side of their little pathway? A root-encrusted palace. It sits over a labyrinthine city, bathed in emerald, and all is eerily silent save for some sounds coming from within the castle. It's clear the infestation somehow started here. And it is here that answers are likely to be found.

The doors are right in front of the group-and they are already open, covered in branches. From the outside, it seems little more than a ruin. Once everyone goes in, though?




It's even worse. The tree has taken over. Whatever lives here is no longer in charge. There's no easy way to disentangle the Qilphoth from this place. But there is life here, somehow. You can see figures entangled within the roots as you explore. And-they are still, somehow, alive. More than alive. They are beings that bleed ichor instead of blood-beings of incredible divinity and power. They are gods. And they are hostage to the tree, forever and ever, trapped in induced ennui, unless something is done.


So welcome, Strangers, to the House of Hades.]







[Once you enter, the investigation shall begin.


Good luck.]



((OoC: And here are team assignments!))

Comments

[onychomance]

[Ritsu certainly does seem to have that covered. Kira will turn back, dismount, and head on down. He'll dissipate the bike once Makima is off.]

EVIDENCE

[strangerpeople]

[A book!]

[strangerpeople]

[Welcome to the (other) bedroom, Kira. It's not a weapon room, but. It's not bad!


Let's get investimagating, shall we?]

[pegasinister]

I see. He certainly doesn't seem as much a poet as his name sake.

[He glances at the art around the missing one- is the work similar to any of the posters?]

[exequte]

Of course you aren't. Didn't you think I'd notice?

[The faint regret that colored his words, sometimes.]

Who is?

[yesorwoof]

Hmmm.

[Makima disembarks. Does any of this look the same as the alchemy lab she briefly visited...? There was a pentagram on the floor there... Were the type of candles the same...]

[onychomance]

[Kira's eye is attracted to the enormous mirror. To think that this all started with him panicking over Kosaku's stupid face... He'll investigate near there.]

[strangerpeople]

[Ok!


Well, currently Gai is standing in a hallway.]

[voidseeing]

[So hey, is that a room off to the side there... he'll head towards that.]

EVIDENCE

[strangerpeople]

[Well, Alastor, behold.

Hades, the god of the dead is....unconscious and his head is laying on his desk. Pretty much all the papers are under him so. No dice getting any.

But. Yeah. The fact the guy is unconscious is. Concerning. A Little. Probably.]

[strangerpeople]

[Nope.

Actually, this looks a lot like a teenaged or college-aged boy'a room than anything else.]

[strangerpeople]

[There is darkness in the mirror. Power, too. You can feel it emanate from it.

That said, there's a long scroll on the desk that might catch his attention.]

[exequte]

That sounds good to me! Do you have any preference?

[strangerpeople]

[No. However, there is a piece of art that will immediately catch Hubert's attention.]

HERMES NO

[somuchshipping]

[Yes. One of each.]

[15unknowns]

[When the pot and kettle meet.

Delta brings a hand to his chin.]

If I were to utter her name, she would unfortunately know, and there'd be little chance of anyone surviving, much less those who already have. Such is the downside to being beholden to a witch.

[onychomance]

[He can feel the power... if this is a magic mirror, Kira wonders if he could see his real face again if he stepped up to it. It's tempting, though he's not sure how much it could do for him, so he goes over to read the scroll before trying.]

[superstylishsquid]

[It is...he's going to carefully look around him. Are there any vines hooked up to him?]

[voidseeing]

I'll take the room to the side. I can handle myself in case it's a trap.

[strangerpeople]

[Yup! And-

Oh god. OH GOD. OH GOD. IT'S...IT'S....



A BRUREAUCRATIC RECORDS ROOM! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!]

cw: IV references

[strangerpeople]

[Yup. The roots are practically plugged into his back, his arms.]

[superstylishsquid]

[...He's curious. If there's any of that golden ichor that might be leaking, he's going to take a finger and taste it to see if it's reminiscent of Zack's in any way.]

[pegasinister]

[Ohoho? Let's see]

[godspiousjasper]

...Hermes?

[ Sir he looked away for JUST a moment. Going to come and see what you've taken, eying the bottles. Maybe they could be useful, though. ]

Perhaps we should grab that other gold and another purple one too.

[strangerpeople]

[There is a drop of it.

You sure you want to try it?]