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

???

[strangerpeople]

[When the living enter through Area 5 into the house in general, there's some weird banging sounds coming from behind a thick cluster of bloody vines.




That's. Hopefully not ominous, right?]

[exequte]

[.... well that's probably fine.]

H-hello?

[strangerpeople]

[There's some vague shouting behind the roots. "Watch where you put that!" "Maybe move your neck before I slice it off!" "You can't slice my neck, I'm dead!" "Watch me try!"]

[exequte]

[.... are these voices at all familiar?]

[strangerpeople]

[Nope. Akane has never heard these two before.]

[exequte]

[hm. Well, that's still....

She raises her voice a little.]

Hello? Can you hear me? Do you know what's going on?

[strangerpeople]

["Did you hear that?"

"Huh?"

"Of course not. We'll be done in a moment!"

"I think you're goin' senile there, old man."

"We're the same age!"]

[exequte]

I think there's someone else trapped back there.

[pegasinister]

[Well that's not ominous at all! Hubert, moving to tug his gloves... remembering he no longer has those, sighs, and instead uses his bow to try and push the vines aside without touching them]

[strangerpeople]

[No dice.

However, it seems someone on the other side is trying to, well. Do the same thing.

There's a rumble, there's a scream, and then...silence.]

[pegasinister]

Hmm... Well.

[The roots are a living thing, right? He tries snapping out a beat and using his power to urge them to move away]

Avoid attacking the roots, I think someone was just attacked for doing so.

[strangerpeople]

[And then there's a shout.]

NOW, EVERYONE! FOCUS YOUR ATTACKS ON THE ROOTS AT ONCE!

[A very British-sounding shout, actually.]

[pegasinister]

[does he recognize that voice?]

[strangerpeople]

[Yes. It sounds very Napoleon of Crime-y.]

[godspiousjasper]

Wait. That's Moriarty's voice!!

[ How could he not recognize him? ]

[exequte]

[Hold on. Another voice?]

[strangerpeople]

[Yup.

This is followed by the tones of a somewhat competently-played saxophone.]

[somuchshipping]

WAIIIIIIIIIIT!

Don'tAttackTheRoots! You'llOnlyGetHurt!

ongoing cw in thread for suicidality and other forms of chainsaw man typical despair and violence

[yesorwoof]

[This whole atmosphere is barely discomfiting and outright familiar to Makima. She's also trying to get a scent read on these ichor-bleeding beings.]

You want to die? Who do you want to kill you?

[strangerpeople]

[Ma'am, this is a Wendy's, we just asked if you wanted a side!


There's no response. They scent is like nectar and ambrosia. These people, whoever they are, are not human. They are more than that, if anything.]

[countingme]

Oh! Please don't disturb them! They're sleeping!

[ Floating over towards Makima is... a sheep? ]

[yesorwoof]

They're talking in their sleep?

[Is it a normal sized sheep? If so Makima will (effectively) put her hands on her knees to lean down cutely. (She's walking around, not on Kira's bike, to start to get a closer look at things.)]

[countingme]

[ It is a normal-sized sheep! It just... seems to be abnormally floating, hooves not touching the ground. ]

N..no?

[ There's a quizzical look towards the enshrouded bodies for a moment. ]

Maybe you're hearing them?

[ The sheep buoys up in the air another foot or so and twists towards where the blobby shapes of the dead - shades - are reuniting with all the other living members from the Gigantic. ]

[yesorwoof]

[Makima looks back and forth. Yes, she hadn't realized in the cacophony of voices that the bickering shades and bound gods were totally separate.]

So there's no hope for these deities? They're just sleeping until the tree is destroyed?

[countingme]

Huh? No, they're just napping! And boy, do they need it! They're always just working so hard, especially The Master and my--! [ It clears its throat. ] The Master almost never stops!

But ever since the Queen's plant arrived, everyone's been able to slow down and take a break.